Hawaii’s only gender-affirming clinic for trans+ youth faces closure
Hawaii’s only clinic to provide gender-affirming care for trans and non-binary youth is facing closure due to financial struggles.
The Lavender Clinic, which is a non-profit healthcare centre located in Honolulu, prides itself on giving “inclusive, quality healthcare for ALL communities,” according to its website.
It recently launched a GoFundMe in order to raise the $150,000 (£125,000) needed to keep its doors open. “Our plan for the future success of The Lavender Clinic is to include cash services to financially support the vital care we provide to the community, the majority of whom are LGBTQ patients,” the fundraiser reads. “If we cannot secure funding within days, we will cease to exist within weeks, and we will never get to put the above plan into action.
Our patients will be losing a safe space to go for medical care, and our trans and non-binary patients specifically those receiving gender-affirming hormone therapy may not have any other options for care.” As of 16 February, the campaign had raised more than $115,000 (£96,000), though a KITV news report stated it could close as soon as 17 February if its full goal is not achieved by then.
