Out and proud because of the gender-affirming care I received
Sept. 1, 2023 marked the day when the rights to gender-affirming care were stripped from Texas transgender youth. This bill, claiming to be in the interest of children, was written based on unsubstantiated claims rooted in fear, and actually could damage a generation of children.
Senate Bill 14 asserts that gender-affirming care uses “unproven, irreversible, and potentially harmful interventions.” Gender-affirming care for youth comes in many forms.
It looks like using the minor’s preferred pronouns and name, prescribing puberty blockers, providing hormone replacement therapy, and on rare occasions, top surgery.
The vast majority of gender-affirming care is medically backed and reversible. According to SB 14, puberty blockers cause irreversible change, cause damage to bone density, and are not FDA approved for transgender care.
