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To the UW Medicine Community:
This Pride Month, we stand strong with our LGBTQ+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and more) colleagues, patients and community. It was in June of 1969 when police raided a Greenwich Village gay bar galvanizing the patrons and community to stand up against oppression and discrimination. As the protest spilled into the neighborhood, lesbian and transgender people confined to the Women’s House of Detention shouted through the jail’s bars encouraging the protestors on the streets below. Since then, Pride Month has commemorated the Stonewall Uprising and sought to expand inclusivity and increase visibility, activism and legislative progress.
Despite the many gains, we have more recently witnessed a significant increase in anti-LGBTQ+ legislation. According to the Human Rights Campaign and the American Civil Liberties Union, over 500 hostile and discriminatory bills were introduced in state legislatures over the past year. These bills primarily target the rights of transgender individuals and seek to restrict access to gender-affirming care and enforce binary definitions of gender.
In Washington state, we are pleased that legislation has been enacted to protect the rights of LGBTQ+ individuals, including access to gender-affirming care, access to HIV post-exposure therapies, and insurance coverage protection for infertility treatments.
At UW Medicine, we continue to be at the forefront of healthcare for LGBTQ+ patients, from our LGBTQ+ Heath Equity Pathway program, one of many Health Equity Pathway programs that better prepare medical students to provide culturally responsive care, to the creation of the Center for 2SLGBTQ+ Health, which will serve as a hub for research, education and advocacy for the healthcare needs of the community. Meanwhile, our Transgender and Gender Non-Binary Health Program (TGNB) provides gender-affirming healthcare access that is integrated throughout primary, surgical, specialty, and mental health services. With our country’s increased legislative restrictions, particularly for minors, and the limited number of surgery providers, the waitlist continues to grow for both consultations and surgical procedures. We have increased TGNB resources to support patients and reduce wait times, and we know that more resources are needed.
We are honored that the Human Rights Campaign has, once again, awarded UW Medicine hospitals the Healthcare Equality Leader designation. We are committed to improving health equity for all our patients and to creating an environment that lets people be their authentic selves.
Please join us to celebrate Pride Month at UW Medicine:
Thank you for joining us in standing strong for Pride Month and beyond.
Sincerely,
Timothy H. Dellit, MD (He, Him, His)
Chief Executive Officer, UW Medicine
Executive Vice President for Medical Affairs and
Paul G. Ramsey Endowed Dean of the School of Medicine,
University of Washington
Paula L. Houston, EdD (She, Her, Hers)
Chief Equity Officer
Office of Healthcare Equity, UW Medicine
Associate Vice President for Medical Affairs,
University of Washington
Bessie A. Young, MD (She, Her, Hers)
Vice Dean for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, Office of Healthcare Equity
UW Medicine Professor of Medicine, Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine,
University of Washington
Brad Simmons (He, Him, His)
President, UW Medicine Hospitals & Clinics
Senior Vice President for Medical Affairs,
University of Washington
Jacqueline Cabe (She, Her, Hers)
Chief Financial Officer, UW Medicine
Vice President for Medical Affairs,
University of Washington
Becca Kelly (She, Her, Hers)
Chief Advancement Officer, UW Medicine
Vice President for Medical Affairs,
University of Washington
Anneliese Schleyer, MD (She, Her, Hers)
Chief Medical Officer, UW Medicine
Vice President for Medical Affairs,
University of Washington
Cindy Hecker (She, Her, Hers)
Chief Executive Officer
UW Medical Center
Sommer Kleweno Walley (She, Her, Hers)
Chief Executive Officer
Harborview Medical Center
Jeannine Erickson Grinnell (She, Her, Hers)
Chief Executive Officer
Valley Medical Center
Erica Floyd (She, Her, Hers)
Interim Executive Director
UW Physicians
Pranika Laing (She, Her, Hers)
Interim Associate Vice President/Executive Director
UW Medicine Primary Care and Population Health
Jeff Richey (He, Him, His)
Executive Director
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