Seattle Public Schools to Offer Gender Care

Seattle Public Schools will offer gender-transition care to middle school and high school students, including hormone therapy and referrals for surgeries, at two health centers operated by a local nonprofit, according to documents obtained by parental rights advocacy group Parents Defending Education.

The Nova Wellness Center and the Meany Health Center, located at two Seattle public schools, are run by nonprofit Country Doctor Community Health Centers, which on its website says its mission for gender-transition care is to "promote health in transgender, nonbinary and gender diverse communities through ensuring equal access to gender-affirming medications and procedures, and training staff to be trauma-informed and culturally responsive."

The nonprofit states that it does not currently provide puberty blockers for children who have not yet reached puberty.

"The Nova Wellness Center offers no cost comprehensive, trauma-informed, and gender-affirming care, conveniently at the school," a Seattle Public School document reads.

"We bill appropriate services to insurance if you have it," it adds. "There are never any co-pays or co-insurance to worry about. We also offer services and support to students and families without insurance."

Erika Sanzi, PDE director of outreach, told the Daily Mail the move was "a whole new level of awful and terrifying for schools to be involved. It's bad enough that medical professionals are prescribing cross-sex hormones and cutting off breasts and genitals of minors."

Opponents of gender-transition care say there's no proof of purported benefits, cite widely discredited research, and say children shouldn't make life-altering decisions they might regret. Advocates and families impacted by the recent laws say such care is vital for transgender children.

Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.

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