Blog 2/6/25

Equitas Health Calls for End to Attacks on Healthcare for People who Identify as Transgender

Recent efforts to defund healthcare for transgender people and their families have had a chilling effect on providers of gender-affirming care across the country. Equitas Health, which offers quality, affirming healthcare services to patients across Ohio, stands against efforts to marginalize and further stigmatize transgender people.

Organizations like Equitas Health, which provide vital healthcare services, follow rigorous, evidence-based, and medically recommended standards of care. Blocking access to that care would result in harm to people who identify as transgender, non-binary, gender expansive and/or intersex across Ohio.

David Ernesto Munar (he/him), President and Chief Executive Officer, said: “We are dismayed to learn of sister organizations around the country that have seen their federal funding awards terminated. Patients have been left without healthcare and unsure what to do. We ask everyone who supports our patients and communities to immediately raise their voices. Please call or write the U.S. House Representative in your area and tell them that our communities need the services that organizations like Equitas Health offer. We cannot afford to turn our backs on the patients and clients who need us most.”

The LGBTQ+ advocacy groups PFLAG and GLMA filed suit Tuesday in an attempt to halt efforts to freeze funding for transgender healthcare. The benefits of such care are clear: In a 2024 study published in the International Journal of Transgender Health, quality of life and happiness increased among trans adults after receiving of gender-affirming care, while depression, anxiety, suicidality, suicide attempts, and gender dysphoria were reduced.

Dr. Rhea Debussy (she/her), Director of External Affairs for Equitas Health, said: “The federal government is placing an undue burden on medical providers and patients with abrupt, legally questionable notices of funding freezes. This effort is a clear example of government overreach in pursuit of a political agenda that harms vulnerable communities. Healthcare decisions should be made by patients and their trusted healthcare providers, not by politicians.”

Transgender patients have expressed confusion over the administration’s actions and worry that they may lose access to care and services and put at increased risk of violence and stigmatization.

Dr. Teagan Vaughn (she/her), Director of Gender-Affirming Care for Equitas Health, states: “As a clinician, I have patients’ best interests at the top of my priorities. By threatening to withhold or end funding for vital care, our elected officials are prioritizing political gamemanship over life-saving medical care. Meanwhile, trans-identified people are once again pushed to the margins.”

Equitas Health operates community health centers in Akron, Cincinnati, Dayton, and Columbus, in addition to resource offices statewide. The organization has advocated for the protection of gender-affirming care at the state level for several years.

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For media inquiries, please email Anthony Clemente, senior director of advancement & communications, at anthonyclemente@equitashealth.com.