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Stephanie Budge
University of Wisconsin - Madison
Stephanie Budge is an Associate Professor in the Department of Counseling Psychology and founder of the Trans CARE Collaborative at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
According to its website, the Trans Counseling Advocacy Research and Education (CARE) Collaborative is a “group of social justice driven community members and academics conducting research that affirms the experiences of Two-spirit, trans, nonbinary (2STNB), gender-nonconforming, and gender diverse individuals.”
Budge’s personal biography on the website says her research “focuses on improving medical and psychotherapeutic treatments (and access to care) for 2STNB clients.” On campus, Budge “promotes 2STNB advocacy on campus by providing workshops to students, faculty, and staff related to navigating gender identity within a university environment.”
In a 2017 article about the lab, Isthmus wrote, “Members of the lab aren’t shy about their advocacy and activism – something that is unusual in research. Budge isn’t concerned about tainting the lab’s work or how some might view it as biased.”
Budge told the newspaper:
“I think all research is biased in some way, shape or form. It’s just what you do to ensure that all of that is out on the table. We’re really transparent about what we do, so I’m not really concerned about [our work coming across as biased].”
Budge is also the Director of the Advancing Health Equity and Diversity (AHEAD) program in the School of Medicine and Public Health. The AHEAD program is a “career development program for UW-Madison scholars, especially those from backgrounds typically underrepresented in medical science, interested in health equity research hosted by the Collaborative Center for Health Equity.”
In March 2023, Budge—along with dozens of other professors—signed a “Statement Regarding Laws Restricting Gender Affirming Medical Care.” The statement focuses on two key points:
“First, there is consensus in the field, and amongst these signatories, that gender affirming medical care is important and beneficial for many transgender youth. Second, we do not support laws restricting access to gender affirmative care.”
The signatories conclude their statement:
“We write this letter to make our position on this crystal clear: The signatories below all believe, based on the current evidence, that gender affirmative care is an important part of many transgender adolescents’ overall care, and that states and health systems should not restrict access to that care.”
Published – April 17, 2023
