Children's Hospital of Colorado has found itself at the center of controversy after a recent announcement that it will no longer be printing gender markers on the wristbands it gives to patients. The policy change reportedly came at the recommendation of a gender diversity task force and is part of an effort to make the hospital more inclusive and supportive of each patient's "unique gender identity." Their goal is to create an environment of acceptance for transgender and non-binary children, some of whom complained about feeling uncomfortable with a specific gender label being printed on their wristbands.
We've removed #gender markers from patient wristbands and more. See how else we support our #transgender and #nonbinary patients at our hospital: https://t.co/XpshzXg4oz #TransHealth #LGBTHealth pic.twitter.com/e3m6WvQ7CK
Children's Colorado (@ChildrensColo) September 20, 2018
Could It Endanger Patients?
The announcement prompted immediate backlash on social media, where many people have criticized the hospital's decision as unprofessional and potentially dangerous. Regardless of what gender an individual chooses to identify as, they argue, biological differences are important to acknowledge in medical settings. Since hormone differences cause males and females to react differently to certain drugs, caregivers sometimes need to know a patient's biological gender in order to administer a safe dose. Normally this can be accomplished with a simple glance at their wristband but that's no longer the case.
In a statement, the hospital explained that gender information is still stored in medical records and that "a full assessment concluded patient safety is not impacted." But critics insist that in cases of emergency, a doctor may not have time to find these records leaving them guessing as to how to proceed safely.
Accommodating All Genders
Despite the criticism, hospital staff are confident the changes will make a big difference. "We are seeing more and more patients who have diverse gender identities," explained Dr. Natalie Nokoff. "I think that's true of programs all across the United States."
Many LGBTQ patients have applauded the removal of gender markers as further progress toward full acceptance. One transgender teen (who's been frequenting the hospital for the past two years as he transitions from female to male) explained that the change has been "huge" for him. "It's bigger than anything on this planet. Looking down and seeing that 'F,' I'm just like 'no. That's not right,'" he said.
By all indications, the hospital appears committed to its new policy. Controversy aside, it seems the non-binary wristband is here to stay.
65 comments
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brian ham
As we say in Europe What a load of wankers
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Joe
You immature simplistic idiot. You still think common sense has anything to do with anything.We are much to enlightened for anything so pedestrian.
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Gary Minnis
It seems that everyone wants to believe science until it comes to gender. It's very simple, if you have a penis you are a boy. If you have a vagina you are a girl. Always have always will.
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Iconoclast
...and thank you. Some other person on another one of these blogs very simply and eloquently said, (and if I don't quote it exactly correctly, forgive me) something to the effect that, "Any science that says a pecker isn't a pecker isn't science." He or she caught all kinds of criticism for it, but no scientist in their right mind would argue with it.
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Mark Seymour
Wow, I've never seen so much anger in a religious venue. Don't think I'll be returning here.
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Iconoclast
It is not religious, Mark, unless you count new-age communist agnosticism as religious. There are a few religious people here, but the tolerant left tries to insult them into leaving.
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Secretary3rd
In that last stage just before put in the ground forever the tech will notice your gender as he or she sews you back up. On that death certificate it will note your gender.
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Rarity
It doesn't matter what you call your self your xy and xx chromeazones in your actual DNA doesn't change and its pretty confusing for dad to have a baby. Never the less we are a republic. Not a Democracy. That is why we have gender specific issues and illness we can cure and plasic surgery can make you anything you choose to be. How ever it will not change your true identity no matter how much money you spend I think that reality television has gone from entertainment to the new normal and its sickening. I blame all the parents that don't have the faith to find a way to educate themselves or their children.
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Tabitha
People really need to learn the difference between sex and gender; then some of you hate spewing vitriol sprayers might not be so confused
On a seperate note: I’m what you label a transgender woman. Personally I don’t believe in labels. That’s like having to state I’m a brown eyed woman. Who cares? Simply treat everyone with reapect according to their wishes and stop forcing your own narrow beliefs down each others throats.
Case in point: i recently had to go the the emergency room for an injury which resulted in surgery. Due to my appearance, name and presentation the admitting nurse noted a “51 yo F”. I politely corrected her by stating I needed it to state that my SEX was M but my GENDER was F. She very professionally corrected the admission records and made the appropriate notations. Every member of the staff was made aware and were exceeding respectful treating me like a lady as was right. And this was done in bible thumping SW Georgia of all places. Bottom line: respect and dignity is everything, for everyone
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Silk
Hello Tabitha. Please ignore the ignorant comments on this feed. Knowledge is power. Thank you for educating and sharing your experience. Understanding starts with dialogue. People fear what they don't understand and can't grasps things that do not directly effect themselves, the people closes to them or their households.
