A May 2022 video of Admiral Rachel Levine of the U.S. Public Health Service (USPHS) Commissioned Corps has recently gained renewed attention due to its calls to combat “misinformation” on social media platforms concerning transgender “medical interventions,” such as transgender hormone usage and surgery.
Levine spoke to the Federation of State Medical Boards through Zoom, which was recorded at the time.
“Now, I’d like to talk about misinformation,” Levine commented at the outset of the speech.
Levine then laid out the alleged “widespread harm” that so-called “misinformation” on COVID had on public health during the pandemic “enabled in part by technology and social media.”
However, Levine, a transgender female, then quickly shifted the conversation “beyond COVID-19” to advocacy for the availability and utilization of medical interventions for individuals who are transgender or have gender dysphoria.
“There is substantial misinformation about gender-affirming care for transgender and gender-diverse individuals,” Levine said. “We are in this nation facing an onslaught of anti-LGBTQI+ actions at the state levels across the United States.”
Calling these state actions “dangerous to the public health,” Levine claimed that state lawmakers are targeting and politicizing “evidenced-based treatments that should be considered the standard of care” for minors with gender dysphoria seeking medical interventions.
Levine then proclaimed that the “positive value” of these interventions is not in “scientific or medical dispute.”
The health official then called for physicians of all stripes to “work together to get our voices out in the front line” to defend these procedures.
Citing the power of the professional medical community’s advocacy to shape narratives and culture, Levine pressed for those in attendance to “use our clinicians’ voice to collectively advocate for our tech companies to create a healthier, cleaner information environment.”
In light of the recent release of internal Twitter company records and documents by new owner Elon Musk, which has highlighted how the social media giant allegedly censored and manipulated numerous public debates, Levine’s call for action has been met with derision.
Senior editor for the American Conservative, Rod Dreher, retweeted the video, commenting, “When fascism comes to America, it will be under the guises of Health and Safety.”
Connor Boyack, president of the Libertas Institute, remarked, “Protip: what the government labels ‘misinformation’ you can generally just call ‘information.'”
Republican officeholders also weighed in on the video of Levine.
Rep. Warren Davidson (R-OH) chided that Levine’s calls for social media censorship were tantamount to government-controlled speech, tweeting, “Admiral [Levine] asserts ‘need’ for Ministry of Truth.”
The congressman then went on to argue that no medical intervention changes the sex chromosomes of a human.
“Nothing changes reality. Embrace the science,” declared Davidson.
