Seattle Public Schools now provide free “gender-affirming care” to children, taking awfulness to a whole new level.

A Whole New Level of Awful: Seattle Public Schools Offer Free Gender-Affirming Care to Kids

Seattle public schools are taking a controversial step by providing free “gender-affirming care” to students as young as 11. Both Meany Middle School and Nova High School’s medical centers offer this service conveniently on campus. However, the details of what this care entails are not specified. These clinics, operated by Country Doctor Community Health Centers, even provide referrals for sex-change surgeries, hormone therapy for adolescents, and assistance in obtaining mental health letters of support for gender-affirming procedures.

What’s even more concerning is that staff at these schools are instructed to hide students’ gender identity from their parents, according to documents obtained by Parents Defending Education. It remains unclear whether parents are informed when their child seeks “gender-affirming care” at these clinics.

Erika Sanzi, the director of outreach at Parents Defending Education, expressed her dismay, stating, “It’s bad enough that medical professionals are prescribing cross-sex hormones and performing surgeries on minors. It is a whole new level of awful and terrifying for schools to be involved.”

While these Seattle schools promote “gender-affirming care,” lawmakers and medical professionals across the country are raising concerns about the long-term health risks associated with puberty blockers and cross-sex hormone treatments for children. Over 20 states have already banned these procedures for minors, but blue states like Washington continue to support them. In fact, the Washington Senate recently passed a bill allowing youth shelters to hide minors who run away from home to obtain abortions or sex change operations without parental consent, as reported by the Washington Free Beacon.

Seattle Public Schools defended their decision, stating, “Access to these services enables the early intervention, prevention, and treatment of health-related barriers to learning with the goal of promoting school attendance and improved academic performance.”