The 2024 election put transgender rights at the center of a fiercely politicized storm. Over $200 million was poured into ads targeting transgender and gender-expansive Americans—including children—with candidates parroting outlandish falsehoods, like claims that schools were providing surgery to students without parental consent. This flood of anti-trans rhetoric wasn’t just a diversion; it was a calculated attack on transgender people’s basic human rights.
The impact of these negative campaigns is deeply felt across the transgender community, especially by young people. This kind of rhetoric endangers lives by undermining the mental health and self-worth of transgender people.
Transgender and gender-expansive individuals already face unacceptable barriers to employment, education, and housing. They’re disproportionately impacted by the HIV epidemic. For example, trans women of color, who face an estimated 49 times higher risk of living with HIV compared to the general population. Yet, access to life-saving, gender-affirming care remains elusive, hindered by pervasive stigma, discrimination, and legislative hostility.
Access to comprehensive, gender-affirming health care is critical. It’s not just about medical treatment—it’s about people’s ability to live freely, safely, and authentically. Gender-affirming care, widely endorsed as a best practice by leading medical organizations, is essential not only for individual health but also for public health efforts, including the fight to end the HIV/AIDS epidemic. At Amida Care, New York’s largest Medicaid Special Needs Health Plan for people affected by HIV, we have prioritized offering quality, culturally sensitive gender-affirming care to our trans members. This care is rooted in the latest Standards of Care for Transgender and Gender Diverse People, which provide best-practice guidelines for transgender health.
Studies show that gender-affirming care reduces mental health disparities, lowers suicide rates, and improves the overall well-being. Yet, many trans people avoid or delay care because they fear discrimination or outright rejection from healthcare providers. When political campaigns weave anti-trans stigma into their messages, they harden this distrust, amplifying the barriers that block transgender people from potentially life-saving care.
Despite the harmful campaign and the election of many anti-trans candidates, there were some positive results for the LGBTQ+ community. The election of Sarah McBride from Delaware as the first openly transgender member of Congress is a landmark achievement. Having trans voices in positions of leadership sends a message of hope and validation to transgender people nationwide—especially young trans people, who deserve role models who reflect their identities and struggles.
Here in the Empire State, the passage of Proposition 1 sends a resounding message: New Yorkers stand against discrimination. This vote upholds New York’s long-standing leadership on LGBTQ+ rights and underscores our collective commitment to protect transgender and gender-expansive individuals amid unprecedented hostility. At a time when many states are attempting to restrict health care access and undermine the rights of trans people, New York’s commitment to inclusivity and compassion sets an example that progress is possible.
New York will not abandon its trans community, even as other states attempt to restrict health care access and undermine the rights of trans people. We can take pride in living in a state that chooses inclusivity over prejudice, aligning our laws with medical evidence and humanity. But this progress is just the beginning. We must keep pushing forward, strengthening our support systems and building a society where the political winds cannot jeopardize someone’s health or deny them care.
New York’s progress is due, in no small part, to the courage of transgender activists who’ve fought for these protections, often at great personal risk. Their resilience drives our determination to protect and expand trans rights against all challenges. With this election as a turning point, New York must remain a beacon of hope and a champion for equity.
Let’s ensure that every New Yorker, regardless of gender identity, can access the health care they need and deserve and live healthy, fulfilling lives as their true selves.
Doug Wirth is the President and CEO of Amida Care, New York State’s largest Medicaid Special Needs Health Plan.
