Over here in Lithuania, transgender healthcare and medical transitioning is a bit of a hot topic. The European Union is pushing our government to fix the laws that prevent trans people from having access to trans healthcare, but most politicians aren’t too enthusiastic about it. Local politician, Vida M. Cigriejiene, even proposed to make transitioning illegal in order to “save the money” we need to make it legal and accessible, perfectly illustrating how completely clueless a lot of politicians are about transgender healthcare. Several other conservative politicians, such as Antanas Matulas, teamed up with her, and now this is pretty much the moment of truth for transgender people in Lithuania. Both of the politicians are doctors, which makes it even more depressing. Since I have seen some of the most ridiculous and dehumanizing transphobia from our politicians, my hopes aren’t very high for this law. That's why I decided to write this article/open letter, about why it's a bad idea.
Firstly, it is important to realize the significance of transgender healthcare (hormones, surgery, etc. - the one that this law would forbid). While not all transgender people choose to medically transition, it is still the only road for most of us, and it’s already not an easy one. Levels of difficulty depend on where you live, how much money you have, and many other things, but the main issue remains – healthcare is not easily accessible for a transgender person! Letters, therapists, and countless blood tests… This labyrinth is extremely stressful, difficult and even dangerous, since such methods like self-medication become a resort for quite a few people who don’t have the opportunity to jump through all the hoops. Obviously, this could be prevented by making healthcare for trans people more accessible.
Opponents of medical transitioning often say they "want to protect people from regretting irreversible changes and ruining their lives”, but, actually, only 3-7% of people regret transitioning. Not only is this patronizing (implying that trans people can't make choices for themselves), but it's also counter-productive - as I’ve already mentioned, those who don’t have the means to transition legally, might use black-market hormones and put their health and lives at risk. Moreover, according to a recent research by TransPULSE, suicide rates drop close to 0 if transgender people have access to transgender-specific healthcare! Honestly, if someone would invent a treatment for cancer or a vaccine for HIV with such a high success rate, that person would be guaranteed a Nobel prize. So, unless someone is interested in “saving money” by keeping suicide rates high and forcing trans people to put their health in danger by self-medication, I don’t understand why we’re still debating this.
Another popular argument from transgender rights opponents is that transgender people are “disordered” and therefore they shouldn't be treated medically. Well, recently, “Gender Identity Disorder” has been substituted for a different term – “Gender Dysphoria”. The term is no longer considered a disorder, but transgender people still continue to face the whole package of stigma and discrimination. There have also been several researches that have found microscopic differences between male and female brains, and discovered that the brains of transgender people match the brains of the gender they identify as. So trans people were indeed born this way! A transgender person's identity is not a mental illness, so it is unresponsive to psychological treatment, and this kind of treatment may have long-term damaging effects on the person. Also, there's a direct link between suicidal feelings, depression, and the lack of availability of trans health care (TransPULSE). Moreover, quite a few trans people are already using hormones and a few have even had surgery, so if you’re making this illegal, then we’re all committing a crime. I wonder what penalties should we prepare to face for trying to live a happier life...
Some also disapprove transgender people’s identities by saying that they are not “natural” (because logical fallacies are cool), or because “it is predetermined genetically, and penis=male and vagina=female” (because pretending that everything exists in binaries is cool). However, nature doesn’t exist in opposites, nor is biological sex a 1/0 binary. There are hundreds, thousands of people whose bodies don't fit the normal male/female binary. If someone who identifies themselves as female will discover that she has an intersex condition and has XY chromosomes, does that mean she will have to live as a man now? Come to think of it, I've never had any tests done... Will transitioning be legal for me if I'll say that I'm genetically male? What about someone who's XO, or someone who has mosaicism? A lot of people want everything to be clearly compartmentalized in different boxes, but it’s not like that. Come on, we live in a universe that doesn’t have a center or an edge – you can’t get any less clear than that! We only know a tiny percent of our universe, so nor do we know what nature is, nor does “natural” equal “better”. Poisonous berries and scorpions also natural, but they can kill you. Volcanoes and tsunamis are natural, but they’re not exactly great. Computers, satellites, telescopes and wi-fi aren’t very natural, but we can all agree that they’re pretty awesome! So can we stop with the natural/unnatural debate?
Moving on… Another huge problem with the law is that it will affect a lot of young people. Statistically, about 40% of trans people try to kill themselves! While you can only estimate how many transgender suicides there are in small countries like ours, you can be sure that figures will only skyrocket if their hopes to transition and live a happy life as their true selves will be taken away. And homelessness, bullying, job discrimination, harassment and assault, substance abuse and more… All of those things are sky-high in the transgender community, and all of them are fueled by discrimination, transphobia, and the absence of legal protections for transgender people. Laws like these only pave the way for hate. Moreover, for some people there are even more factors piling up, such as race, disability or economic class.
Another popular argument from transgender rights opponents is that transgender people are “disordered” and therefore they shouldn't be treated medically. Well, recently, “Gender Identity Disorder” has been substituted for a different term – “Gender Dysphoria”. The term is no longer considered a disorder, but transgender people still continue to face the whole package of stigma and discrimination. There have also been several researches that have found microscopic differences between male and female brains, and discovered that the brains of transgender people match the brains of the gender they identify as. So trans people were indeed born this way! A transgender person's identity is not a mental illness, so it is unresponsive to psychological treatment, and this kind of treatment may have long-term damaging effects on the person. Also, there's a direct link between suicidal feelings, depression, and the lack of availability of trans health care (TransPULSE). Moreover, quite a few trans people are already using hormones and a few have even had surgery, so if you’re making this illegal, then we’re all committing a crime. I wonder what penalties should we prepare to face for trying to live a happier life...
