Members of the LGBTQIA+ Caucus call attention to the legislative violence being leveraged against transgender people across the United States, and specifically in the following states, where government intrusion into medical care of transgender children is harming a marginalized social group: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Tennessee, and Texas.
The LGBTQIA+ Caucus stands with other organizations, including the American Medical Association (AMA) and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), in calling for greater access to gender-affirming healthcare for all transgender individuals and especially transgender youth. To quote the AMA, “forgoing gender-affirming care can have tragic consequences for transgender individuals who face increased risk of anxiety, stress, substance use disorder and suicide.” (Ama-assn.org, 2021)
Additionally, the Caucus encourages members of the medical or health sciences library community to express solidarity through active engagement, including but not limited to the following means:
- Contact state legislators through phone calls, emails, or letters asking that they vote down anti-trans legislation in all forms while working together to craft inclusive legislation that promotes the equitable well-being of transgender and nonbinary Americans in their state.
- Obtain a list of bills moving through state governing bodies.
- If a member has the means, consider donating to or volunteering for one of the following organizations:
Finally, the LGBTQIA+ Caucus calls for MLA to show its commitment to greater diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice in libraries by providing educational opportunities for library workers to learn about transgender health and healthcare needs, demonstrating support for transgender and nonbinary medical library workers, and ensuring that MLA event coordinators are fully aware and inclusive of transgender and nonbinary needs. We value the DEIJ work that MLA and our fellow caucuses have done, and we stress the need for solidarity and unity as we work together to establish a more just country where we can all live and thrive.
Statements made by MLA caucuses and chapters reflect the opinion of the individual caucus or chapter of MLA, and do not necessarily reflect the official position of the Medical Library Association.
Signed, Members of the MLA LGBTQIA+ Caucus and:
- Academic Librarians Caucus
- African American Medical Librarians Alliance
- Asian Diaspora Coalition of Medical Librarians Caucus
- Cancer Librarians Caucus
- Collection Development Caucus
- Consumer and Patient Health Information Services (CAPHIS)
- Dental Caucus
- Health Humanities Caucus
- History of the Health Sciences Caucus
- Hospital Library Caucus
- International Cooperation Caucus
- Latinx Caucus
- Medical Informatics (MIS) Caucus
- New Members Caucus
- Pediatric Librarians Caucus
- Public Health/Health Administration Caucus
- Scholarly Communications Caucus
- Systematic Reviews Caucus
- Technical Services Caucus
- Vision Science Caucus
Affiliated MLA organizations:
- Medical Library Group of Southern California and Arizona (MLGSCA)
- Northern California Nevada Medical Library Group (NCMLG)
For more information please contact Hannah Schilperoort.
If your caucus or chapter wishes to sign onto this statement please contact Jamie Birkner.
