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American Medical Association and transgender people

The American Medical Association (AMA) is a national professional organization of over 270,000 medical professionals.

Founded in 1847, their goals are scientific advancement, standards for medical education, launching a program of medical ethics, and improved public health.

Trans and gender diverse people

AMA has published several positions and policies supporting transgender and gender diverse populations.

H-65.964

  • Access to Basic Human Services for Transgender Individuals H-65.964
  • Our AMA: (1) opposes policies preventingĀ transgenderĀ individuals from accessing basic human services and public facilities in line with oneā€™s gender identity, including, but not limited to, the use of restrooms; and (2) will advocate for the creation of policies that promote social equality and safe access to basic human services and public facilities forĀ transgenderĀ individuals according to oneā€™s gender identity.

H-185.950

  • Removing Financial Barriers to Care for Transgender Patients
  • Our AMA supports public and private health insurance coverage for treatment of gender dysphoria as recommended by the patient’s physician. (2016)

H-460.893

  • Patient-Reported Outcomes in Gender Confirmation Surgery
  • Our AMA supports: (1) initiatives and research developed by specialty societies and other relevant stakeholders to establish standardized protocols for patient selection, surgical management, and preoperative and postoperative care for transgender patients undergoing gender confirmation surgeries; and (2) implementation of standardized tools, such as questionnaires, developed by specialty societies and other relevant stakeholders to evaluate outcomes of gender confirmation surgeries. (2018)

H-65.956

  • Right for Gamete Preservation Therapies
  • 1. Fertility preservation services are recognized by our AMA as an option for the members of the transgender and non-binary community who wish to preserve future fertility through gamete preservation prior to undergoing gender affirming medical or surgical therapies.2. Our AMA supports the right of transgender or non-binary individuals to seek gamete preservation therapies.

H-430.982

  • Appropriate Placement of Transgender Prisoners
  • 1. Our AMA supports the ability of transgender prisoners to be placed in facilities, if they so choose, that are reflective of their affirmed gender status, regardless of the prisonerā€™s genitalia, chromosomal make-up, hormonal treatment, or non-, pre-, or post-operative status.
  • 2. Our AMA supports that the facilities housing transgender prisoners shall not be a form of administrative segregation or solitary confinement. (2018)

H-40.966

  • Military Medical Policies Affecting Transgender Individuals
  • Our American Medical Association affirms that there is no medically valid reason to exclude transgender individuals from service in the US military and affirms transgender service members be provided care as determined by patient and physician according to the same medical standards that apply to non-transgender personnel.

H-60.927

  • Reducing Suicide Risk Among Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning Youth Through Collaboration with Allied Organizations
  • Our AMA will partner with public and private organizations dedicated to public health and public policy to reduce lesbian, gay, bisexual,Ā transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ) youth suicide and improve health among LGBTQ youth. (2012)

H-460.907

  • Encouraging Research Into the Impact of Long-Term Administration of Hormone Replacement Therapy in Transgender Patients
  • Our AMA encourages research into the impact of long-term administration of hormone replacement therapy inĀ transgenderĀ patients.

H-65.957

  • Preventing Anti-Transgender Violence
  • Our AMA will: (1) partner with other medical organizations and stakeholders to immediately increase efforts to educate the general public, legislators, and members of law enforcement using verified data related to the hate crimes againstĀ transgenderĀ individuals highlighting the disproportionate number of BlackĀ transgenderĀ women who have succumbed to violent deaths: (2) advocate for federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies to consistently collect and report data on hate crimes, including victim demographics, to the FBI; for the federal government to provide incentives for such reporting; and for demographic data on an individualā€™s birth sex and gender identity be incorporated into the National Crime Victimization Survey and the National Violent Death Reporting System, in order to quickly identify positive and negative trends so resources may be appropriately disseminated; (3) advocate for a central law enforcement database to collect data about reported hate crimes that correctly identifies an individualā€™s birth sex and gender identity, in order to quickly identify positive and negative trends so resources may be appropriately disseminated; (4) advocate for stronger law enforcement policies regarding interactions withĀ transgenderĀ individuals to prevent bias and mistreatment and increase community trust; and (5) advocate for local, state, and federal efforts that will increase access to mental health treatment and that will develop models designed to address the health disparities that LGBTQ individuals experience.

