When most people think of gender affirming care, they think of transgender individuals needing hormones and surgery.
However, the Human Rights Campaign Foundation describes gender-affirming care as something that benefits transgender, cis and intersex individuals.
We all benefit from having gender affirming care, whether we realize it or not. Examples include hair implants/transplants, testosterone therapy, reconstructive surgeries, breast reductions and much more.
These procedures are all done for someone to feel more comfortable in their body, no matter if they’re transitioning or not. Aside from procedures, there are other kinds of gender affirming care, including things such as binders, binding tape, using someones preffered pronouns and wearing different articles of clothing.
The restrictions on gender-affirming care that are developing across different states are a direct attack on the queer community. Doctors will be able to refuse procedures and the support being taught in our public education system can begin to backpedal if these bans are enforced.
Gender affirming care can save lives. According to the Trevor Project’s national 2020 survey, 54% of individuals who identify as transgender or nonbinary have had serious suicidal thoughts, and 29% of those individuals have reported that they have attempted to try and take their own lives. These numbers are scary, and mental health is a huge concern within the community. However, gender affirming care has been reported time and time again to lead to improved mental health for the transgender and nonbinary community.
There’s a common misconception that keeping gender affirming care accessible means that children will be able to get irreversible surgeries. This is far from the truth; gender-altering surgeries are extremely difficult for minors to receive, and gender-affirming care for our youth is only social and is reversible at any point. Examples of social transitions are preferred names, pronouns, haircuts and clothing.
Social transitions allow for youth and any individual, no matter their age, to learn more about themselves and their identities. If someone discovers at the end of the day that they were wrong to transition, they can decide to detransition. At the end of the day, we’re all different, life is intense, unknowing and sometimes scary. If identifying as transgender or nonbinary makes someone feel more comfortable in themselves, why is that such a big deal?
Nobody benefits from the ban on gender-affirming care, but everyone benefits from keeping gender affirming care open and accessible for anyone who needs it, no matter the reason.