Also labels are part of the reason people are persecuted, judged and categorized. They are only their to make the judges feel comfortable in knowing what box they can put you and dictate where they can place you in society. Your sex, gender or orientation isn't everyone's business. That's private and it should be between you, your spouse and your physician. Period.
Again thank you for sharing. Hugs, Silk
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Ramsey
I want to be identified as a duck. I walk like a duck. I quack like a duck that can type. And I want to be recognized by everyone as a duck. I want a duck restroom, and I want my medical charts to say I'm a duck.
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Bro. Chas
This is such nonsense. Every human is born as either a male or a female period. What you want to be after that is your choice and your problem to deal with. You may want to be a different sex, color, race or maybe even a different mammal or perhaps a unicorn, but the reality is you can never be that. The other reality is that those of us who don't buy in to your dream world are not mean, angry, full of hate and all the other bad things you want to term us to be. You can be what you think you are, but don't demand or expect me to recognize and support you.
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David
Americans really need to get over their obsession with sex.
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Bill Fox
Medicine is "science" based?
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Necole Ivey
Males and females do react differently to certain medications. However, our knowledge of sex differences in clinical pharmacology is still rather limited. At this time there are very few medications that are used differently depending on gender. Out of those medications, I do not know of a single one that would be given in an emergency. Meaning that the treating practitioner would have plenty of time to look at the chart for gender labels before administering the medication. Also, no patient should ever be given any medication without their armband being scanned and the medication being scanned. If there is a counter-indication on the medications the system will flag it. This really shouldn't cause any problems with treatment at all.
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Ellen M. Santistevan
There are literally so few conditions in which your biological sex makes a difference in treatment. I think it's great of the hospital to go forward with this policy.
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Douglas Haley
Surely that information is on the patient's chart! Either that or state that, upon admission, they will need to be comfortable with the occasional doctor/nurse asking/double checking biological sex (gender is a Social-based concept)
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Lori
I feel the critics, and a few people here, are over reacting to the whole gender marking thing. As for the possible "emergencies" where the doctors may not have time to look at the chart on the child, and not having a gender marking, that's BS. The doctors had better look at those charts in an emergency or there can be serious consequences with the child's illness. This is only a big deal if it is made into a big deal. Kids only worry about things like that when the people around them are making them worry. If the parent's are concerned put a pink or blue sticker on their marker.
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John Owens
Yes, we all know doctors never make mistakes.
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Rev James
Yes bury your head in the sand while our identities are placed second to every minority under gods sun and sky. These people are not normal yet have been accepted into society as being different but as still being human beings who we must tolerate and learn to coexist with, all fair. What is not fair or right is that they shout from the rooftops "Hey proud to be trans or gay or lesbian, LGBT if you will. This is not right or natural the majority of natural people live and are proud to be what they are without all the fuss, bet your bottom dollar that if I were to jump up and shout " Hey proud to be natural, hetro, straight male someone would complain I was being prejudice against them. We do our Christian best to accept people who are not natural, different call it what you will but surely we deserve the same respect so stop shoving your LGBT crap down our throats and try just getting along with everyone without the song and dance.
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Dave
Jim very well put. If I may quote you?
What is not fair or right is that they shout from the rooftops “Hey proud to be trans or gay or lesbian, LGBT if you will. This is not right or natural the majority of natural people live and are proud to be what they are without all the fuss, bet your bottom dollar that if I were to jump up and shout ” Hey proud to be natural, hetro, straight male someone would complain I was being prejudice against them. We do our Christian best to accept people who are not natural, different call it what you will but surely we deserve the same respect so stop shoving your LGBT crap down our throats and try just getting along with everyone without the song and dance.
I'm gay have been all my life and I've been in a relationship with my partner going on 17 years now. We are not ones who "stand up and shout from the rooftops.....I'm proud to be gay" I mean really? I don't see all the hype about shouting to the world that I'm gay. You really don't see to many "straight" people shouting from the roof tops that they are "straight"
We do our Christian best to accept people who are not natural, different call it what you will but surely we deserve the same respect so stop shoving your LGBT crap down our throats and try just getting along with everyone without the song and dance.
I think this is where both sides have missed the boat. We should all do our "Christian Best" to accept people of all beliefs and different backgrounds. STOP WITH THE HATE!!!!! Not just the so called "Christians" but also the gays. We can learn a lot from each other if we can get over the "he/she" thing. I'm a strong believer in education. I believe that there are some on both sides of the fence who are ignorant (look that word up it simply means "unlearned" or uneducated" Lets as a society educate one another about the real things that is facing this country instead of bashing each other over the head with the different beliefs we each have. I'm still trying to wrap my head around this whole thing with this hospital. Anytime I go to the hospital I always have a nurse who sets you down to ask about your life and things they may be wrong, ask you about meds you are taking etc. I think maybe that should be the time that the person is asked " Do you consider yourself gay, straight, or transgender? I don't see the purpose of the arm bands being put on people. I mean If my memory serves me right didn't the Jews have to wear arm bands or some other kind of patch to signify they were Jews? I know this may be a little off but how long till we ALL have to get a mark signifying our gender? We all know how it turned out for the Jews. I DO NOT WANT TO WEAR AN ARM BAND THAT SAYS I'M GAY. To me its stupid for better lack of the word. I guess what I'm saying is lets do our part as a nation and educate everyone on this subject not just the views from the "gay" community or the "straight" community. Maybe it's time to tear down both "communities" down and live like civil people. My opinion here hope you can respect that. And if you comment I would love to have a conversation one that is not filled with hate and ignorance. Let's be civil and open to one another.
