It’s increasingly difficult for transgender youth to get the health care they need. Over the past two years, a swath of U.S. states have made it illegal for minors to receive gender-affirming treatments like puberty blockers and hormone treatments. That’s fostered a dangerous climate for trans kids and their parents and created a new class of health-care refugees. Some can cross state lines to receive treatment, but doing so is much more difficult than crossing the border for, say, an abortion.
When Florida Judge Robert Hinkle blocked the state’s attempts to ban minors from receiving gender-affirming therapies, he stated the obvious: “The statute and the rules were an exercise in politics, not good medicine.”
There’s a misconception — pushed by right-wing politicians — that gender-affirming care is experimental or easy to get. But use of puberty blockers and hormone therapies is supported by major medical organizations like the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Endocrine Society and only prescribed after a long process. Kids typically need to have socially transitioned (for example, using a new name or pronouns) for at least a year, have the consent of their parents, and undergo a psychological evaluation.
