Around Town

Local pediatrician changing genders

By Jen Rothacker

The Story

Transgender issues are all the rage this week: The latest is about a Concord pediatrician who has announced he is switching from Dr. Hal Levin to Dr. Laura Levin.

The Facts

– Levin has worked for Piedmont Pediatrics for 20 years and is currently the practice’s medical director.

– Carolinas HealthCare, which owns the practice, sent letters to his patients supporting his decision. Levin also sent families a letter.

– He’ll return to work March 23 as Laura Levin.

His letter

“… a transgender or transsexual person is a normal, healthy person whose gender identity does not match their physical gender… I want to assure you that the only thing changing about me is my appearance.”

“When I return to the practice in March, I hope you will see that I am the same person at my core that I have always been – a physician who cares deeply about patients, who provides compassionate, excellent care, and who is committed to patients’ well-being and health. Being a woman does not define me. It just happens to be a part of who I am that will now be visible to everyone else.”

C5’s Take
The Charlotte City Council earlier this week debated transgender’s rights at public businesses, including which bathrooms they can use. While that discussion elicited an uneasy back-and-forth, we thought this quote from a parent in the pediatrician story was particularly heartening: “I think we’re living in a new day and age where I think people are a little more open minded. In my honest opinion, to each their own.”
Photos:Carolinas HealthCare, PRN

This story was originally published February 13, 2015 at 1:04 AM with the headline "Local pediatrician changing genders."

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