The Alaska State Medical Board meets Friday, August 22 to vote on a resolution that would classify gender-affirming care for trans youth as “unprofessional conduct.” This is not medicine—it’s politics weaponized against kids, families, and providers.
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Alaska providers are coming together to say: enough. We will not let evidence-based, lifesaving care be politicized.
If you are a licensed provider in Alaska, please sign the open letter today:
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Our Statement
Identity has released a public statement responding to this attack on evidence-based medicine and the integrity of Alaska’s healthcare system.
ANCHORAGE, AK — Identity, Inc., Alaska’s LGBTQIA2S+ health provider, is raising urgent alarm about the Alaska State Medical Board’s decision to draft a resolution that would classify gender-affirming medical care for transgender minors as “gross negligence” and grounds for disciplinary action.
“This is not medicine, it’s politics weaponized against kids,” said Tom Pittman, Executive Director of Identity. “Every major medical association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Endocrine Society, the American Medical Association, recognizes gender-affirming care as evidence-based and often lifesaving. To label this care as ‘negligence’ is reckless, dangerous, and an attack on the integrity of Alaska’s healthcare system.”
This is not the first time the Board has attempted to interfere. After the legislature declined to act on its earlier push to restrict transgender care, the Board is now going rogue—attempting to reclassify evidence-based treatment through a political maneuver that does not reflect the standards or values of Alaska’s medical community. In the same discussion, the Board also moved to target abortion access, revealing a broader ideological agenda, not legitimate medical oversight.
Families already face enormous barriers in accessing affirming care in Alaska. This resolution doesn’t just threaten providers, it strips parents of their ability to work with trusted doctors to make the best healthcare decisions for their child. If adopted, families will be left with impossible choices: travel out of state, go without needed care, or watch their trusted providers risk punishment for delivering medically necessary treatment.
These are the very same treatments—puberty blockers and hormones—widely recognized as safe and prescribed without controversy to cisgender youth for other medical needs. They are singled out here only when prescribed to transgender youth.
“That double standard is discrimination, plain and simple.,” Pittman said.
Alaska already has one of the smallest provider networks in the country. Shrinking that network further will leave rural and Alaska Native families with no safe options in-state. Research shows that when transgender youth receive affirming care, they thrive: healthier, happier childhoods, stronger self-esteem, and dramatically reduced suicide risk. Denying that care endangers their well-being and their future.
“Healthcare decisions belong with families and providers—not political appointees,” said Amanda Allard, Identity’s board co-chair. “Every young person in Alaska deserves care that is safe, evidence-based, and rooted in dignity—not politics.”
Pittman added: “Identity was built to return safety, agency, and credibility to people whose lives have too often been pathologized or erased. We will continue delivering that care, and we will not back down from defending the right of Alaska’s families and providers to make these decisions free from political interference. Our commitment is unwavering: to protect care, defend truth, and stand with trans youth.”
About Identity, Inc.
Identity, Inc. is Alaska’s LGBTQIA2S+ health organization, intentionally built by and for our community. From primary care and behavioral health to gender-affirming services, every part of our model is designed to return safety, agency, and credibility to people whose needs have too often been denied or erased. We center those most often left behind, providing care that is not conditional but coherent — grounded in evidence, guided by compassion, and inseparable from dignity and belonging.
🧡 Take Action: Support the Health Equity Fund
The Health Equity Fund ensures no LGBTQIA2S+ person is denied care due to cost—especially trans youth.
Your gift directly covers gender-affirming care, mental health support, and primary care for patients who would otherwise go without and expands access.
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