Chris Lieberman, FISM News
The Department of Justice announced it is investigating threats against Boston Children’s Hospital (BCH) and its employees following the backlash over reports that the hospital is offering gender-affirming surgery to minors.
“Today’s news about the alleged threats directed at Boston Children’s Hospital transgender health program is disturbing to say the least,” a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the District of Massachusetts stated. “I want to make it clear that the Department of Justice will ensure equal protection of transgender people under the law.”
The controversy began after Boston Children’s Hospital released a series of videos boasting of a “full suite of surgical options for transgender teens” and discussing various options of gender-affirming care for transgender youth.
Conservative commentators, including social media account Libs of Tik Tok and Daily Wire host Matt Walsh, were quick to respond, calling out the hospital for performing irreversible surgeries on minors, such as hysterectomies, double mastectomies, and phalloplasties. BCH made the videos private following the backlash.
Boston Children’s Hospital (@BostonChildrens) is now offering “gender affirming hysterectomies” for young girls pic.twitter.com/JOH5fFtGJ0
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) August 11, 2022
Fact-checkers, such as Politifact, declared that these claims were false, noting that the Center for Gender Surgery page on BCH’s website states that, “All genital surgeries are only performed on patients age 18 and older.”
However, Libs of Tik Tok tweeted screenshots showing that the hospital previously offered surgeries such as vaginoplasties to patients 17 and older and that they had only added the statement about patients needing to be 18 after they were exposed.
.@BostonChildrens updated their website this week to try to have us believe that they don’t perform “gender affirming” surgeries on minors. Luckily everything was archived. pic.twitter.com/BhkRjC0zHh
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) August 14, 2022
In response to the controversy, Facebook suspended Libs of Tik Tok’s account.
Many vocalized their anger at BCH in light of these revelations, with some people allegedly resorting to threats of violence.
“In response to the commentary last week critical of our Gender Multispecialty Service (GeMS) Program, Boston Children’s Hospital has been the target of a large volume of hostile internet activity, phone calls, and harassing emails, including threats of violence toward our clinicians and staff,” BCH said in a statement on Tuesday. “We are deeply concerned by these attacks on our clinicians and staff fueled by misinformation and a lack of understanding and respect for our transgender community.”
The statement goes on to say, “We are working with law enforcement to protect our clinicians, staff, patients, families, and the broader Boston Children’s Hospital community and hold the offenders accountable. We will continue to take all appropriate measures to protect our people.”
The hospital also sent an email to staff members instructing them on how to respond to harassment, according to NBC News.
Walsh shared his own solution to the controversy during “The Matt Walsh Show” on Wednesday.
If you’re at Boston Children’s Hospital or if you work at a gender affirming clinic anywhere in the country, and you’re worried that people are going to start sending you angry emails and calling you out on social media and everything else, here’s the good news: There’s a real easy solution, and that is to stop doing that to the kids, stop hurting kids, and this problem for you goes away.”