Boston, Massachusetts – Boston Children’s Hospital is coordinating with police and warning its employees about growing false claims and harassment on social media by far-right activists about the hospital’s treatment of transgender adolescents and young adults.
Staff and clinicians say the harassment includes aggressive calls, emails, and death threats, reports WBUR.
The harassment began last week when several conservative social media accounts, including the Libs of Tik Tok, shared posts about the hospital’s website video on hysterectomies, claiming Boston Children’s conducts the surgery on children. That claim is false. The hospital only performs these surgeries on patients who are 18 or older.
Earlier this week, the hospital’s public relations office emailed employees on how to respond to harassment and threats, reports NBC News.
The harassment campaign isn’t limited to Boston Children’s. Other hospitals that offer healthcare to transgender children are now also being targeted.
The harassment follows discourse online that falsely links LGBTQ+ teachers and parents to pedophilia. Additionally, 15 states have restricted access to gender-affirming care or are considering legislation that would do so, according to the UCLA Williams Institute.
In response to the harassment, Boston Children’s posted the following statement on Twitter.
