N.C. bill would ban treatment for trans people under 21

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That's disgusting. Why would they force people to go through puberty, and live 21 years in the 'wrong' body? Are they willing to be held accountable for the mental health challenges, suicides, and harassment this will cause?

People expressing opinions on transgenderism when they are not transgendered themselves makes about as much sense as men expressing opinions on women's reproductive rights.

That’s another thing. The right whines and rants about “radical Islamists” while simultaneously emulating them.

I had desires to be woman when I was 12-14. It was related to my ASD.

I'm glad I didn't transition, still, I could have tolerated cross-dressing from me. Cuter clothes and hairstyles. And maybe different colored jeans and cute clothes and makeup. I don't understand it, but my brain was demanding me to present as a woman.

My afab cousin just had reassignment surgery in January at the age of 30. He went through hell his entire life being misunderstood, mistreated, and misgendered. It was a very long process to be approved and to make the final arrangements during Covid. I wish he had been able to start hormone therapy and transition at a much, much younger age.

Arkansas is particularly egregious because they made it so that if your health insurance covers trans healthcare, it isn't tax deductible. That will basically kill all trans healthcare in the state, regardless of how old someone is.

There's no justification for any of this rubbish. Trans teenagers should have access to puberty blockers. Once they reach the age of consent, they should be able to access gender-affirming hormones if they and their doctors determine it is right for them. These bills go way beyond anything reasonable.

I'm pretty sure that if these bills went to the Supreme Court, Roberts and Gorsuch would find them unconstitutional and strike them down with Breyer, Kagan and Sotomayor. I suspect Kavanaugh may respect the precedent they set last year and join them.

I've known I wanted to be male since I was 3 or so, and "came out" at 14. I've also known quite a few trans people my age and older, who have known they want to be a girl/boy/whatever for most of their life and have presented as so for a long time. None of them have been able to start just HRT yet, even as adults. I haven't either.

It's not as easy to get as cis people seem to think. HRT and reassignment surgery are very expensive and you have to jump through a bunch of hoops to get those things, including going to therapy, presenting as the gender you identify as in all aspects of your life for years, and often having multiple professionals sign off on you needing it. Children and adolescents aren't getting a surgery or easily obtaining hormone therapy that even adults almost twice my age are struggling to get.

@Hero,
What do you think would be a reasonable solution? What age / safeguards do you think should be legislated?

I think once you turn 18, have been presenting as your gender for a few years, and have expressed that you understand all the risks and irreversible changes that can happen (which is pretty much what doctors in most "liberal" states already have you do) that you should be able to start HRT and later get surgery. At 18 you are legally an adult and can consent to getting hysterectomies, vasectomies, and breast augmentations, so greatly restricting HRT and reassignment surgeries makes no sense to me. Maybe adolescents 16-18 could start HRT if they have spent quite awhile presenting as their preferred gender and meet the same criteria of expressing an understanding of all the risks.

I'm not a doctor, but I have noticed that the restrictions they set for these things are becoming less stringent, which is not because they don't care about trans people "mutilating their bodies", it's because they're working with more trans people and now have the experience to tell when someone is "serious" about and "ready" to transition. I think all the restrictions lawmakers are trying to add are completely unneeded and are based on the idea that doctors and trans people have no idea what they're doing and "don't care", which isn't true.

Thanks. All good points. You mentioned that the process is very expensive in America. Is HRT / counselling / surgery covered on Medicaid or Medicare? (I don't know what either program is, and don't know the difference between them, but I've heard of them). What about health and medical insurance programs through parents' work? My thought is that when the child turns 18 they are usually excluded from their parents' medical benefits and then these methods of treatment become cost-prohibitive. Catch 22, because by 21 the people who are finally old enough to seek treatment won't have insurance. Even at 21 most individuals don't have a full time job with medical benefits and enough sick leave for all of the appointments, not to mention major surgery.

My cousin didn't have to pay anything apart from travel costs around the country. I feel for Americans.

I watched "I Am Jazz" with Jazz Jennings' journey, and it seemed that the procedures were only available through her father's work insurance, and only if Jazz remained a full-time student. I think that's why she was doing home-school at the end of the series.

In many cases, a child who is under a parent's health insurance plan stays under the parent's plans until he/she reaches age 26, and is not under a plan of his/her own.

Medicaid is primarily for people who are very low income. Most people who are on some kind of "disability" get Medicaid.

Medicare is primarily for people who are 65 years of age or older.

Like Kraftie said, you can stay on your parents insurance until 26. I have Medicaid because we have no income, and it actually covers HRT which I was surprised about, but I live in Washington which is a "liberal" state and Medicaid differs by each state. It also requires you to go to therapy and get those confirmation letters to obtain it, which is honestly fine IMO as long as they cover the therapy, which I think they do.

It's always fun listening to people whine and bleat about how "kids aren't old enough to make life changing decisions", but don't even bat an eye at the fact that you can join the military at 16, can get married at 14, and be prescribed opium at 11...

I hope Medicaid covers it. A person shouldn't be denied their rightful gender based on their income, or that of their parents. That seems Draconian.

My daughter was cut off my benefits at age 18 if she wasn't a student. She could have continued to be covered while going to school until she was 21. By then she was finished school and they tried to terminate her. It was a lengthy process but I managed to get her back on my plan as an overaged, disabled dependent because of her medical disabilities. Her status is reviewed every two years, and she was already reapproved once. Although, those benefits have nothing to do with medical doctors. Doctors are always free. This is more for psychology, and physiotherapy, etc.

That's good to know.

Why have age limits on anything then. Alcohol, drugs, marriage, gun ownership, ect? These all come with serious life altering consequences.