before I was diagnosed with βgender dysphoriaβ and βtranssexualismβ I got a hysterectomy. this was not easyβ medical misogyny exists and I had to assert repeatedly that i didnβt want children and I was married with a spouse who didnβt want children and that I had tried a βless invasiveβ solution first. all this sucked. it was paternalistic and condescending and led to me suffering for years for zero reason.
however. if I hadnβt gotten the hysterectomy back then and was trying to get one now, it would be harder. after becoming recognized as trans in medial systems, legally I would need two separate psychiatric professionals to write letters affirming Iβd been under their observation, that I was mentally stable enough to know I wanted the surgery, and that they also believed it was necessary. and I would need to find a surgeon willing to operate on trans people.
like this is the difference. the literal procedures involved in medical transition are not exclusive to trans people. the difference is that these procedures are gatekept from us.
thatβs why all the laws banning trans healthcare (in the US, I havenβt read legislation elsewhere) are framing it as only banned when someone has a βgender dysphoriaβ diagnosis. the point isnβt to stop performing the actual procedures, the point is to deny trans people healthcare because we are trans.
saying βtrans people donβt need surgeryβ is like saying βcis people donβt need surgery.β like obviously not every cis person needs every surgery. but cis people have the right to surgery. and trans people deserve the same right.
