Recently, state legislations have passed bills that target LGBTQ+ rights. Out of 315 so far, 29 have become law. According to NBC News, most of those laws affect minors. And for many, this is worrisome.
As of January of this year, 120 bills have been put forward in states such as Texas, North Dakota, and Missouri. The majority of the bills focus on young trans people.
At least 11 states ban or restrict providing gender-affirming medical care to trans youth. These states include: Kentucky, West Virginia, Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, Georgia, Iowa, Mississippi, Tennessee, Utah and South Dakota.
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The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) recently declared a state of emergency for the LGBTQ+ community in the United States amidst recent legislations. "This follows a worrying rise in anti-LGBTQ+ legislative measures sweeping across the nation. Particularly legislations that targets trans folks specifically," a posted made by LGBTQ on Instragram read.
According to Dallas Ducar, a nurse practitioner and CEO of Transhealth, gender-affirming care is about caring for the whole person. "It’s caring for all their needs,” she shared.
“We’re really working with the intrinsic nature of who someone is, how they feel deeply inside," she continued. "And so gender-affirming care is a chance to really be able to care for that person’s identity, care for that person’s whole self.”
Dr. Juanita Kay Hodax, who is the co-director of the Gender Clinic at Seattle Children’s Hospital, shared that gender-affirming care is anything that affirms a person's gender identity. "Whether that is using the right names or pronouns that a person identifies with or supporting somebody with social groups and social transitions and the way they dress — that is considered gender affirming. We have options for different medical care, like hormones and puberty blockers.”
“It’s really important,” she continued. “There have been multiple research studies that have showed that kids have better outcomes, specifically mental health outcomes, from family support and also receiving gender-affirming medical care. And these outcomes are things like decreased depression and anxiety and suicidality.”
Dr. Hodax went on to explain that gender-affirming care is not just putting people on hormones or carrying out surgeries. Much of it is social and emotional support before a child even reaches puberty, which is why she urged that it's important to find providers that understand gender-affirming care. Though there aren't many providers that have the proper knowledge, the LGBTQ+ community is taking a stance to speak out and get the care they rightfully deserve.
