A Message from LifeWorks NW CEO Mary Monnat and Communications Writer Orion Rodriguez
Many of you may already be aware of an alarming rise in hate speech towards transgender people in the media. Earlier this month, a host from The Daily Wire went so far as to call for “transgenderism [to be] eradicated from public life.” Sadly, these verbal attacks often have real-world consequences. The Williams Institute at UCLA has found that trans people are four times more likely than cisgender people to be victims of violent crime, and FBI and other law enforcement data indicates that hate crimes against the trans community have been steadily rising for several years.
At LifeWorks NW, we condemn hate and stand in solidarity with the transgender community. The American Psychological Association, American Academy of Pediatrics, American Medical Association, World Health Organization and dozens of other top health agencies all state that being transgender, nonbinary or gender nonconforming is not a delusion or a mental illness. Every major medical and behavioral health organization agrees that gender affirming care is necessary and lifesaving for transgender clients who desire it. As a behavioral health provider, we will follow the accepted standards of care when serving our LGBTQ clients, affirming their identities and helping them access the resources they need to thrive.
We know this is a difficult time not only for our gender diverse staff, but also those who strive to be allies to the LGBTQ community. It can be hard to know how to respond to these events. We encourage all staff to take advantage of the trainings and resources available to learn more about transgender health care, and to make an extra effort to use the chosen name and pronouns of those around you and use language that affirms their identities. As an agency, unfortunately we aren’t able to rid the world of hate and bias, but we can all do our part to support the gender diverse people around us.
Mary (she/her) and Orion (he/they)