Tennessee Governor calls for investigation into 'pediatric transgender clinic'

AP Photo/Mark Zaleski, file

In May 2021, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee banned gender confirming treatment for transgender youth. The day before this, Lee enacted a law that forced businesses and facilities to post a sign confirming if they allow transgender people into their bathrooms.

On September 20, 2022, Daily Wire’s Matt Walsh released his research on Vanderbilt’s transgender clinic, located in Tennesse. 

BREAKING: My team and I have been investigating the transgender clinic at Vanderbilt here in Nashville. Vanderbilt drugs, chemically castrates, and performs double mastectomies on minors. But it gets worse. Here is what we found. Let's start at the beginning.

— Matt Walsh (@MattWalshBlog) September 20, 2022

The Nashville clinic is chemically castrating children and threatening staff members who object.  According to the videos, Dr. Shane Taylor confessed transitioning children is a “big money maker."

Governor Lee provided a statement to The Daily Wire:

The ‘pediatric transgender clinic’ at Vanderbilt University Medical Center raises serious moral, ethical and legal concerns.

We should not allow permanent, life-altering decisions that hurt children or policies that suppress religious liberties, all for the purpose of financial gain. We have to protect Tennessee children, and this warrants a thorough investigation.

Vanderbilt released a statement about transgender healthcare at VUMC, following the bombshell report by Walsh:

Vanderbilt University Medical Center is now the subject of social media posts and a video that misrepresent facts about the care the Medical Center provides to transgender patients.

VUMC began its Transgender Health Clinic because transgender individuals are a high-risk population for mental and physical health issues and have been consistently underserved by the U.S. health system.

We have been and will continue to be committed to providing family-centered care to all adolescents in compliance with state law and in line with professional practice standards and guidance established by medical specialty societies.

VUMC requires parental consent to treat a minor patient who is to be seen for issues related to transgender care, and never refuses parental involvement in the care of transgender youth who are under age 18.

Our policies allow employees to decline to participate in care they find morally objectionable, and do not permit discrimination against employees who choose to do so.  This includes employees whose personal or religious beliefs do not support gender-affirming care for transgender persons.

The Trans Buddy program mentioned in the video has received national acclaim. Its purpose is to provide peer volunteers who support persons who are seeking highly personal care in an unfamiliar environment, and who may have been refused medical services in the past or avoided seeking them out of fear of being met with hostility.

According to The Associated Press, Gov. Lee’s spokesperson said they have passed their concerns to Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti after calling for an investigation.

Tennessee lawmakers have come out on twitter releasing comments on the matter.

Life-altering mutilation of pediatric patients is wrong. As a physician, I swore an oath to do no harm. I commend @SenJohnson & @WilliamLamberth for working on this at the state level. @MattWalshBlog https://t.co/rv071BLGhz

— Rep. Mark Green (@RepMarkGreen) September 23, 2022

I'm deeply troubled by what @MattWalshBlog uncovered about the Pediatric Transgender Clinic at VUMC. @GovBillLee is right to call for an investigation and we will support that investigation 100%. This type of child mutilation should be illegal and soon will be in TN." https://t.co/I1UPR7vRcw

— William Lamberth (@WilliamLamberth) September 21, 2022

Following this was a meeting, and according to Walsh, it's to create a bill to shut down Vanderbilt and "ban the practice in the state."

MAJOR UPDATE: I have met with Tennessee Rep William Lamberth and Sen Jack Johnson. We are working on a bill to shut down Vanderbilt’s child gender transition program and ban the practice in the state. Tennesseans do not want this barbarism in our state. We will put a stop to it.

— Matt Walsh (@MattWalshBlog) September 21, 2022

This is an issue becoming more prevalent worldwide, though it is becoming rarer for conservatives and republicans to speak out.

Hi Republican 2022 candidates. We have gone ahead and made gender ideology, child mutilation, and child sexual indoctrination major national issues. They're also winning political issues. All you have to do is take the reins we're trying to hand you.

— Matt Walsh (@MattWalshBlog) September 23, 2022