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Our Work

In the face of a recent unprecedented wave of state legislation that has targeted the well-being of gender-expansive youth, faculty members from the Yale Law School, Child Study Center, Department of Psychiatry, and Department of Pediatrics came together to synthesize and disseminate scientific and legal knowledge in support of LGBTQ+ youth and their families.

Along with exclusionary measures in school and in sports, new laws have sought to deny access to well-established, lifesaving medical care. During the first half of 2022 alone, 20 states have introduced medical bans with worsening punishments directed towards healthcare providers and parents. The new laws criminalize standard medical care and interfere in relationships among providers and families, vetoing shared healthcare decisions.

In our cross-departmental and interdisciplinary work, we marshal scientific and legal knowledge to lay bare the misinformation used to justify these medical bans. Our team includes specialists in law, child psychology, child and adolescent psychiatry, pediatric endocrinology, and adolescent medicine. Our detailed, evidence-based reports inform litigators, policymakers, journalists, and medical professionals with a common language that upholds the integrity of science, law and public policy. Joining us are colleagues nationwide, including Dr. Laura Kuper (University of Texas Southwestern) and Dr. Hussein Abdul-Latif (University of Alabama Birmingham).

Biased Science in Texas & Alabama

Biased Science in Texas & Alabama

An in-depth report examining the scientific claims made by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton taking the position that certain medical procedures constitute child abuse as defined in the Texas Family Code.

Flawed Medicaid Report in Florida

Flawed Medicaid Report in Florida

An analysis and public comment letter to the AHCA opposing the proposed regulation on the grounds that it is discriminatory in violation of the U.S. and Florida Constitutions and federal law.

Amicus Brief Filed to Defend Gender-Affirming Care in Alabama

Amicus Brief Filed to Defend Gender-Affirming Care in Alabama

An amicus brief related to the District Court’s preliminary injunction blocking the implementation of Alabama’s legislative ban on gender-affirming care for adolescents under age 19 (the “Alabama Law”).

Report Challenges Court Decision on PrEP and Public Health

Report Challenges Court Decision on PrEP and Public Health

A new report from a team of medical, public health, and legal experts challenges a federal court decision regarding Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP), a highly effective biomedical measure for preventing HIV.

Amicus Brief Filed in a Florida Lawsuit

Amicus Brief Filed in a Florida Lawsuit

An amicus brief filed on April 24, 2023 in Dekker v. Weida, a lawsuit challenging Florida’s regulatory ban on Medicaid payment for gender-affirming healthcare.

Public Testimony

U.S. House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee

U.S. House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee

Testimony of Meredithe McNamara, MD MSc at the U.S. House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee Hearing on “Examining Proposals that Provide Access to Care for Patients and Support Research for Rare Diseases,” June 14, 2023.

Before the U.S. House of Representatives Oversight and Reform Committee

Before the U.S. House of Representatives Oversight and Reform Committee

Written Testimony of Meredithe McNamara, MD, MSc, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Yale School of Medicine at the U.S. House of Representatives Oversight and Reform Committee Hearing on “The Rise of Anti-LGBTQI+ Extremism and Violence in the United States.” Dec. 14, 2022.

Before the Florida Boards of Medicine and Osteopathic Medicine

Before the Florida Boards of Medicine and Osteopathic Medicine

Testimony of Meredithe McNamara, MD, MSc. before the Florida Boards of Medicine and Osteopathic Medicine on Proposed Practice Standards for the Treatment of Gender Dysphoria, Oct. 28, 2022

Media Contact

Debra Kroszner, Associate Dean and Chief of Staff, Yale Law School