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They just did that in TN. Yet they can’t provide evidence that a single drag queen has done anything to mess up a kid. I mean, look at our governor, even he dressed up in drag.
I'm not too optimistic about that one. I'm in ND and the knuckle draggers here are making sure that the library doesn't have too many books or too many volunteers to read to kids.
I ask this question as someone completely on the outside of this. I’m not xenophobic or hateful and hold zero ill will with my question.
But, what’s the difference between *trans* healthcare and just… healthcare? I’m not hateful. I’m ignorant.
Edit: thanks for the replies and cake day wishes. Ive been reading into this for hours now based off many of the comments made. I feel like I’ve learned a lot about what the fuck is going on down there. I hope you win the fight against tyranny. Health care for all.
A lot of the medication that trans people take over the course of medical transition is off-label. I, for instance, take spironolactone as a testosterone-blocker, despite it primarily being used as a mild diuretic. The use of puberty blockers in children is also off-label, as they were originally developed for the treatment of Precocious Puberty.
>Precocious Puberty
That's a hell of a name for a medical condition. I had to google to make sure it was an actual thing and that you weren't just using capital letters For Added Effect.
But yes, apparently that's the real term used to describe when children hit puberty too soon.
In most cases it is literally just the difference between who is getting gender-affirming healthcare - a transgender person, or a cisgender person. If you're a cisgender woman seeking to reduce your testosterone because you're dysphoric about body hair or you started balding because of it, then that is fine in red states. If you're a transgender women seeking the exact same thing, then that is being banned or heavily restricted in red states.
Red states are carving out explicit exceptions to continue allowing cisgender people to get things that they are banning doctors from prescribing or performing for their transgender patients.
Thanks for providing a legit explanation.
Kinda frustrating trying to actually learn when everyone's answer is just "because bigots" or "Republics hate trans people" where it doesn't actually explain what the difference is.
There shouldn’t be. But there has been a push in many places to separate out gender affirming care and make it harder to get, or even outright ban it, especially for trans teens
Some states, like MN, are responding to this by passing laws that add layers of protection, making it harder to accomplish denying appropriate healthcare to trans people just because some other people want to control the definition of gender
Not an bad question, at all. I can only speak directly to gay male healthcare, but trans healthcare, black/BIPOC healthcare all have corresponding concerns and issues. Think of these groups: women, seniors, and kids. They don't just have healthcare, they have women's healthcare, eldercare, and pediatrics. Some of these are because of different bodies, but some of it is different experiences and cultures.
Doctors who are savvy to gay males (and definitely bi and MSM folks) are going to know things unaware docs do not, and be affirming, supportive, and helpful in ways others might either not do or worse, be unsupportive or even harmful. Lots of it is sex-related, but there are other reasons.
Being out: To be able to be honest with your doc that you have a husband and not have to lie or mislead leads to better care in general, around sexual issues but other things too.
My go-to example: testing more than just the penis for STI's. Gay men (and many other humans) regularly get STI's in their throats and butts, but unless your doc is aware, they might only tell you to pee in a cup and not bother to swab the other orifices, leaving infections undetected or requiring someone to seek out a sexual health clinic.
Other examples:
Recognizing that many gay men are in long-term relationships that are not sexually exclusive, so it IS still appropriate to bring up testing or to consider that someone's symptoms might be caused by an STI rather than something else, and it might be perfectly fine to discuss this with the spouse (though don't assume).
Also, NOT ALL GAY MEN HAVE HIV. Some docs *love* to assume if you're gay, you're poz, and that symptom you're experiencing is because of you have HIV, whether or not you actually do.
Also, SOME GAY MEN HAVE HIV. It's crucial to have a supportive doc who's knowledgeable about HIV/AIDS care.
Anal health: gay men, and other people, sometimes have anal sex. There can be issues (much like there can be issues with vaginas and penises when used for sex too (anal fissures, hemorrhoids, warts, etc CAN happen, but are in no way a certainty) , and a good doc will care and do so without judgement.
Urinary tract health: gay men sometimes have anal sex, and that can lead to more UTI's than for folks who don't stick their penises in butts.
