American Academy of Pediatrics Issues Statement on Controversial HB2

By Floyd Arthur

The American Academy of Pediatrics has issued a statement calling for the repeal of

North Carolina’s controversial “bathroom bill,” otherwise known as the Public Facilities

Privacy and Security Act, or HB2. Signed into law by Gov.

Pat McCrory on March 23, the law nullifies a Charlotte, North Carolina, ordinance that

protected the right of transgender people to use the bathroom of their choice. It also

prevents local communities from enacting broader legal protections for the LGBT community

than those defined in state law and rescinds all such protections currently in place.

Discrimination in employment, housing or public accommodation based on sexual

orientation is not specifically prohibited by North Carolina state law.

The statement calling for the law’s repeal was issued jointly by American Academy of

Pediatrics, which represents 64,000 physicians nationwide, and the North Carolina

chapter, which represents approximately 2,000 pediatricians in the state. According to

chapter president Deborah Ainsworth, M.D., the North Carolina board unanimously approved

the statement, which it believes is necessary to protect vulnerable LGBT youth.

“As pediatricians, we know first-hand how increasing burdens and barriers for youth

who are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender can increase their risk of depression,

substance abuse, dropping out of school, or suicide,” she said in a statement on April 18.

“We all have a fundamental responsibility to support and nurture children and

adolescents to ensure that they can grow and develop into healthy adults,” she added.

“Laws like HB2 send a distressing message to transgender youth and can worsen the

challenges many already face. We must do better for North Carolina's young people.

They're counting on us."

The American Academy of Pediatrics has been actively advocating for the rights of LGBT

youth for years. In the face of the growing trend towards increasingly discriminatory

laws in certain parts of the United States, in February it joined several youth-advocacy

groups in a letter urging governors across the U.S. to oppose and, if necessary, veto any

bill that allows discrimination against the LGBT community. The letter, which referred

to bills such as HB2 as “shameful,” was also signed by the American Counseling

Association, the Child Welfare League of America, the National Education Association

and the National Association of School Psychologists.

The AAP joins a long list of businesses and organizations that have expressed outrage

over HB2, some of which have promised to cease operations in North Carolina if the bill

is not repealed. Adding to the pressure on the state legislature were statements from the

Obama administration, which is reportedly considering whether the law -- which

violates federal statutes that prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation -- will

affect federal funding for the state. According to Department of Education

spokesperson Dorie Nolt, the agency is reviewing the North Carolina law “to determine

any potential impact on the state’s federal education funding,” which totalled $4.3 billion

in 2015. “We will not hesitate to act if students’ civil rights are being violated,” she said.

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