Kimberly Zayhowski, MS, CGC
Assistant Professor, Department of Medical Sciences and Education
Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine
Kellan Baker, PhD, MPH, MA
Executive Director of the Whitman-Walker Institute
Moderated by:
Ina Amarillo, PhD, MSc
Associate Professor, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
Penn State University
Abstract: There are already many barriers to appropriate health care for members of transgender, gender diverse, and intersex (TGDI) communities. Fear of discrimination drives TGDI people to avoid clinical encounters and research participation, which leads to incomplete and inaccurate genetic data. The recent surge in legislation in the US targeting access to age-appropriate and affirming health care for TGDI individuals is a direct threat to the health, autonomy, and well-being of TGDI people and also threatens to undermine accurate genetic risk assessment, patient care, and genomics research. Beyond banning best-practice care for these communities, these laws weaponize genetics against TGDI people by falsely conflating sex chromosomes with outdated binary concepts of sex and gender. This session will discuss responsibilities and actions of researchers and clinicians to support gender-affirming health care and research for TGDI people nationwide.
ELSI Friday Forum is a program of ELSIhub, which is financially supported by the National Human Genome Research Institute at the National Institutes of Health
Location and Address
Online