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Arlyta
Amen!!!!
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Lori
For years the LGBT community suffered from the cruelty of the dumb-dumb homo-phobics. I don't blame them for yelling it from the roof tops. They are making their way out of the shadows. It's the only way to make it clear to the dumb-dumb's that they're not going to hide to please anyone. The dumb-dumb's don't like change and they don't like people that are different than them. Ignorance is crushed when people go to extremes. It's the only way to get through to the block headed dumb-dumb's. It's too bad it has to be that way. If dumb-dumb's were able to grow up without having to ram change down their throats, it would be a much better world.
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Iconoclast
None of this has anything to do with newborn babies.
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Lori
Iconoclast, what planet are you on? If you go up to my previous post and read it, then read the following posts below it, of which you are not a part of the conversation, you would understand my response. Or maybe you wouldn't. Not everyone is able to grasp things. It's always good to explore where things are coming from before jumping in with a comment.
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Iconoclast
Apparently YOU are unable to grasp that babies are not born doubting their own gender identities or even thinking about them, but that doubt and confusion are THRUST upon them by hopelessly confused people around them.
This post has almost NOTHING in common with your earlier post and contributes nothing relevant to the conversation, other than show more clearly that you conform to this warped idea of political correctness with some romanticized prejudices concerning what you consider to be a noble underclass. The undercurrent of hysteria in your reply to my casual remark belies your strong almost missionary fervor toward this, but alas, it is only a generational fluke that will not endure the test of time. You can only adapt to nature-- you cannot change it. Your little sermonette still has nothing to do with newborn babies.
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Lori
Okay, Iconoclast. What ever you say. The comment I responded to was to Dave, who doesn't like the LGBT community shouting from the roof tops.
As for the babies, I believe the parents are over reacting to the whole wrist band thing. So what exactly are you ranting about? My "sermonette" had nothing to do with YOU. Or maybe you're one of the dumb-dumb homo phobics? That would explain your reaction. -
Iconoclast
Wow, Lori! You must invent your own definitions as you go, to suit your pettiness. I was totally unaware that stating, "None of this has anything to do with newborn babies," could EVER be considered a rant by anyone. Again, your barely restrained hysteria is very obvious.
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Lori
You truly are one of a kind. Have a good life.
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Iconoclast
All babies born and aborted are truly one of a kind. Unless we come from a split ovum, each one of us is unique in the universe. No other creature ever will have the exact DNA as one of us.
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Necole Ivey
Lori, you are absolutely correct. The things that really impact care and treatment during an emergency; IE current medications, current dietary and fluid restrictions, time of last meal; are not on that little armband. Failure of the treating physician to look at the chart for that information could kill a patient. They better look at that chart!!
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JOLENE MARCELLA TRAVIS
Thank God these people will never be able to reproduce.
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Terry
Thank you...
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Joe
Sorry but they can still adopted. Of course the adoptee has no right to refuse.
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Terry
This gender crap is just that! When will these morons figure out NO ONE is gender neutral! Think they ever heard of chromosones? My God, the stupidity!
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Rev. M. Dash
Maybe this will curb parents choosing the gender of a child born as a hermaphrodite! Another reason for problems with children feeling they are the opposite gender. If this gives those child an opportunity to mature an choose their own gender, then it may solve some of the problems people hare having with "why are there so many gay people?" You straight people are producing them. ?
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JOLENE MARCELLA TRAVIS
Then in time the human race will be better off considering gays can not breed. Darwinism begins.
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Terry
If you are a hermaphrodite I am sorry. Can you try to stay on subject. Having parts for everyone to play with was not the subject of the comment!. Jesus,
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Bonnie nie Ham
Easy. Nobody wears bottoms in hospital and that way the nurses can see at a glance. While you've got a willy, you are a boy! If its gone, you're neutered, if there's hole, you are a girl
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JOLENE MARCELLA TRAVIS
Amen.
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Val jester
I was interested in once comment about the policy change making each patient feel more comfortable. As the vast majority of their patients could care less, this is about the politics of the progressive left browbeating medicine into the abandonment of science.
