Minneapolis issues order to protect those seeking gender-affirming health care
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey signed an executive order Friday that protects people who are seeking gender-affirming health care.
The mayor's order prohibits city departments from enforcing laws from elsewhere that target people seeking gender-affirming care or their medical providers. While lawmakers in Minnesota have not restricted or banned care for transgender people, Republican leaders in other states have.
“This Executive Order solidifies Minneapolis as a safe haven for transgender and nonbinary people seeking or receiving gender-affirming health care,” Frey said in a statement.
Dr. Angela Kade Goepferd, medical director of Children’s Minnesota Gender Health Program, said the measure sends a message to transgender people that they're protected in Minneapolis.
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"What this provides is peace of mind that they can stay at the home that they know and love here in Minneapolis and continue to receive the care that they need,” they said.
Goepferd said medical providers have received requests from people outside Minnesota who are unable to receive care.
Minneapolis City Council President Andrea Jenkins, who is transgender, said the measure sends a message that transgender and gender non-conforming people are welcome in Minneapolis.
"Here at the city of Minneapolis, we see you, we feel you, we hear you. And each and every day we are trying to be responsive to the needs of this community.”
Correction (Dec. 3, 2022): A previous version of this story used incorrect pronouns for Dr. Angela Kade Goepferd