Olivia's Critical Response Essay

“A Clash Across America Over Transgender Rights, Critical Resource Response”

Should transgender youth have a voice? My topic is about Transgender youth having access to medical treatments that will help them transition. This text talks about personal transgender transition experiences, laws put in place to restrict transition treatments, and the medical professionals saying the treatments are beneficial. I will argue from the medical professionals’ perspective, it is important to access medical treatments, yet lawmakers attempt to prohibit the access to these treatments. I agree that access to transition treatments benefit not only transgender minor’s happiness, but safety, and well-being, while lawmakers try to restrict such access by attempting to infringe on the rights of transgender minors.

Many transgender people have said what a beneficial, lifesaving experience they had with transition treatments, such as hormone therapy. One example is Peyton Badalucco, a transgender boy from Boise, Idaho. “. . .as his body changed, his depression and anxiety faded . . . ‘I started feeling a lot more free to be who I truly am.’” The transition for Peyton was not just about the physical changes, but the confidence and mental stability he gained from transitioning. Before coming out and going through treatment, Peyton was very miserable and depressed. The treatment and hormone therapy gave Peyton back hope, which lead to his true happiness, due to opportunity to transform into who he truly is.

Lawmakers have tried to pass bills to deny the rights of transgender minors, based on insubstantial arguments. The arguments are debunked by many of medical professionals’ research, due to the lack of scientific foundation. “. . .Virginia became the 20th state to ban conversion therapy for minors . . . Lawmakers who supported the legislation said they believe that most young transgender people will outgrow gender dysphoria . . .” Lawmakers enacted these bills to help protect emotional minors from permanent procedures, yet most are not permanent. Dr. Ashley Davis contradicted the arguments by stating, many treatments including puberty blockers and hormones are reversable. Medical professionals also advise transgender patients to wait until adulthood for surgeries like, mastectomies, which rarely happen anyways. Some lawmakers try to present measures to further degrade minor’s rights, including criminalizing medical professionals who would advise transition treatments to minors.

Many Medical Professional strongly believe in the positive effects transition treatments have on transgender minors. “’It is the greatest treatment I have ever delivered in terms of success rates in children,” she said.” Puberty blockers and hormones decrease anxiety, depression, and suicidal behavior in transgender youth. According to Dr. Davis, it gives them back their hope. Nonconforming youths, gay, lesbian, and bisexual people are five times more likely to commit suicide, than a heterosexual person. The treatments provided are critical in saving young lives. The treatments do not harm but help transgender youth in many ways, allowing them the opportunity to live productive, happy, meaningful lives.

Transition treatments benefit transgender youth, creating happiness and hope for a life without depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts. Transgender minors speak about the personal benefits of transitioning and medical professionals see the success rate and improvement from these treatments. Lawmakers who try to take these transition opportunities away are only harming children. The ban of treatments is crucially important because it is forcing minors to be someone they are not, instead of helping them express who they truly are. Lawmakers see transgender minor’s as irrational children, so they silence their voice. Transgender youth deserves a voice and to be heard, because having access to transition treatments could mean life or death for these children.

Word count: 586

Levin, D. (2020, March 12). A Clash Across America Over Transgender Rights. Retrieved September 11, 2020, from https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/12/us/transgender-youth-legislation.html?searchResultPosition=1