We should all have access to equitable, affordable, and high-quality family planning and sexual health services, no matter who you are, where you live, or how much money you make.

In 2019, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) adopted Title X regulations that created harmful barriers to family planning and sexual health services for LGBTQI+ people. In April 2021, HHS proposed a new rule to undo the damage caused by those regulations, and restore 2000 regulations with revisions that center health equity, inclusivity, and patient-centered care.

GLAD joined the National Center for Lesbian Rights and other LGBTQI+ organizations to submit a public comment in support of the proposed changes. The comment also encourage HHS to make the rule more inclusive by explicitly listing protections for intersex people and addressing the role of systemic racism in health equity.

As the public comment explains:

We cannot emphasize enough the importance of seeing our nation’s top public health agency returning to a focus on patients’ health care needs, something that was lacking in the prior administration. It comes at a critical time, when a distressing number of states are advancing legislation to block transgender people from the life-saving health care they need. Political interference in medical care is dangerous, and this [proposed rule] is the right move, restoring the Title X program’s commitment to adhering to medical ethics and standards of care. We hope that HHS will use its powerful position to oppose these ongoing attacks on transgender people’s health care and continue to lead by example in ensuring access to high-quality, evidence-based care for all.

Read the full public comment.

The public comment was signed by:

  • National Center for Lesbian Rights
  • GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD)
  • Bay Area Lawyers for Individual Freedom (BALIF)
  • Equality California
  • Equality Federation
  • Family Equality
  • GLMA: Health Professionals Advancing LGBTQ Equality
  • Human Rights Campaign
  • interACT: Advocates for Intersex Youth
  • Lambda Legal
  • Movement Advancement Project
  • National Black Justice Coalition
  • National LGBTQ Task Force
  • SIECUS: Sex Ed for Social Change