Dr. Katherine Gast is a co-director at the University of Wisconsin-UW Madison's Health gender services program, which performs gender affirmation operations on her transgender patients.
According to NBC News, she has become accustomed to receiving the occasional comment on social media or email from a person who does not support or understand her operations. However, the latest reaction that came from a tweet about her work caught her off guard as dissatisfied people came for her.
The Controversial Tweet Post
On Sept. 23, a video of Gast detailing gender-affirming surgeries was shared on Twitter by the account Libs of TikTok, operated by right-wing provocateur Chaya Raichik. The media account describes itself as a news service that serves as an outrage content factory for conservatives.
The video, which lasted for two minutes, was captioned, "Gast happily describes some of the 'gender affirming' surgeries she offers to adolescents including vaginoplasties, phalloplasties, and double mastectomies."
The post was just one of eight tweets that made up a thread about Gast and the patients she sees at UW Health. And that original post received about a half million views.
Within an hour, dozens of Twitter accounts had commented on and retweeted Raichik's thread. Among them was the account of Senator Ted Cruz, R-Texas. Cruz added an incendiary flourish to his message by writing, "She does this to children. They are sterilized and then mutilated. Before they reach the age where they can provide informed consent."
Gast's Side of Story: Was it a Misinformation Campaign?
NBC News made a follow-up with Raichik, and in the emailed response, she stands by her definition of medical professionals who work in transgender health care.
On the other hand, it is reported that minors are not candidates for genital surgery performed by Gast.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the term "adolescent" can refer to anyone between the ages of 10 and 19. Meanwhile, Gast will only do what is commonly referred to as "top surgery" on older teens after they have been examined by medical professionals and mental health care providers, and then only with the approval of their parents.
Right-Wing War Against LGBTQ
The advent of the tweet's responses came quickly. Gast stated that a flood of messages across social media reiterated the false accusations that had been made about her professional practice. It resulted in sharing private information about her and her family and demonizing the gender services department at UW Health.
As a victim of a national misinformation campaign and online harassment, Gast described it as "scary and overwhelming."
Gast's experience is a new expense for transgender doctors. Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital in Florida, Akron Children's Hospital in Ohio, and Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Tennessee are being targeted as part of a right-wing campaign against LGBTQ people and communities, as well as the people and institutions who serve them.
Before attacking physicians, these conservative online influencers and media celebrities targeted teachers and librarians, labeling them as pedophiles or "groomers" over books, drag shows, and Pride events.
Monday, Oct. 3, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Medical Association, and the Children's Hospital Association urged Attorney General Merrick Garland to investigate the threats.
Related Article: Transgender Surgeries On The Rise In The US, Says Study
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Written by Trisha Kae Andrada
