Trans goals

[Guest KimberlyF]

What are things that you think need to be improved for the Trans community? What are your main areas of concern? Of all of them, what is most important?

[Drea]

I know what I think of is out of sync with most of the community.

- Better access to therapy, and by therapy I mean real therapy, not the transition guidence sort of stand back, check off the boxes sort of therapy that "GT" or "Gender Therapy" is supposed to be.

- More focus on preserving personal relationships and employment in the transition process rather than the "all losses are so totally worth it outlook". Such focus would be both in therapy and in how individual outlooks.

- More focus on dealing with the non-trans issues that so many wish to push to the side to focus on the trans issue and "transition" as the solution.

- Getting away from this transition or not dialog

That's probably a good start.

[Guest KimberlyF]

Very interesting take on the question, and you bring up some good ideas. And those are mostly changes that the community could make from the inside-out and not be dependent on flip-flopping law makers, etc.

But my question was dealing more with the idea of what changes should be worked towards on federal, state and local Gov levels.

[KathrynJulia]

First we need.an anti-discrimination law nationwide that covers healthcare, housing, marriage, and employment.

Next we need insurance reform where our therapies are covered when we follow the establish Standard of Care and have a diagnosis of Gender Dysphoria. Not everyone wants surgery or need hormone replacement. Let the patient and their physician decide on appropriate treatment.

Third With a physician and a Gender Therapist letter, gender on identification documents is set to the gender the person identifies with. It may need a court order following a recommendation from a doctor similar to what is done with passports now.

Kathhryn

[Guest KimberlyF]

Third With a physician and a Gender Therapist letter, gender on identification documents is set to the gender the person identifies with. It may need a court order following a recommendation from a doctor similar to what is done with passports now.

Kathhryn

I suppose then there would have to be some type of standards for what defines a GT. Since some of the therapists who worked on the SOC do not call themselves GTs, they would be able to write recommendations for surgery and HRT, but not an ID change?

[Guest Lizzie McTrucker]

Employment discrimination, for starters.

Anti-harrassment when using the bathroom.

The LGB community to take us seriously and accept that our struggles are just as important as theirs.

[Guest Seanna]

I would rate anti-discrimination at the top of the list with full insurance coverage at a close second. Insurance companies need to be made to recognize everything in the SOC as "medically necessary". This of course doesn't apply to everyone, as some do not intend to transition, but it needs to be available to those who do. Paying out-of-pocket for medically necessary procedures when you have insurance is absolutely ridiculous and based on a complete misunderstanding of the condition by much of the outside world. Which also brings in the ever-important goal of educating the masses.

[Guest JeepGirl90]

I would say education would be a big one. I really think alot of discrimination issues would subside if the general public was better informed of our condition

Also better access to resources for Trans* people would be a definite benefit.

[Drea]

The medically necessary argument starts getting thin when folks are making the choice for these procedures and folks within the community have said things along the line of "SRSisn't important for me and I am happy without, but if insurance paid for in, I would have it'.

I would say education would be a big one. I really think alot of discrimination issues would subside if the general public was better informed of our condition

Also better access to resources for Trans* people would be a definite benefit.

Education would go hand in hand with awareness. A common belief for those pre and in transition. That such would solve discrimination. In my view it only creates more recognition which for those who are just passing thru the trans space to their desired gender would tend to get in the way of their desires..

I'll toss out what I think is another goal..tho again not an activist type of goal...would be personal responsability.

[Guest LizMarie]

The medically necessary argument starts getting thin when folks are making the choice for these procedures and folks within the community have said things along the line of "SRSisn't important for me and I am happy without, but if insurance paid for in, I would have it'.

I wonder, Drea, how much of that is just rationalization because people can't afford SRS? Desperate people who see no hope for the future can rationalize a great many things away. It's not healthy but it happens. If SRS were covered by insurance, people could make choices solely based on the belief of whether they need it or not, rather than having to move financial mountains to get there.

[Guest Seanna]

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I totally agree, Liz. Although there are some who truly are happy in the middle, there are so many more who just try to be happy there for one reason or another, whether it be finances, family or whatever else.

[Drea]

The medically necessary argument starts getting thin when folks are making the choice for these procedures and folks within the community have said things along the line of "SRSisn't important for me and I am happy without, but if insurance paid for in, I would have it'.

I wonder, Drea, how much of that is just rationalization because people can't afford SRS? Desperate people who see no hope for the future can rationalize a great many things away. It's not healthy but it happens. If SRS were covered by insurance, people could make choices solely based on the belief of whether they need it or not, rather than having to move financial mountains to get there.

Oh I am sure there are some who engage in rationalization.

However, I was specifically thinking of the folks who demonstrate SRS isn't a priority by making major purchases .

And then I see several folks who have expressed what I mentioned but then someone they know has SRS and suddently they decide they want it. The heard mentality. Clearly they are responding to an external influence,

There are certainly folks for who it truely is a need and for the most part they are more likely to find ways to make it happen then engage in such rationalizations.

I also have heard a few directly say, in instances where a natial health system paid for SRS or their insurance was covering say it wasn't important but since it was free, they were having it.

[Guest ~Brenda~]

Moving past as a society that "trans" is an issue at all.