Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney signed an executive order on Tuesday in City Hall which will protect those who come to the city for gender-affirming care, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported.

According to their coverage, the newly signed order prohibits the city “from using any resources to assist states that seek to investigate or punish someone for providing or receiving gender-affirming care in Philadelphia.”

The article mentions “puberty blockers, hormone therapy, and surgical treatments for transgender youth” as part of the gender-affirming care that will be provided by the city, considered a “life-saving option” by Celena Morrison, the executive director of the Philadelphia office of LGBT affairs.

According to the Office of Population Affairs, a branch of the Office of Public Health and Science in the United States Department of Health and Human Services, gender-affirming care is “a supportive form of healthcare. It consists of an array of services that may include medical, surgical, mental health, and non-medical services for transgender and nonbinary people. For transgender and nonbinary children and adolescents, early gender-affirming care is crucial to overall health and well-being as it allows the child or adolescent to focus on social transitions and can increase their confidence while navigating the healthcare system.”

Also noted in the article are the states which have blocked access to similar orders. For more information, you can see the map below or visit LGBTMap.org.

Image courtesy of LGBTMap.org

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