What is the process to begin receiving gender-affirming care from health providers?

Every single major medical organization, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Medical Association and the American Psychiatric Association, supports the provision of age-appropriate, gender-affirming care for transgender and non-binary people. These organizations represent millions of doctors, researchers and mental health professionals in the United States. Gender-affirming care has always existed and isn’t a new phenomenon – it’s just that in recent years, extremist politicians have made it into an issue for their own self-gain.

Clear, well-established, evidence-based standards of care exist for who can get gender-affirming care and when – and these standards have existed for ple, the World Professional Association of Transgender Health (WPATH) released their 8th Standards of Care for treating transgender patients. Both the Endocrine Society and the American Academy of Pediatrics have issued guidelines as well.

The process to access gender-affirming care can differ from state to state, and hospital to hospital, due to differences in state laws around who can access gender-affirming care, and when. But, in general, transgender patients (along with their families, if they are minors under the age of 18), will start by visiting a health care provider or clinic that specializes in gender-affirming care. Some may be referred to this clinic after first disclosing their gender dysphoria to a primary care provider or therapist, and others may start with a gender clinic.

For patients seeking out gender-affirming medical care, they often receive counseling for extended periods of time. If medications or surgery are part of their gender journey, they are only prescribed after further assessments to ensure they meet prescribing criteria. This can include but is not limited to documentation and referral letters, parental consent and ongoing mental health support. At all stages, gender-affirming care is only delivered after patients and their families have been counseled, and informed consent has been given.

Are people transitioning because it’s trendy? It feels like everyone is transgender all of sudden?

Being transgender is not new. Transgender people have always existed and will continue to exist regardless of harmful laws that pass.

One thing that has changed is that people are more willing to be out about their gender identity (and sexual orientation) and live openly as LGBTQ+ in all facets of their lives. This is happening because transgender people feel safer about coming out. Public support for LGBTQ+ rights, and acceptance of LGBTQ+ people, are the highest they’ve ever been.

Another thing that has changed is people’s awareness of transgender people and gender identity. As transgender people become more visible, and willing to live openly as their authentic selves, people are simply seeing more depictions of transgender people – and encountering more transgender people in their lives.

It is also true that people are openly identifying as LGBTQ+ at younger estniska brudar ages. But this is because, in addition to rising national support for pro-equality policies overall, on average, younger age groups hold more pro-equality, LGBTQ+ affirming attitudes and beliefs than older generations. This shift creates a cycle where:

Are kids transitioning because of social media, or because their friends are also transitioning?

This is a right-wing theory known as “rapid onset gender dysphoria” or “social contagion” – and it has been thoroughly debunked. The American Psychological Association, the American Psychiatric Association and over 120 other medical associations issued a position statement calling for eliminating the use of this term as a diagnosis, based on a “lack of rigorous empirical support for its existence” and „its likelihood of contributing to harm and mental health burden.” The statement also specifically calls out laws which use this debunked theory to justify anti-trans legislation.