Some also disapprove transgender people’s identities by saying that they are not “natural” (because logical fallacies are cool), or because “it is predetermined genetically, and penis=male and vagina=female” (because pretending that everything exists in binaries is cool). However, nature doesn’t exist in opposites, nor is biological sex a 1/0 binary. There are hundreds, thousands of people whose bodies don't fit the normal male/female binary. If someone who identifies themselves as female will discover that she has an intersex condition and has XY chromosomes, does that mean she will have to live as a man now? Come to think of it, I've never had any tests done... Will transitioning be legal for me if I'll say that I'm genetically male? What about someone who's XO, or someone who has mosaicism? A lot of people want everything to be clearly compartmentalized in different boxes, but it’s not like that. Come on, we live in a universe that doesn’t have a center or an edge – you can’t get any less clear than that! We only know a tiny percent of our universe, so nor do we know what nature is, nor does “natural” equal “better”. Poisonous berries and scorpions also natural, but they can kill you. Volcanoes and tsunamis are natural, but they’re not exactly great. Computers, satellites, telescopes and wi-fi aren’t very natural, but we can all agree that they’re pretty awesome! So can we stop with the natural/unnatural debate?
Moving on… Another huge problem with the law is that it will affect a lot of young people. Statistically, about 40% of trans people try to kill themselves! While you can only estimate how many transgender suicides there are in small countries like ours, you can be sure that figures will only skyrocket if their hopes to transition and live a happy life as their true selves will be taken away. And homelessness, bullying, job discrimination, harassment and assault, substance abuse and more… All of those things are sky-high in the transgender community, and all of them are fueled by discrimination, transphobia, and the absence of legal protections for transgender people. Laws like these only pave the way for hate. Moreover, for some people there are even more factors piling up, such as race, disability or economic class.
Transgender people, like everyone else, need to see their GP from time to time, some need constant medical attention, and in the case of an emergency, they need urgent medical care. However, quite a few trans folks have been shunned by their doctors due to their trans status. Recently, the story of a transgender man whose doctor “forgot” to tell him he had cancer, has made the news, bringing even some mainstream attention to the horrible treatment of transgender people in the medical field. Nearly 1 in 5 transgender people have been outright denied healthcare, and for 28% healthcare was postponed (Gay & Lesbian Task Force, 2010). And, as you can see, things can get from the plain uncomfortable, to the really dangerous. If transitioning were to become illegal, trans people will only become even more "taboo", and will be driven underground. There is a good chance that they might even stop paying attention to their health completely, because hospitals will become a dangerous place where they can't get help. And private healthcare won't be much of an option if the legal situation won't give us the opportunity to freely live as our chosen gender - finding a job as a trans person is not an easy task, and it will become even more challenging if the law actively prevents it.
Moreover, our country will actually save money by granting equal rights to its citizens. Each of the cases that Lithuania has lost in the EU Human Rights court has cost us approximately €40,000. Not to mention that I’ve personally spent hundreds of pounds in foreign clinics, and my money could have went to our budget. So you’re actually losing money. Imagine if you didn’t have to pay fines and that all that money from all those transgender people actually went to all those doctors in Lithuania… Now, I’m not saying the financial crisis would suddenly end, but I’m pretty sure some extra money is always good!
Also, I am really sick of the complete absence of respect for trans people in the public sphere. We are citizens, so stop treating us like garbage. Pronouns, names and terms are basic stuff. Correctly addressing someone is the most basic form of respect, but quite a few newspapers and speakers can’t even seem to grasp that relatively simple concept. However, messing up with pronouns and terms because you are ignorant is one thing. Deliberately relying on incorrect terms and irrelevant details in order to scare and manipulate is just plain vomit-inducing. Let’s see some examples: Mr. A. Matulas telling transgender people to “go abroad to cut off or sew on whatever you want”, or Mrs. A. Baukute saying that “Gender Identity Disorder is a medical disorder /.../ therefore the abilities of such people to make rational decisions are questionable”. Also, all those times that sex-reassigment surgery was referred to as "mutilation"? Not cool. Remarks like these are not only dehumanizing, but they automatically prevent any further civilized discussion. Also, they draw attention from the real questions we should be asking (ex. why we need to make healthcare for trans people accessible and legal), and also silence the voices of trans people, who should be the ones you ought to be listening to in the first place.
And the problem remains – the real issues that the transgender community faces remain largely invisible, even in the larger LGBT community. Honestly, our local newspapers talk about nothing, except for the occasional “shock” post intended to portray transgender people as freaks to be gawked at. How am I supposed to come out, plan my future career, or imagine a future for myself in a country that treats me like a sideshow attraction? I think that it’s about time we stopped talking about what kind of underwear our local "stars" are wearing and had some quality coverage of world news and LGBT rights. Maybe if people would actually read some quality articles on these issues, they would not only be more mindful of diversity, but they would also be more motivated to change the current situation. Moreover, parental support is crucial for young trans people, and it is impossible to have parental support in a society that stigmatizes us. Oh wait, unless that’s exactly what you DON’T want...
Making transitioning illegal will not suddenly erase our identities, “convert” us back, or make us disappear. I understand that you are used solving problems by closing your eyes and pretending that problems don't exist, but a transgender person’s identity is a core part of who they are, and it won’t go away just because you said so or decided that “we’re too much trouble” to have around. Making us illegal will not make us go away, but it will definitely make dozens of talented, perspective young people look for a better life abroad. There will always be transgender people, no matter the legal situation. However, their happiness and even their lives depend on these laws. So if you want to ensure a better climate for young Lithuanian people and reduce suicide and emigration rates, human rights should be your priority. Homogenous societies don’t exist – there’s enough space for everyone under the sun.
It would be great if this would actually reach one or two politicians, so feel free to share as much as you can!
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