Officials: Boston hospital targeted with harassment following criticism of transgender youth program
A Boston hospital has received numerous harassing calls and emails after online commentary was critical of their transgender youth health program last week, according to hospital officials.
The tweet in question was posted by a controversial Twitter account called Libs of Tik Tok, and claims the hospital is offering transgender surgeries for young girls. The tweet received over 4,000 comments and went viral on Twitter. The account also wrote a scathing article about the alleged operations happening there.
A Boston Children’s Hospital (BCH) spokesperson wanted to set the record straight.
“The article and the online attention that followed was based on the incorrect statement that Boston Children’s performs hysterectomies on minors in connection with transgender care,” the spokesperson wrote in an email. “In response to commentary last week critical of our Gender Multispecialty Service (GeMS) Program, Boston Children’s Hospital has been the target of a large volume of hostile internet activity, phone calls, and harassing emails including threats of violence toward our clinicians and staff.”
BCH is home to the first pediatric and adolescent transgender health program in the country. According to their website, the GeMS program has cared for more than 1,000 families to date.
“For a hysterectomy performed as part of gender-affirming care, Boston Children’s requires a patient to be capable of consenting for themselves,” the BCH spokesperson said. “Boston Children’s does not -- and will not -- perform a hysterectomy as part of gender-affirming care on a patient under the age of 18.”
BCH’s President says he has signed on as an endorsing organization of the Equality Act, which is federal legislation that would provide affirmative, legal nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQ Americans both in the workplace and the community.
“We condemn these attacks in the strongest possible terms, and we reject the false narrative upon which they are based,” BCH wrote. “We are working with law enforcement to protect our clinicians, staff, patients, families, and the broader Boston Children’s community and hold the offenders accountable. We will continue to take all appropriate measures to protect our people.”
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