D-460.966

  • Endorsing the Creation of a Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ) Research IRB Training
  • Our AMA will work with appropriate stakeholders to support the creation of model training for Institutional Review Boards to use and/or modify for their unique institutional needs as it relates to research collecting data on Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual,Ā TransgenderĀ and Queer populations.

H-60.927

  • Reducing Suicide Risk Among Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning Youth Through Collaboration with Allied Organizations
  • Our AMA will partner with public and private organizations dedicated to public health and public policy to reduce lesbian, gay, bisexual,Ā transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ) youth suicide and improve health among LGBTQ youth.

H-160.991

  • Health Care Needs of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer Populations
  • 1. Our AMA: (a) believes that the physician’s nonjudgmental recognition of patients’ sexual orientations, sexual behaviors, and gender identities enhances the ability to render optimal patient care in health as well as in illness. In the case of lesbian, gay, bisexual,Ā transgender, queer/questioning, and other (LGBTQ) patients, this recognition is especially important to address the specific health care needs of people who are or may be LGBTQ; (b) is committed to taking a leadership role in: (i) educating physicians on the current state of research in and knowledge of LGBTQ Health and the need to elicit relevant gender and sexuality information from our patients; these efforts should start in medical school, but must also be a part of continuing medical education; (ii) educating physicians to recognize the physical and psychological needs of LGBTQ patients; (iii) encouraging the development of educational programs in LGBTQ Health; (iv) encouraging physicians to seek out local or national experts in the health care needs of LGBTQ people so that all physicians will achieve a better understanding of the medical needs of these populations; and (v) working with LGBTQ communities to offer physicians the opportunity to better understand the medical needs of LGBTQ patients; and (c) opposes, the use of “reparative” or “conversion” therapy for sexual orientation or gender identity.
  • 2. Our AMA will collaborate with our partner organizations to educate physicians regarding: (i) the need for sexual and gender minority individuals to undergo regular cancer and sexually transmitted infection screenings based on anatomy due to their comparable or elevated risk for these conditions; and (ii) the need for comprehensive screening for sexually transmitted diseases in men who have sex with men; (iii) appropriate safe sex techniques to avoid the risk for sexually transmitted diseases; and (iv) that individuals who identify as a sexual and/or gender minority (lesbian, gay, bisexual,Ā transgender, queer/questioning individuals) experience intimate partner violence, and how sexual and gender minorities present with intimate partner violence differs from their cisgender, heterosexual peers and may have unique complicating factors.
  • 3. Our AMA will continue to work alongside our partner organizations, including GLMA, to increase physician competency on LGBTQ health issues.
  • 4. Our AMA will continue to explore opportunities to collaborate with other organizations, focusing on issues of mutual concern in order to provide the most comprehensive and up-to-date education and information to enable the provision of high quality and culturally competent care to LGBTQ people.

H-460.893

  • Patient-Reported Outcomes in Gender Confirmation Surgery
  • Our AMA supports: (1) initiatives and research developed by specialty societies and other relevant stakeholders to establish standardized protocols for patient selection, surgical management, and preoperative and postoperative care forĀ transgenderĀ patients undergoing gender confirmation surgeries; and (2) implementation of standardized tools, such as questionnaires, developed by specialty societies and other relevant stakeholders to evaluate outcomes of gender confirmation surgeries.

References

AMA Advocating for the LGBTQ community. https://www.ama-assn.org/delivering-care/population-care/advocating-lgbtq-community

AMA/GLMA (September 2018). Transgender individualsā€™ access to public facilities. 18-281734:9/17 https://www.ama-assn.org/system/files/2019-03/transgender-public-facilities-issue-brief.pdf

AMA/GLMA (February 2019). Health insurance coverage for gender- affirming care of transgender patients. 19-321820:2/19 https://www.ama-assn.org/system/files/2019-03/transgender-coverage-issue-brief.pdf

AMA/GLMA (April 2022). Sexual orientation and gender identity change efforts (so-called ā€œconversion therapyā€). 22-676341:04/22 https://www.ama-assn.org/system/files/conversion-therapy-issue-brief.pdf

AMA (June 12, 2020). AMA opposes effort to allow discrimination against patients. https://www.ama-assn.org/press-center/press-releases/ama-opposes-effort-allow-discrimination-against-patients

Resources

American Medical Association (ama-assn.org)