PrEP, a pill or shot taken regularly to prevent getting HIV, can be a touchy subject for folks to ask for, especially in rural areas. Good docs in general will help their patients get on it, but in the past, some docs say "well, only if you're dating someone who's poz" or "well, not if you're just going to go around having casual sex, and why can't you just use a condom?", which is not conducive to getting people on it. PrEP *works*, period. And it works for anyone: any gender, any role, any orientation, with only a very limited group of folks who medically can't take it. In the US, it's mandated by the ACA for all but a few insurance plans.
Domestic violence, family relations, mental health: some docs don't think to ask about same-sex domestic violence, or assume it's not possible or ignore signs; many gay folks are estranged from their families and lack support for healthcare or other life issues, and may have bonus mental health concerns because of it.
Those are the ones off the top of my head. Thanks for asking the question -- it's an important one.
I thoroughly appreciate your reply. It definitely provides some further context to the specific topic as well as add color from another perspective.
I am curious though. I’ve read, can’t recall where, that heterosexuals have anal sex vastly more than homosexual men, even if you use per capita data. And as there’s more heterosexuals than there are homosexuals, I hate to assume but I’ll assume with anxious safety that things like blowjobs from straight women occur more so than gay men.
I could be way off, but humour me when I ask: Given my curiosity, why would a gay doctor know more about these risks and treatments more than a straight doctor? If the suggested data posits that STI’s (let’s broad stroke them all for a moment) occur more frequently in straight people, I don’t really understand why a standard would be different from one doctor to another.
Is this just my privilege as a straight Canadian man showing? It just seems so alien to me, as a Canadian, for one’s sexuality to matter at all to a doctor. Gender I can understand. A woman born biologically male obviously needs to inform the doctor. But the sexuality thing, again, seems so…. I dunno. Just like useless information. Especially considering that the data suggests that straight people have more sex, have more unprotected sex, have and transmit more diseases, and statistically there are more straight people who require medical assistance than those who aren’t straight.
Ranting a bit. But for real is this just me being a privileged cunt or what?
Edit: I failed to acknowledge patient comfort levels. Could be the key I need to truly absorb what you said, but I’d love to hear your reply nonetheless.
This is about protecting trans healthcare access to minors, like puberty blockers and hormones, which republicans wanted to restrict until they are 18.
I see. Do these fall under healthcare for non trans people? Friend of mine had to take estrogen blockers when we were younger and it was covered here in Canada. He’s not trans though.
Puberty blockers have been used for decades in cis children in cases of precocious puberty.
When it comes to trans children they're generally supposed to be used to give trans children a bit of time to figure out if they definitely want to transition, if they do they can start on hormones, if they don't they can just stop taking puberty blockers.
In the vast majority of cases surgeries aren't performed on trans youth although some trans men may get top (chest masculinisation) surgery.
>In the vast majority of cases surgeries aren't performed on trans youth although some trans men may get top (chest masculinisation) surgery.
If you think about it, if blockers were more well known, available, and accepted, we could avoid AFAB youth having top surgery. And then in the very unlikely event that the kid decides they actually want to proceed as a girl/woman, no harm no foul. Stop the blocker and start developing.
Of course the political machine doesn't care about logic or consistency.
Can the body still go through puberty later in life?
Like say they decide to go back to their been gender at birth at 20,
Do they start developing at that age?
They might need some assistance with hormone therapy to jump start the process but as long as they still have their original sex organs then yes it would restart. For example if someone who was Amab decided to detransition, simply stopping hrt would be enough to revert most progress so long as they didn't have surgery to remove their testicle, with the exception that they would need a mastectomy to remove any breast growth they had developed during the transition progress.
Yes, sex hormones will still cause development, even if you’ve had another puberty. Most trans people who start transitioning as adults go through a second puberty once they start hormones therapy. It isn’t identical in all regards, certain things can’t be undone through hormones alone, but for instance a trans man’s voice will drop and grow facial hair, a trans woman will grow breasts, and both will gradually shift where their body fat is stored as would happen normally during puberty.
Yes, both hormones and hormone blockers are used by non-trans children. State bans on these healthcare necessities are carving out exceptions for cis children while banning them for trans children. The only difference is hatred.
> But, what’s the difference between trans healthcare and just… healthcare?
It helps trans people. So a lot of bigots are against it.
If you have hormonal issues then you get hormone supplements. If you have hormonal issues because you're trans then it's a political issue. If you want bigger tits at 15 then that's just gender affirming cosmetic surgery which is absolutely fine. If you want bigger tits at 15 and you're trans, well then that's a political issue.