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John Owens
I agree, and science which can be browbeaten is not science, but propaganda.
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Ben
This is effin ridiculous. We are all born with a gender. Male, female and the rare hermaphrodite.
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Rev. M. Dash
Ben: hermaphrodites are not as rare as you think. Unless you've worked ob/gyn in a hospital setting, take a step back. Besides, there are other countries such as Argentina that do not list gender on the birth certificates.
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JOLENE MARCELLA TRAVIS
Throw in free labotimies.
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Terry
I think you should move to Argentina. Maybe there, where you have opportunities to be whatever you want, you can be happy. We are very happy being straight. I have gay friends quite a few nurses but they are not freaks of nature like you sya is the norm... Go away!
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Shane Lowrey
That's sex, not gender. There's genetic sex and birth (physical) sex, And, just as there are more than two genetic sexes, birth sex may not correspond with genetic sex, though it ussualy does.
And, that's just humans. It gets much trickier in other animals. Some are assigned sex by the temperature they developed at, others change sex depending on their age or the community they live in.
It's truly a fascinating subject, do talk with a biologist. (P.S. insects are, to me, the strangest of the lot.)
Gender is more complicated then sex is. Gender is a persons mental construct of themselves and may well change over the course of a life time, but, can never be "corrected" by any know means.
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Lea Weisenbach
I understand in away how they may feel..I'm a survivor from Christianity with PTSD...I dont like it they put down your religion because I'm afraid I'm going to be judged and mistreated. I had a friend that was Wiccan and they would not give her a blanket..sad... But also I should be able to be me and I think in time this will be no problem.
So in this case I'm afraid a mistake could be made because of no label..Man and female are different even if they are a trans..Could there be a different marking for this matter because there is a psychological issue and this is also I feel medical. I also feel no label is not good and has gone to far and this could of been handled differently.
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Rev. Rene
Yes, the immediate knee-jerk reaction was mine also, but if you just stop and think for a moment....it may well be an unnecessary label in the first place, male or female, in this case. And if there are children who in this day and age feel harmed by the label, and the distinction is unnecessary, there are enough labeling ways to mark the right patient, then what would be the harm??? It may even be a savings to the hospital?
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JOLENE MARCELLA TRAVIS
CHILDREN have NO rights until they turn 18. If they can't accept themselves as they were born, why should I accept them after they change sex? People need to stop this crazy talk and start teaching children to accept themselves.
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Carl Elfstrom
Whatever happened to tomboys and sissies. That's what they were called when I was a kid, and they new what they were by those distinctions.
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George
A crime has happened. The report over the police radio would sound something like this, "be on the look out for an individual that is about 6 foot and 220 pounds, wearing a black hoodie." So we have to look into all genders for the crime instead instead of either male or female. Waste of time and money that could be better elsewhere.
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Carl Elfstrom
Or they could say "Be on the lookout for a bald, hairy chested woman with a bulge in her crotch, and needs a shave."
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David
Oh that is just ridiculous. We're discussing hospital wristbands on BABIES!
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Alicia
This bullshit needs to STOP! I'm all for equality and even realize that there ARE those who are truly transgender, but this is ridiculous. Everyone has a gender, like it or not.
Kids at a young age (case in point, Jazz Jennings) just KNOW that they are "different". Jazz pretty much thought like a girl her entire life. But, when she was 5 and had a penis, the hospital should have given her the "male" label so as not to confuse caregivers.
I guess what I'm trying to say is, kids will figure things out on their own. To eliminate gender will make them wonder what's wrong with the way they were born and SHOULD they be having feelings of being the opposite gender. Let's not confuse things. An infant is NOT going to complain that he/she has a blue/pink blanket. Parents need to stop pushing their agenda on their kids. It's never pretty.
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JOLENE MARCELLA TRAVIS
AMEN!!!
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John Owens
Amen.
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James Kalman
THIS IS BECOMING ONE OF THE MOST RIDICULOUS ACTS OF THIS FIRST PART OF THE CENTURY! THE WAY THAT THINGS ARE GOING, ( NOT PROGRESSING ) IT IS SCARY TO THINK WHAT WILL HAPPEN IN THE NEXT 5 OR 10 YEARS
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Dave
Well Put
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Ramsey
What is the the world coming to? Gender is biology, people, not what you want to identify as. I don't understand all the confusion. And agreeing with this nonsense just perpetuates this ignorance.
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Ndigo
Right on point!
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Mark Pate
Bert and Ernie, Really I guess I will have to watch it.
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Guairdean
How long will it be before they mandate both pelvic exams and prostate exams for all patients? That way everyone's included.
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James Grainger
What going to happen when a doctor or nurse makes the wrong diagnoses or gives the wrong meds, becausse the girl looked like a boy, or visa versa
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As we say in Europe What a load of wankers