Posted on Mar 27, 2023
Oregon lawmakers consider expanding insurance coverage for more gender-affirming care
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A bill aimed at strengthening access to abortion and gender-affirming care would require insurers to pay for laser hair removal and facial feminization surgery.
Gender dysphoria can be a difficult feeling to explain to another person. But when Carolyn Ward senses the prickle of hair on her face, a sensation takes over: a deep self-loathing or disgust – an oppressive anxiety.
The facial hair is a constant reminder the gender she was assigned at birth doesn’t align with her sense of who she is.
Growing up in Kentucky, Ward didn’t have a clear understanding of why she felt different or why she buried herself in video games, often avoiding her peers and much of society. It wasn’t until her 20s – and a severe mental health breakdown in college – that she started to understand that she was assigned the wrong gender at birth.
Now, in her late 20s and living in Eugene, Ward said she has a lot more clarity about why she was so depressed. She’s in a better place now, both physically and emotionally, but her transition is not over.
Gender dysphoria can be a difficult feeling to explain to another person. But when Carolyn Ward senses the prickle of hair on her face, a sensation takes over: a deep self-loathing or disgust – an oppressive anxiety.
The facial hair is a constant reminder the gender she was assigned at birth doesn’t align with her sense of who she is.
Growing up in Kentucky, Ward didn’t have a clear understanding of why she felt different or why she buried herself in video games, often avoiding her peers and much of society. It wasn’t until her 20s – and a severe mental health breakdown in college – that she started to understand that she was assigned the wrong gender at birth.
Now, in her late 20s and living in Eugene, Ward said she has a lot more clarity about why she was so depressed. She’s in a better place now, both physically and emotionally, but her transition is not over.
Oregon lawmakers consider expanding insurance coverage for more gender-affirming care
Posted from opb.org
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Posted 1 y ago
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
..."The transgender community in the United States is estimated to include 1.3 million adults. A Washington Post-Kaiser Family Foundation poll released this week showed most people who identify as trans said their lives have improved post-transition. But what that means also looks very different person to person.
There is a social transition, such as changing names, clothing and outward appearance. Some people, like Ward, have used hormone replacement therapies to help with their transition, but far fewer, only about 1 in 6 people, have had surgery to alter their appearance, according to the poll.
The American Medical Association wrote that “evidence has demonstrated that forgoing gender-affirming care can have tragic consequences” and said prohibiting such treatment can harm people’s mental and physical health.
A similar measure to the one under consideration in Oregon passed the Washington Legislature and took effect in January 2022. Public and private insurers in Washington are now required to cover gender-affirming treatments, such as counseling, voice therapy and puberty blockers.
For Ward, of Eugene, the ability to transition has allowed her to start her life.
“I think it’s important for me to say that gender-affirming care is lifesaving care,” she said. “I wouldn’t be here today without it, and it’s allowed me to start living in the real world rather than hiding in it.”
..."The transgender community in the United States is estimated to include 1.3 million adults. A Washington Post-Kaiser Family Foundation poll released this week showed most people who identify as trans said their lives have improved post-transition. But what that means also looks very different person to person.
There is a social transition, such as changing names, clothing and outward appearance. Some people, like Ward, have used hormone replacement therapies to help with their transition, but far fewer, only about 1 in 6 people, have had surgery to alter their appearance, according to the poll.
The American Medical Association wrote that “evidence has demonstrated that forgoing gender-affirming care can have tragic consequences” and said prohibiting such treatment can harm people’s mental and physical health.
A similar measure to the one under consideration in Oregon passed the Washington Legislature and took effect in January 2022. Public and private insurers in Washington are now required to cover gender-affirming treatments, such as counseling, voice therapy and puberty blockers.
For Ward, of Eugene, the ability to transition has allowed her to start her life.
“I think it’s important for me to say that gender-affirming care is lifesaving care,” she said. “I wouldn’t be here today without it, and it’s allowed me to start living in the real world rather than hiding in it.”
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel good day Brother William, always informational and of the most interesting. Thanks for sharing, have a blessed day!
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