Jourdan, M. (2024, March 1). APA adopts policy statement affirming Evidence-Based Inclusive Care for Transgender, Gender Diverse, and Nonbinary Individuals. Division 44 Newsletter. https://www.apadivisions.org/division-44/publications/newsletters/division/2024/03/policy-statement-gender-affirming
On February 24, 2024, APA adopted a policy statement (PDF, 90KB) that supports the appropriateness of evidence-based, gender-affirming care, including psychological services, for youth and adults, opposes policies and legislations that block access to care, and opposes the dissemination of false information used to attack trans, gender diverse, and nonbinary people as well as the care they need.
This is a critical step for us because, while many other organizations – the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and others – had made such statements years ago, APA had never made such a statement to date, in spite of having taken steps like promulgating clinical guidelines for trans care. This tied the hands of our advocacy team and hampered our efforts in policy advocacy and legal advocacy. With this statement in place, we can be much more effective in mobilizing APA advocacy against these bans and limitations on effective care.
This public statement is incredibly timely, as we have anti-trans legislation active in the legislatures of many states, and these bills are increasingly draconian. This toxic atmosphere has caused internal displacement of gender diverse people and their families inside the United States, as they flee these policies, and creates a climate of fear as well as empowering hostility, including the tragic situation in Oklahoma, earlier this week, in which a nonbinary youth died after being assaulted in school.
This statement came together through the work of so many Division 44 members including Stephanie Budge, Elliot Marrow, Sebastian Barr, Richard Sprott, and Kimberly Balsam. As Council Representatives, we would also like to recognize Arlene Noriega and Michael Hendricks, who paved the way and helped us establish ourselves at Council, and continue to provide mentorship and leadership, as they serve in their roles on Council Leadership Team and the Board of Directors. Gregory Sarlo, President of Division 44, also brought us together at Midwinter Meeting and helped us get in a place where we could work together quickly to create this policy and respond to suggestions from other parts of APA. And of course, our amazing Public Policy Committee laid the critical groundwork in our own Division’s policy statement on this topic.
We also built an incredible coalition. We worked very closely with Terry Stancin, a pediatric psychologist representing Division 54, who co-wrote and “co-moved” this policy statement. She was our partner at every level of this process. APA staff from multiple layers of the Association were also critical to this process. In particular, I would like to offer my heartfelt thanks to Katherine McGuire, Chief Advocacy Officer of the American Psychological Association. She provided tremendous support to obtain and incorporate feedback and strengthen this document, and we simply would not have reached this goal at this Council meeting, without her. In the end, 45 members of Council – about a quarter of the full elected body – endorsed this policy statement in advance of introducing it on the floor of Council. Twelve divisions and state, provincial, and territorial associations (SPTAs), including Division 44, also endorsed the statement, alongside APA Boards and Committees. These connections made it clear that a number of diverse voices are willing to stand up with us for our rights, and resulted in the policy passing with overwhelming support on the floor of Council, with more than 93% of votes cast in favor of the proposal.
For me, this was the first time I was able to introduce a resolution to Council, as I am in my second year, and last year was spent learning the processes and procedures of Council. My hope is that the team we have built inside our division and the coalition we have built beyond our Division will help us to advance many more policies that support the rights, welfare, and dignity of the LGBTQ community, and I look forward to doing this in partnership with everyone in the Division.
In gratitude,
Mira C. Jourdan, PhD, ABPP
Council Representative and Former President, The Society for the Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity