Virginia’s top health official said there’s no timeline for restoring a webpage listing resources for transgender children.
“We do want to make sure that the resources we provide are medically appropriate as well as professional,” State Health Commissioner Karen Shelton told WHRO this week.
“And we do want to make sure that parents are included in their children's health care decisions.”
In late May, the Virginia Department of Health removed a webpage that listed a number of resources for trans children, including a website that offers chat services, Virginia Pride, state LGBTQ organizations, the TREVOR Project and the Virginia Anti-Violence Project.
According to emails obtained by the Virginia Mercury, most health department staff were unaware of the removal of the resources.
Those emails also showed Shelton received direction to remove the pages from the state Department of Health and Human Resources and “there wasn’t much time to communicate about it.”
VDH still provides a list of trans-inclusive groups and health practitioners, but it doesn’t specify any for children.
Shelton said when the state re-posts resources for trans children that there will be “criteria” for the resources.
