GOP gov. forces doctor who supported banning sex changes for minors from medical board
Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon reportedly forced one of the state's leading radiologists to resign from the Wyoming Board of Medicine because of the doctor's public support for a law banning hormonal and surgical procedures for minors with gender dysphoria.
Dr. Eric Cubin, one of the top radiologists in Casper, was pressured to resign after the Republican governor stated he was planning to remove him from the board, according to an April 22 letter to Cubin from the governor obtained by Cowboy State Daily.
Cubin, the son of a former congresswoman, reportedly prompted Gordon to boot him in response to an email he sent in February to the 62 members of the Wyoming Legislature, urging them to support the Children Gender Change Prohibition bill.
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Gordon signed the bill in March, making Wyoming the 24th U.S. state to ban cross-sex hormones, puberty blockers and body-disfiguring surgeries for minors.
The bill passed in the state's Republican-controlled House of Representatives by a vote of 55-6, and the Republican-controlled Senate passed it in a 28-2 vote the following day.
The law allows the state Board of Medicine to revoke the license of any doctor who performs such procedures on minors.
The governor expressed reluctance about some elements of the legislation, worrying that "the government is straying into the personal affairs of families."
"Our Legislature needs to sort out its intentions with regard to parental rights. While it inserts governmental prerogative in some places, it affirms parental rights in others," he said at the time.
Despite signing the bill, Gordon was concerned that Cubin's lobbying for the legislation exhibited a potential conflict of interest that he was unwilling to tolerate on a state board.
"Medical professionals should be confident that their licensure, which is their livelihood, will be handled professionally and clinically examined on merits alone," Gordon wrote to Cubin. "Even the appearance of bias can be disquieting as well as erode confidence in the board's presumed impartiality."
The governor feared Cubin's opinion could be construed as the board's unilateral position, which he claimed is unacceptable.
In a statement to The Christian Post, a spokesperson from the governor's office rejected the notion that Gordon removed Cubin from the Wyoming Board of Medicine "for supporting the transgender ban for minors, which the Governor signed."
"Governor Gordon's decision to remove him was based on the fact that Dr. Cubin's comments could give doctors, who are licensed by the Board of Medicine, a reason to be concerned that Dr. Cubin might use his position to advocate for a particular position when considering matters that come before the board," the spokesperson said.
"The Governor believes it is important that the professionals governed by the Board of Medicine have confidence that board members prosecute their responsibilities on the board in an objective and unbiased way. The Governor appreciates Dr. Cubin's position on this issue and respects his First Amendment right to share this position. However, when a member of a board chooses to express personal beliefs in a way that can be construed as speaking for the body, the Governor has elected to relieve that member of the constraints board membership requires."
Cubin maintained that his view is the majority opinion among the 27 Casper physicians he polled regarding gender procedures for minors, and he remains adamant that he did the right thing despite the negative consequences.
"At the end of the day, I stood up for my principles, I stood up for what's right, and I stood up for the children in the state of Wyoming," he told Cowboy State Daily. "Because I did that, I was removed from the board."
Cubin shared emails with the Wyoming outlet in which he noted that there are too many uncertainties regarding "gender-affirming care" for minors, which is made especially difficult because of the topic's politicized nature.
"The evidence and medical data on gender affirming care is all over the board," Cubin wrote. "Unfortunately, much of the data on both sides is politically charged and it is difficult to decipher exactly what is true and what is not true."
Cubin rebutted concerns that he presented a conflict of interest, noting that "anyone who continues to provide these services in violation of the law is putting their licensure at risk."
"There's no conflict of interest because I'd be enforcing the law," he added.
The legislation Cubin supported was first referred to as "Chloe's Law," a reference to prominent activist and detransitioner Chloe Cole, who is suing medical providers who performed a double mastectomy on her when she was a minor experiencing gender dysphoria that later subsided.
Earlier this month, the German Medical Assembly passed resolutions calling on the government to limit trans surgeries or body-altering drugs for gender dysphoric minors to clinical trials.
In the United Kingdom, the National Health Service instructed gender clinics to pause first appointments for those under 18. The move came after the release of a long-awaited review by pediatrician Hillary Cass, retired former president of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, concluding that there is "no good evidence on the long-term outcomes of interventions to manage gender-related distress."
Wyoming is one of over two dozen states that have banned providers from giving or offering surgical or hormonal interventions to minors with gender dysphoria.
Jon Brown is a reporter for The Christian Post. Send news tips to [email protected]
