Unfair Care
I am a 15-year-old transgender male living in Utah who is currently seeking gender-affirming surgery, but a bill adopted last year by the Utah Legislature (SB16) is making that impossible for nearly three more years.
And who's to say there won't be more bills passed in that time frame that could make it more difficult, even as an adult?
Being able to get this procedure would greatly benefit me and many other transgender youth in this state. I believe it is unfair that we are being restricted from receiving these procedures.
Gender-affirming care is life-saving treatment and has been backed by credible medical organizations to be the most effective way to help transgender people.
In Utah, minors are able to receive various cosmetic plastic surgeries as long as they have parental permission—so why not have that for gender-affirming surgeries as well—especially since they are used for medically necessary reasons, not just cosmetic ones?
Also, the rate of regret for other plastic surgeries—such as rhinoplasty—are much higher than gender-affirming surgeries, though I'm not seeing any bills being rushed through the Legislature to ban these other plastic surgeries for minors.
The decision to pass this bill feels like a consciously biased choice that wasn't actually backed by proper research, because gender-affirming care has been proven by countless studies to benefit the recipients.
By passing SB16, the Utah Legislature actively chose to go against what multiple medical journals and studies state by implementing these changes instead of allowing the medical provider to make these decisions on a case-by-case basis.
While I understand wanting to protect children from making long-term decisions that may harm them, I believe that this bill does more harm than good in the long term, mainly due to the fact that gender-affirming surgeries are proven to contribute to lowered suicidality in people who receive such care.
I understand that these topics may not completely align with the personal beliefs of these lawmakers, but medical and mental health care should be between the patient, the guardian and the medical provider—not the government.
Government officials are supposed to be the voice of the people, but it does not feel like I am being properly represented.
RAYMOND ZIEMSKI
West Valley
"Auld Lang Syne..." Dec. 28 A&E
Thanks to the fireworks last night, the air quality was shit.
But I am sure that for everyone struggling to breathe, it was worth it for some of you to be entertained for the night. Yeah, good one.
JEREMY GRAY
Via Facebook
Happy New Year to my favorite Utah newspaper!
CODY BURROWS
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