Man threatens doctor treating transgender children, feds say. ‘You’re all gonna burn’
A man from Texas was charged with threatening a doctor in Boston who provided care for transgender patients, officials said.
In August, the 38-year-old man from a rural area outside of San Antonio called a physician affiliated with the National LGBTQIA+ Health Education Center, which is based in Boston, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts.
The call went to voicemail, prosecutors said, but he left a message that purportedly said: “You sick mother (expletive), you’re all gonna burn.”
“There’s a group of people on their way to handle [victim],” he added, according to prosecutors. “You signed your own warrant, [victim]. Castrating our children. You’ve woken up enough people. And upset enough of us. And you signed your own ticket. Sleep well, you (expletive), (expletive).”
The man has been charged with interstate transmission of threatening communication, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000, prosecutors said.
A representative for the health center did not immediately respond to a request for comment from McClatchy News, and an attorney for the man could not be reached.
The call was one of at least several made, in addition to “hostile internet activity and harassing emails,” following a proliferation of inaccurate information related to medical procedures performed at Boston Children’s Hospital, an Aug. 16 statement from the hospital said.
Libs of TikTok, a far-right account on Twitter with over one million followers, posted a video in August contending that the hospital “is now offering ‘gender-affirming hysterectomies’ for young girls,” according to Axios.
The hospital denied this claim, stating they do not “and will not” perform the procedure on minors, according to its statement.
“We condemn these attacks in the strongest possible terms, and we reject the false narrative upon which they are based,” the hospital said.
“People are permitted to agree or disagree,” Rachael Rollins, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts, told WBUR. “But when it crosses into the level of threats, that is when we are potentially going to have a law enforcement response.”
A few months before the targeted harassment, the World Professional Association for Transgender Health, a leading health association, made changes to its guidelines, lowering the ages at which certain therapies could be initiated and procedures could be performed, according to the Associated Press.
Hormone therapy could start at age 14 and some surgeries could be performed between 15 and 17, slightly earlier than previous guidance, the AP reported.
Scientific evidence was reviewed and expert opinion was consulted in advance of the update, according to the AP, which added that while the association recognized potential risks, it it is “unethical and harmful to withhold early treatment.”
Multiple studies have found that gender-affirming care for transgender youth results in improved mental health outcomes.
A variety of other leading medical organizations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine, have made statements in favor of gender-affirming care for transgender youth.
But to date, though more people are seeking gender-affirming care, there have been no large-scale studies of patients who received it as children to determine how many are satisfied with their decision, according to a Reuters investigation.
Potential long-term consequences of the treatment are also not well understood, according to the outlet.
The National Institutes of Health told the outlet that “the evidence is limited on whether these treatments pose short- or long-term health risks for transgender and other gender-diverse adolescents.”
This story was originally published December 16, 2022 at 3:03 PM with the headline "Man threatens doctor treating transgender children, feds say. ‘You’re all gonna burn’."