Why Proper Trans Health Care Is Crucial

content/trigger warning: transphobia/discrimination, police brutality

I'm an agender person.  That means I don't identify with any gender.  Shouldn't be a big deal, right?  Well, to many people, it is.

My therapist doesn't believe there's such a thing as agender - she believes that there are only two genders: male and female.  She also said that I have "sexual identity disorder".  It made me feel invalidated, like my gender wasn't real.

Unfortunately, my situation's not unique.  Many trans and gender nonconforming people have had to jump through hoops to get the proper health care they need.  Just check out the Twitter hashtag #TransHealthFail.  You'll see what I'm talking about.

It's crucial for transgender people to get the health care they need because it's vital for their well-being.

Kayden Clarke was an Autistic trans man who had a service dog and was often seen with him on his videos.  Kayden wanted to start hormone replacement therapy - testosterone - but his therapist told him he couldn't start HRT until his Autism was "fixed".

That statement sent Kayden into an emotional tailspin.  In one of his Youtube videos, he talked about how Arizona, his home state, had one of the worst mental health systems in the country.

One day Kayden was having a crisis, so a relative called the police to check on him.  The police say that Kayden brandished them with a knife, so they shot him and killed him.

While covering the story of Kayden's death, various media outlets misgendered and deadnamed him.  This is bad because the rest of the country will know who he really was - a young man with a big heart.

To prevent other tragedies like Kayden's, we have to make sure trans and gender variant people are getting the proper healthcare.  It is critical to our safety and well-being.