Oregon lawmakers consider expanding insurance coverage for more gender-affirming care

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.