Milwaukee, WI – On Monday, August 17, members of Reproductive Justice Action Milwaukee hand-delivered over 1000 petition signatures to the CEO of Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin, Gil Peri. The petition specifically calls on Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin, or CHW, to resume medication-based care for patients seeking gender-affirming treatment.
The petition, which is still active and taking signatures, collected over 1028 signatures in under a two-month period. The signatures were accompanied by comments from patients, parents, healthcare workers and other community members. One signer, who identified themselves as LGBTQ and a healthcare provider in Milwaukee, wrote, “As a trans person and healthcare provider in Milwaukee, I add my voice to this demand. This is not a time to break trust, but a time to build trust in your providers, your patients, your families, and the advocates who support and stand with you.”
Another signer described the barriers their family encountered while trying to obtain care through Children’s, “My own child has been denied GAC from Children’s. Children’s would say otherwise, but the hoops they make people jump through are very much a problem. We did everything they asked, for over two years, and then we had an appointment that we thought was to get started on hormones, and were told we had to start over from the beginning because of how long it had been.”
The parent’s account shows how long delays and repeated requirements can amount to a denial of care in practice.
RJAM said it stands with more than 65 Wisconsin organizations, faith communities and businesses that signed a coalition letter organized by Fair Wisconsin in May. In addition to the 1028 signatures delivered by RJAM, a separate petition directed at both UW Health and Children’s has collected more than 500 signatures.
Video of RJAM members delivering the petitions to Peri and the CHW offices was posted to the organization’s Instagram account, @reproductivejusticeaction.
RJAM said it had not received a response from Peri or CHW leadership, despite repeated attempts to obtain comment.
#MilwaukeeWI #WI #LGBTQ #Healthcare #RJAM
From Fight Back! News via This RSS Feed.