Advocacy

Dear Legislators,

I am not safer with these SAFE Acts. I’m a transgender youth who is currently transitioning female to male. I was born as a female. For thirteen years of my life I despised my body, my voice, and I despised the very gender assigned to me. I knew I wasn’t a girl but due to the harmful misinformation given to me about transgenders, I was scared. Last year, I was finally confident enough to come out to my parents and begin my transition. We had a couple of fights about my hair, or how I would try to change myself to accommodate the people around me. They were always telling me that I don’t need to change to make other people happy but I should change myself to make myself happy. Last month, I had a meeting with a psychologist about hormones. This is my own journey so far, but many other kids have similar stories. I have friends who are terrified for their lives to come out as transgender or nonbinary to their parents knowing that they are transphobic and would most likely kick them out of their homes or maybe end their lives. But for children like me who are lucky to have accepting parents, we look forward to these hormones and finally being able to live like other children being comfortable with our bodies. The recent bills and acts you have introduced or passed will not make us safer. This letter has one purpose, and it is to help show everyone that this isn’t the way to make the youth feel safer- but quite the opposite.

Just typing this letter gives me gender dysphoria. Gender dysphoria refers to psychological distress from a transgender person not feeling aligned with their perferred gender but their assigned gender. This gender dysphoria phenomenon can get so unbearable for some that it will make them commit suicide, self harm, have panic attacks, or withdrawl from friends and family. Gender dysphoria is often triggered by being called the assigned gender, thinking that they look too “feminine” or “masucline,” being called their name assigned at birth instead of their preferred one, and not being able to suppress their hormones. These specific acts that have been passed such as one to not allow us to go to our appropriate bathroom along with the act recently passed,HB 1570, which bans minors from participating in experimentation also known as transition. This “experimentation” is only applied to transgenderism. I believe that experimentation includes coloring your hair, getting a haircut, putting on new clothes and such. I would not call changing your gender, like you change your pants, an experiment. Most children who even consider that they might want to be the opposite gender know how big of a deal it would be. Although we are adolescents, we are aware of the consequences of such a huge change. Children who consider these changes think about it enough to decide that they are interested. They will then begin their research and tell their friends but not their parents since they will want to be confident that this gender is correct for them. The other half of children will think about it and then say, “Ew I don’t want to be a gross girl or boy,” and will continue with their lives as usual. I’m aware that parents worry about these changes happening in a time where more and more of the youth are coming out as different sexualites and identities, but these identities are most often premeditated and are carefully thought over. None will immediately get on hormones or puberty blockers. To have access to those gender affirming resources they would need to go to a therapist for a long time until the therapist approves them to get these hormones and knows we are confident in their gender with no doubt. The system for transitions has been close to perfected to keep children like myself safe. Less than one percent of these children or adults regret their transition (Medcalf, 1) [1]. This SAFE act will only make things less

safe. Without being able to get these hormones to affirm their gender, many will become more depressed, suicidal, and therefore less safe. As a current fourteen year old, waiting four more years or more for hormones is worse than getting a prison sentence of fifty years. Without being able to get my gender affirming resources, I could easily become more depressive and even suicidal. That is not what you wanted when writing the SAFE Act, right?

Act 461, claims to create fairness in women’s sport, believing boys will compete in women's sports to have an advantage because they were born more “masuculine”. Well, the NCAA that is the head of college sports, has an opposing policy I think would be better suited then not letting transgender women play. In their 2011 Transgender Handbook page 15 , it states “A trans female (MTF) student-athlete being treated with testosterone suppression medication for Gender Identity Disorder or gender dysphoria and/or Transsexualism, for the purposes of NCAA competition may continue to compete on a men’s team but may not compete on a women’s team without changing it to a mixed team status until completing one calendar year of testosterone suppression treatment.” The competitive edge a male could have in women’s sport is undeniable. But, with this sort of policy that allows transgender women to play in their gender affirming team if they have completed a year of tetstrone suprression is close to the perfect solution. Testosterone suppression isn’t exactly like estrogen for MTF hormones, but is used to lower testosterone in a male’s body. Since testosterone increases muscle mass, the blockers will decrease the transgender female’s muscle and energy. It might not be comparable to those of a female without estrogen but with a year of blocking the testosterone will put them and those born females on a level playing field. I do want to state the obvious hypocrisy about this act. It only covered MTF, male to female, but are silent about FTM, female to male. I am not saying that you need a FTM version, but since FTM transitions from a female who is weaker, there is no issue it seems. You will gladly watch us on a men’s team suffering because the big mean cisgender men are so strong. I am here to stand up for my community and try to help you see through another lens, but also see that you are perpetuating these harmful and inaccurate stereotypes of MTF just being boys wanting to win female sports or that all FTM are weak and small girls who are confused.

Act 462, allows doctors to refuse care to a patient if it violates their religion. This means homosexuals, transgender people, Muslims, Jews and various other people can be refused healthcare. This violates an oath (Hippocratic Oath) doctors take. The act does say unless it is an emergency but the Hippocratic Oath says that the doctor must uphold an ethical standard always. Ethical means morals. Whose morals are violated when a homosexual needs to have his flu treated? Or when a Muslim needs to remove a tumor? Nobody’s morals should be violated by helping someone in need, no god would want them to hurt another. I believe that we should all be happy and we should care. This act is standing on one leg of ethics and the other of what people believe religious freedom is. But I, and millions of others, believe that it is a basic human right to receive health care. Religious freedom is being able to practice your religion and free speech allows you the protection to talk about it. In the case of doctors, many are most likely religious and some may still believe the mistranslation of, “homosexuals burning in hell.” Refusing care should be against someone’s morals. Refusing care to a patient in need violates their oath to save lives and do no harm. Oaths are not created to be bent and twisted into what is convenient for you. These oaths were specifically made to ensure everyone gets the care they need and deserve. This act violates that oath and basic human rights.

After sharing my opinion on these matters that directly affect me, I would like to ask you personally: Why are these acts or bills created to begin with? Why do you believe these bills or acts are to better society when so many are obviously against it and believe it is wrong? Why didn’t you ask the people who it directly affects first? I cried endlessly on these matters. I thought I would die in a cruel world because these acts prove you are against me being happy. You are against me being who I am. I trust you made these bills because you thought you would make some positive impact. These only leave negative impacts though. Children's deaths will be on your hands. How will you feel then? I advise that you listen to those opposing these acts and their opinions. You say you are doing this for the children. What you are doing will only hurt children. But who is to say if I’m right, I’m only a child aren’t I?

With Utmost Concern,

Beau Blanken