Emma Forbes-Jones has the kind of resume you'd expect from an appointee to the Monroe County Board of Health.
The clinical psychologist has operated her own practice since 2009, and before that she had 16 years of clinical experience. She's had teaching posts, served on professional boards, and spoken at more than two dozen conferences and continuing professional education sessions.
"I am a child and adolescent trained psychologist within a public health model for all children," Forbes-Jones said during an interview Wednesday afternoon. "So ... my CV reflects the experience I have more broadly, just in terms of, you know, social and emotional health."
Her specialty, though, drew some opposition to her appointment.
Forbes-Jones specializes in gender-affirming care for adults, adolescents, and children. That led the four Republican legislators on a county Legislature committee to vote against her appointment.
"I come from the west side of the county. I come from a very conservative district, OK," Steve Brew, the leader of the Legislature's Republican caucus, said as he explained his "no" vote during Tuesday's Agenda/Charter Committee meeting.
Brew continued, saying that if the residents of his district held a forum to vote on Forbes-Jones's appointment, they "would be voting in unison, as I will be voting no."
"So again, I like to reiterate, it's not so much what I think," Brew said. "It's what I think that my constituents would prefer me to vote, and that's why I would be voting a vote in the negative."
Despite the opposition, Democrats on the committee had enough votes to recommend the appointment for a vote by the full Legislature, who will consider it in January. Democrats hold the majority of seats in the Legislature.
They also forwarded the appointment of Mike Weston, executive director of His Branches Community Health Center, to the full Legislature for consideration.
Ahead of the vote, Republicans repeatedly asked the Bello administration to have Forbes-Jones provide them with her opinions on hot-button issues — Brew at one point emphasized the questions "all involved transgender choices for children."
Forbes-Jones was not at the meeting.
"Could she provide us in writing her opinion on transgender athletes in sports, specifically if she feels that biological men should be able to compete in sports with biological women?" asked Republican Legislator Sean McCabe, who is also president of the Greece Central School District Board of Education.
The county Board of Health does not have a role in setting policy for youth sports in Monroe County. This summer, the New York State Public High School Athletic Association adopted guidelines for districts where transgender students are seeking to play on a sports team.
The association's executive director, Robert Zayas, told the Syracuse Post-Standard that there are an estimated 12 transgender students participating in high school sports across New York.
McCabe continued his questioning:
"On her own website, she states that she provides consultation appointments to people who are interested in obtaining letters of support for access to medical care, including the initiation of gender-affirming hormone treatment and gender-affirming surgeries. Can she please answer the following questions in writing? Does she support hormone treatments for minors, and would she provide a letter of support without parental consent?"
Forbes-Jones said Wednesday that there's a lack of understanding about how far gender-affirming care for minors can proceed without parental consent. She does not prescribe medication, but she works with doctors who do and who also perform surgeries. None of them provide that care without parental consent.
"There is a long history of not prescribing medication to children without parental consent," Forbes-Jones said.
In response to other questions, administration officials explained that Forbes-Jones was recommended for the appointment by a nominating committee within the Board of Health.
They also noted that board members serve as advisers to the health department, which does not have a role in gender care.
Democratic Legislator Albert Blankley, who serves on the Board of Health, spoke in support of Forbes-Jones' appointment.
"To hear my colleagues weaponize a medical professional's chosen specialty out of ignorance and closed-mindedness is incredibly disappointing," Blankley said, adding that their questions reflected "a mindset that is harmful and divisive."
Democratic Legislator Rachel Barnhart, who is chair of the Agenda/Charter Committee, said Forbes-Jones' expertise in mental health and extensive experience make her highly qualified for a seat on the Board of Health.
"While this board may not be sending setting policy on gender health, it's important to stand against rhetoric that demeans or dehumanizes any group of people, especially children," Barnhart said. "Monroe County should be a place where everyone feels valued and where health care is compassionate, evidence-based and accessible to all. We should lead with understanding and support for all of our constituents and their families."
Forbes-Jones said what happened during the committee meeting wasn't surprising to her, but she said that it's the kind of thing that makes her patients and clients feel unwelcome and discriminated against. It also, in a way, gives permission for school or work peers to harass, bully, and discriminate against them.
" Whether they're younger or whether they're older, it makes the world feel less safe," she said.
