Doctors at Boston Children’s Hospital have been facing violent threats after far-right groups online, including the Libs of TikTok account, spread “misinformation” about the hospital performing genital surgeries on minors in connection with transgender care.
In the wake of hostile phone calls and harassing emails, the hospital said it’s now “working with law enforcement to protect our clinicians, staff, patients, families, and the broader Boston Children’s community and hold the offenders accountable.”
The harassment started after Libs of TikTok and other far-right Twitter accounts posted about the hospital’s Gender Multispecialty Service, the first pediatric and adolescent transgender health program in the country. The groups online wrote that the hospital was providing gender-confirming surgeries for children.
“In response to commentary last week critical of our Gender Multispecialty Service Program, Boston Children’s Hospital has been the target of a large volume of hostile internet activity, phone calls, and harassing emails including threats of violence toward our clinicians and staff,” the hospital said in a statement. “We are deeply concerned by these attacks fueled by misinformation and a lack of understanding and respect for our transgender community.”
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The hospital said it’s not true that Boston Children’s performs genital surgeries on minors in connection with transgender care.
For hysterectomies and other genital surgeries performed as part of gender-affirming care, Boston Children’s requires a patient to be capable of consenting for themselves. Boston Children’s does not perform genital surgeries as part of gender-affirming care on a patient under the age of 18, according to the hospital.
“We condemn these attacks in the strongest possible terms, and we reject the false narrative upon which they are based,” Boston Children’s said in the statement. “We are working with law enforcement to protect our clinicians, staff, patients, families, and the broader Boston Children’s community and hold the offenders accountable. We will continue to take all appropriate measures to protect our people.”
The hospital added, “Boston Children’s is proud to be home to the first pediatric and adolescent transgender health program in the United States.”
