So yaâll might be interested in this. I donât work at a hospital, but I have an inside contact. And this recently came through the system email:
So according to their JEDI initiative (seriously?) theyâre going to ask everyone about sexual orientation and gender identity, and store it right along with all their personal information. Because that couldnât possibly ever lead to problems, right?
And thereâs no clear word yet on whether they have to interrogate children, teens, and elderly people about this. Nor, as I asked, what kind of âtreatmentsâ they think this info will be useful or used for.
Itâs been sent anonymously to the newspaper. Donât know if anything will come of that. Nobody reads newspapers anymore.
Iâm halfheartedly hoping this was just some idea of some misguided person who meant well but didnât think through the ramifications. But eh. It sure doesnât take much thought to see the potential problems. That it made it all the way through the system without anybody saying ânoâ seems a bad sign.
It also doesnât say whether theyâll be given special armbands to show their status or anything.
And as a tech person, I canât help but note that it also doesnât say anything about how they intend to protect that info in the event of ransomware or other data breaches (which medical systems are certainly not immune to).
Seeing as it says that theyâre going to collect that information along with âother protected personal informationâ I would assume itâs going to get the same protection as all other protected personal information. In other words, itâs going to fall under HIPAA rules. I suspect they mean well. Sexual orientation and gender identity certainly have health implications, and people should feel safe disclosing this information to their doctors. Of course, it also shouldnât be required unless itâs relevant to something, so people should be free to withhold this information if they choose. It can also be helpful for doctors and nurses to know that a patientâs gender identity may be different that their presentation so they can properly address them during visits. But youâre right, in the wrong hands, this data could also be used to discriminate. Itâs a fine line.
I think thatâs only in the US. Pls correct me if Iâm wrong â does England have the same type of thing?
Are they kidding?? As if this hasnât been true for probably a couple of billion years.
My apologies. I missed that this was in the UK. I have no idea if the UK has something similar. I would hope so, but I have no idea.
No biggie! These things happen.
Especially to me. I canât tell you the number of times Iâve posted things twice (because I donât remember how many).
Ah, no, thatâs a misunderstanding. This is in the U.S.
Iâm sure HIPAA confidentiality will apply. And in normal times it probably wouldnât concern anyone much. But when about 1/3rd of the country and an outsized number of the politicians really want to persecute people based on their gender or sexuality, it has raised some concerns. Weâve already seen how ready and willing they are to violate peopleâs medical info when it comes to the Roe v Wade overturn.
Well hopefully the disclosure will be voluntary.
I confused the Sky News item about the UKâs NHS with the story (and related comments concerning HIPPA) in the newsletter about the US.
Doh, to coin a phrase.
Jumping into her striped pink pajamas, Juliet, a 7-year-old transgender girl, snuggles next to her mom on her bed as they talk about everything from video games, to transition, to life in their Eastside apartment. Above them, Julietâs twin brother, Keegan, holds tightly onto his father on the top bunk of the bunk beds in their shared room.
The twinsâ room has a large framed Super Mario Bros. poster; dinosaur toys and action figures are scattered on the floor. They also share a walk-in closet partly filled with some of Julietâs strawberry-themed dresses and accessories.
Around this time last year, the twins and their parents Susan and Brian were fleeing Austin, Texas, to protect Juliet from a wave of anti-trans laws and policies in the state. To protect their privacy, the parents asked that the familyâs last name be withheld, and that pseudonyms be used for their children to avoid transphobia and harassment.
A year later, the family feels safer living in a state with strong protections for LGBTQ+ people. In the Pacific Northwest, Susan and Brian say theyâve found freedom and joy, safety for Juliet and Keegan and even some room for Brian to explore his own gender identity.
But theyâre still adjusting to the life theyâre building in Washington after leaving Texas, their home for over two decades. Theyâre now living on a single income, in a state more expensive than the one they moved from, and rebuilding their lives while far away from loved ones, including Susanâs twin sister.
Yet, despite the difficulties the move has presented, it was all worth it, the family says. For Susan and Brian especially, itâs worth the emotional security that comes with knowing that Juliet and Keegan canât be taken away from them just because one of the twins is trans.
âI was just haunted by it and still am,â Susan said. âI get tears in my throat just talking about it even though I know weâre safe.â
The family is not alone.
Families shouldnât have to upend their entire lives just because they have a child who is trans.
The right-wing âCoalition for Canceled Priestsâ held a conference earlier this year to support him during the investigation.