“Breaking Down the Misinformation Attacking Vital Healthcare for Transgender Youth” by Jay Milewski 

The Medinamite would like to Congratulate Jay Milewski from Mrs. Kriner's class on your Honorable Mention in The New York Times Student Editorial Contest! 

 When I came out to my parents as transgender, they quickly fired off harmful misinformation they'd heard online, repeating inaccurate ideas about detransition rates, medically transitioning, and my identity as a whole. The impact of these conversations will not fade easily, and on a broader scale, these are the ideas that impact legislation and the wellbeing of countless transgender people.

For many transgender individuals, medically transitioning can remedy gender dysphoria and prevent suicide. Fenwayhealth.org discusses a study showing that gender-affirming healthcare led to “a 42% reduction in…psychological distress…and a 44% reduction in…suicidal ideation.” 

But the risk of losing our rights is increasing horrifically, and transgender people, making up only about 1% of the US population, subsequently lack the political power to prevent harmful bills. Piper, a 17-year-old who’s found confidence through hormone therapy, faces the chance of losing her treatment. The New York Times writes, “the threat of her care becoming unavailable is constant, as Georgia is one of 20 states this year that introduced bills to prohibit or restrict gender-affirming treatments to minors.” In the following year, over 300 anti-LGBT bills were introduced, and only four months into 2023, 45 states have proposed anti-trans legislation. 

Detransitioning is discussed often, as body alterations can be intimidating. However, those who opt for these procedures are doing what they think is best; they are aware it will permanently change their appearance and are informed of any possible side effects. Gendergp.org states that only 0.47% of people experienced any extent of transition-related regret.

Abigail Shrier, author of the damaging book titled Irreversible Damage: The Transgender Craze Seducing Our Daughters claims that “nearly 70 percent of kids who experience childhood gender dysphoria—and are not affirmed or socially transitioned—eventually outgrow it.” The most glaring issue with the statements presented throughout Shrier’s book is that her research was conducted by interviewing people that do not even identify as transgender. She interviewed nearly 200 people, and only around ten were transgender, while the majority were parents that disapproved of their child’s transition. She makes blatantly false statements about hormone replacement therapy (HRT), being used to eradicate anxiety or escape puberty. In reality, the presence of additional hormones may increase anxiety, and HRT is often referred to as a “second puberty,” due to the resulting emotional and physical changes. This is only the beginning of the misinformation she and so many others have been spreading like wildfire. 

The loss of healthcare rights will be detrimental to so many people. Misinformation has spread far beyond the walls of homes like mine and into Congress. Those that wish to medically transition should have the bodily autonomy to do so for their own wellbeing, and without these rights, lives will unfortunately be lost. 

Works Cited

"Detransition Facts and Statistics 2022: Exploding the Myths Around Detransitioning." GenderGP, GenderGP PTE, 21 June 2021, www.gendergp.com/detransition-facts/. Accessed 24 Mar. 2023.

"Gender-affirming Care Saves Lives." Columbia University Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University, 30 Mar. 2022, www.columbiapsychiatry.org/news/gender-affirming-care-saves-lives. Accessed 24 Mar. 2023.

Imbler, Sabrina. "For Transgender Youth, Stigma Is Just One Barrier to Health Care." The New York Times, The New York Times Company, 28 Sept. 2021, www.nytimes.com/2021/09/28/health/transgender-health-care.html. Accessed 24 Mar. 2023.

Lang, Nico. "2022 Was the Worst Year Ever for Anti-Trans Bills. How Did We Get Here?" them, Condé Nast, 29 Dec. 2022, www.them.us/story/2022-anti-trans-bills-history-explained. Accessed 24 Mar. 2023.

"New Study Shows Transgender People Who Receive Gender-Affirming Surgery Are Significantly Less Likely To Experience Psychological Distress Or Suicidal Ideation." Fenway Health, 28 Apr. 2021, fenwayhealth.org/new-study-shows-transgender-people-who-receive-gender-affirming-surgery-are-significantly-less-likely-to-experience-psychological-distress-or-suicidal-ideation/. Accessed 24 Mar. 2023.

"Share of people identifying as transgender, gender fluid, non-binary, or other ways worldwide as of 2021, by country." Statista, 9 Jan. 2023, www.statista.com/statistics/1269778/gender-identity-worldwide-country/. Accessed 16 Apr. 2023.

Shrier, Abigail. Irreversible Damage : the Transgender Craze Seducing Our Daughters. Regnery Publishing, Incorporated, An Eagle Publishing Company, 2020.

"2023 Anti-Trans Legislation." Track Trans Legislation, www.tracktranslegislation.com/. Accessed 24 Mar. 2023.