Boston Children's Hospital threatened employees after far-right activists began targeting the hospital with false claims on social media about treating young transgender people. We are warning about the escalation and working with law enforcement agencies.
This is the latest in a series of attempts to target hospitals for their work with transgender youth,librariesandschools. fueling the ongoing wave of anti-LGBTQ sentiment that has swept through and Transgender-inclusive Los Angeles spas
Boston Children's Hospital's Public Relations Office sent out an email earlier this week with guidance on how to deal with harassment and intimidation. employees, citing an increase in "threatening and offensive" calls and emails commenting on the hospital's treatment of transgender patients.The emails were confirmed to NBC News by current employees. it was done.
Boston Children's Hospital was first targeted by activists in recent weeks, with well-followed social media accounts such as LibsofTikTokIt was when he often promoted the discourse of falsely associated LGBTQ teachers and parents with pedophiles and began making various false claims. According to one allegation, the hospital was offering sex-confirming hysterectomies to her children under the age of 18.
Conservative influencers with millions of followers have made similar false arguments to fuel the flames. Single-issue activists, including podcaster and supplement seller David J Harris and Chris Elston, nicknamed "Billboard Chris" for making anti-transgender statements on sandwich boards, are right-wing social media stars. one of him. The person who spread the suspicion on the internet.
Last week, thefact-checking organization debunked claims made by right-wing accounts, although many of the same accounts continued to report false claims this week. petition.
"Last week, following critical comments about our Gender Multispecialty Service (GeMS) program, Boston Children's Hospital received a large amount of hostile internet activity, phone calls, We are the target of harassing emails and threats of violence against clinicians and staff," Boston Children's Hospital said in an emailed statement. "We are deeply concerned about these attacks on clinicians and staff, fueled by misinformation and a lack of understanding and respect for the transgender community."
"Boston Children's , is proud to be home to the first transgender child and adolescent health program in the United States," the statement added.
A video on the Boston Children's Hospital YouTube account of several physicians discussing services offered to trans patients, suggesting that the Center for Gender Surgery performs genital surgery on children. was shared by an account on . Videos that have since been removed from the hospital's channel included a video titled "What it means to be transgender."
Boston Children's Hospital has the first transgender children and adolescents in the United States. It has a health program, the Gender Multispecialty Service, which has treated over 1,000 families, according to its website. Despite a separate gender surgery center located within Boston Children's Hospital, according to the center's website,"all genital surgeries are performed only on patients over the age of 18; ” says the site.
A Twitter representative said it was investigating the harassment campaign.
Boston Children's Hospital said in a statement that the online attention was "a false statement that Boston Children's Hospital performs genital surgery on minors in connection with transgender care." For hysterectomies and other genital surgeries performed as part of gender-affirming care, Boston Children's requires patients to be able to consent to themselves.18-year-olds are the standard in medical decision making. Boston Children does not perform genital surgery on patients under the age of 18.”
The post, which was promoted by right-wing media personalities, including The Daily Wire's Matt Walsh, as well as conservative websites such as Post Millennial and The Daily Caller, spread rapidly through the far-right media ecosystem.
The anti-trans activist also targeted individual doctors who appear in his YouTube videos at Boston Children's Hospital, leaving vulgar and harassing comments on social media accounts, and negative comments on online pages. It has been flooded with reviews. Some hospital staff have since made their social media profiles private.
This is not the first time far-right activists have targeted doctors, medical institutions, and even Boston Children's Hospital.
Lee Leveille, co-director of Health Liberation Now, a transgender advocacy group that explores the impact of policies on transgender health, said the hospital will be in his May 2021 said she was also targeted to provide gender affirmation to In a similar wave of targeted harassment against medical facilities.
"The first organized network that kicked off the clinic protests has slowed down a bit and is more decentralized," Leveille said in an email. rice field. “The local pocket still works here and there, but is less connected to the central, organized push than the original pocket.
In June, Brooklyn real estate agent Chaya Raichik, behind the Twitter account LibsofTikTok, talked about the children's hospital in Omaha, Nebraska, which hosted an information booth at its Pride event. Tweeted. Earlier this month, Laichk and right-wing activist Christopher Ruffo targeted a children's hospital in Pittsburgh for an informational video about adolescent blockers. The tweet directed a wave of harassment at the hospital's larger account.
Under a tweet about a child with cancer from a Pittsburgh hospital, commenter replies included "pedophile" and "we will destroy you." rice field. The
children's hospital was targeted, just one example of a series of online abuses aimed at facilities that promote pro-LGBT ideas and events.
"They are subject to a constant torrent of abuse," said Alejandra Caraballo, a clinical instructor at his clinic at Harvard Law School and an LGBTQ+ advocate. , in many cases, actually delivered results face-to-face.”
Caravallo has been a victim of recent anti-LGBT arson attacks inBaltimore and Brooklyn,pride events and . Citing widespread threats to organizers} Drag Queen Story Hourandcases where far-right hate groups showed up at protests and were arrested for inciting violence.
"We have been repeating this propaganda for months already that LGBTQ people are groomers, pedophiles and threats to children." she said. "It's very disturbing to see people justify attacking children's hospitals because of their transphobia and their hatred of trans people."
Leveille said, Another co-director of Health Liberation Now, Ky Schevers, said he feared the next wave of violence targeting doctors, patients and health facilities that provide gender-affirming care.
Boston Children's Hospital said it was working with law enforcement to ensure the safety of its staff.
"We condemn these attacks in the strongest terms possible and reject the false allegations underlying the attacks," the hospital said in a statement. “We are working with law enforcement to protect clinicians, staff, patients, families, and the broader community of Boston children, and hold criminals accountable. We will take all appropriate measures to protect our citizens."
