As conservative views collide with science, doctors find themselves navigating political landmines

WASHINGTON — It started with a tweet: A year-old, 43-second clip of Kevin Wang talking about how parents and teachers can help affirm and support a child’s gender identity, encouraging children to explore.

The vitriolic tweets were swift, and they snowballed. Right-wing influencers accused Wang, an unassuming Seattle physician, of “mutilating” and “destroying” children, though he did not discuss surgery in the clip. They made fun of his name and eventually even posted his workplace and contact details online, setting off enough red flags to convince his hospital’s security department to pull down his employee page.

“They are butchers not doctors,” tweeted Elizabeth Economou, a Seattle-based reporter for sites like Fox News.

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