Kenney signs executive order protecting gender-affirming health care in Philadelphia

Mayor Jim Kenney signed an executive order Tuesday afternoon designed to protect transgender people seeking treatment in Philadelphia from out-of-state investigations.

The measure prohibits municipal employees from sharing information as part of a civil or criminal probe into whether someone received health care affirming their gender identity. It also shields medical providers offering such services.

“In signing this executive order, let it be another reminder that hate has no place in our city,” Kenney said. “We won’t help those who seek to discriminate against trans people, and we will welcome all who need access to gender affirming care.”

Kenney’s communications team did not respond to a question about whether the city is aware of any cases where someone faced civil or criminal penalties for gender-affirming services provided in Philadelphia.

In addition, the directive states that inmates in the city’s prison system should receive gender-affirming care while in custody.

Currently, hormone replacement, surgery and other treatments are legal in Pennsylvania and federally, but, should any restrictions be passed, the mayor’s office will “deprioritize enforcement… to the fullest extent possible,” the order says.

Information about gender-affirming care can still be shared by city workers with the patient’s consent, or if required by state or federal law, or a court order, according to the document.

More than 20 states have passed statues banning gender-affirming care for those under the age of 18, according to the Human Rights Campaign, and Trans Legislation Tracker, an online tool, indicates that 84 pieces of legislation targeting trans people have been approved this year.

“As this anti-trans legislation has become bolder and further reaching, our commitment to protecting trans and gender expansive individuals’ access to health care also needs to become bolder,” said Celena Morrison-McLean, executive director of the city’s Office of LGBT Affairs.

More than 60,000 city residents identify as members of the LGBTQ community, according to the Kenney administration, which, in a news release, described Philadelphia as “now one of the most accepting cities in the United States for LGBTQIA+.”

Leaders from the Mazzoni Center and the William Way LGBT Community Center said Tuesday that people are fleeing states where elected officials have restricted gender-affirming care.

“People are in search of new, affirming places to call home, and Philadelphia shines as a beacon of safety,” said Darius McLean, William Way’s chief operating officer.

Kenney’s order goes into effect immediately.