Statement: NIRH Stands With Transgender and Genderqueer People

The National Institute for Reproductive Health (NIRH)’s mission is to help build a society in which everyone has the freedom and ability to control their reproductive and sexual lives, including transgender, gender non-conforming, and gender non-binary people. We condemn the Trump-Pence administration’s memo which states their intention to narrowly define gender under Title IX law as a biological condition determined by genitalia at birth, thereby erasing the hard fought recognition and civil rights protections for the transgender and genderqueer community.

The proposal outlined in the recently reported memo is a direct attack on the livelihood, safety, health, and dignity of transgender, gender non-conforming, and gender non-binary people, and is part of long line of deliberate attempts by the Trump-Pence administration to restrict the right to bodily autonomy and self-determination. Since its first day in office, the Trump-Pence administration has attacked transgender people— withdrawing landmark guidance requiring schools to protect transgender students under Title IX; rolling back regulations interpreting the Affordable Care Act’s nondiscrimination provisions to protect transgender people; and implementing a discriminatory ban on transgender military service members.

NIRH’s mission to advance reproductive health, rights, and justice includes the advancement of transgender rights and recognition. In order for transgender and genderqueer people to have the right to determine whether or when to have children, to have healthy pregnancies, and to safely parent with dignity, respect, and support, they must have access to comprehensive, high quality, gender-affirming, and inclusive reproductive health care, and be able to live free from gender identity discrimination in the workplace and physical violence or the threat of violence in their everyday lives, simply because of who they are.

Despite the onslaught of attacks at the federal level, NIRH will continue to work with partner organizations in cities and states across the country to affirm the humanity of transgender and genderqueer people, and ensure they can make decisions about their gender expression and body that are best for them.