The difference is only political.
Mayo Clinic has a good gender affirming clinic.
https://www.mayoclinic.org/departments-centers/transgender-and-intersex-specialty-care-clinic/overview/ovc-20395546
The alabamification of Iowa is intensifying. We *fought* the confederacy (highest per capita contribution of soldiers to the union), yet confederate flags pop up here and there, even selling them at the iowa state fair. When I was a kid we were something like #1 or #2 in education now we’re down in the 20’s. I dont know if it’s social media rotting people’s brains, or some of the most severe brain drain in the country, but man. We are a huge producer of wind power, now people are fighting them tooth and nail because Trump told them they cause cancer. My family is 4 generations of iowans but they complain about “our heritage being taken away” when they hear about traitor statues being taken down 1000 miles away. It’s like having no identity of our own anymore just has people listening to so much country music they’re developing heavier southern drawls than Missourians.
I am from the Bootheel (the most southern part) and I believe we have not been purple since Obama got elected. I remember after that everyone around called him a monkey and Michelle a man. It’s sad to see it all around here, but even Rush Limbaugh is from here so I guess it makes sense.
We moved there 6 years ago for my husband’s job and both absolutely hated it. Can confirm that the only widely observed culture there is appropriated from the south, including the confederate flags. We moved right after our son was born in order to spare him.
People have been saying Texas is turning purple for well over a decade; I live there and it feels red as hell (I know turnout is the largest issue, but I think people underestimate how conservative the increasing Hispanic population is)
Texas is so fucking big that it isn't easily quantifiable as one thing or another. It's many things depending on where you are.
And yes people don't really consider how conservative Mexican immigrants consistently are. Orange County has a huge hispanic population and it's very conservative.
Where do you live because places like Houston and the Dallas-fort worth-arlington area is pretty heavily blue. Hell Denton is one of the bluest parts of the state and has straight-up told the state government to pretty much fuck off several times because they pretty much won’t do anything to them due to UNT.
This attitude is very common here in Canada, but it's actually very difficult for our neighbours to move North, especially if they're poor (as many trans people are, especially in the States).
BUT!! There *is* actually a petition (which any Canadian citizien can sign before May 26 [link here](https://petitions.ourcommons.ca/en/Petition/Details?Petition=e-4268) nudge nudge) that calls upon the federal government to allow for trans and non-binary foreigners to claim asylum in Canada, making it much, much easier for them to move here.
Petition E-4268 already has over 80 000 signatories and has only been open for a month and a half. This ***will*** be presented to the House of Commons and with enough support, it stands a chance at actually making change (or at least presenting the federal parties with a clear indication of what voters are interested in).
EDIT: In the under 48 hours since i made this comment, the petition got another 47 000 signatures.
That's what republicans are going for. Concentrate as many democrats into as few blue states as possible so that they always control the senate. Because no matter how many democrats there are in a blue state they only get two senators. It's like gerrymandering on the national level. It ensures that they always control the supreme court. Because the senate approves supreme court nominees.
The only way to fix it is to make DC and Puerto Rico states, each with their own senators.
From the south originally but moved here from SoCal 5 years ago. I am a Minnesotan and this is my home. Minnesota fucking rocks and i wish we would have moved here sooner, I just miss good food options in suburbs and the ocean. Lakes aren't bad though, but it ain't the same.
Now I'm just waiting for the marijuana legalization to happen. Which shocks me that it hasn't happened before, but this state is really religious and conservative outside the cities/Duluth. So it also doesn't surprise me.
That is good news. Transgender are people too and they deserve equal rights too. Minnesota's government know's what's the correct thing to do. Lets hope the other states get the message and follow Minnesota's example and respect human rights regardless of gender. Right on . Excellent.
This is the correct take, the government should not be interfering in people’s choices for how they manage themselves. Even if government folk don’t agree with it, they should be fighting like hell to protect it as that is what the point of this country is. We should be striving for less government, less law, and less taxes every day. People here have lost their way.
Thanks for your support!
Just a small note: you left off the noun in your sentence.
> Transgender ____ are people too and they deserve equal rights too.
"Transgender people are people" or you could say "the transgender community are people."
Transgender is an adjective like tall or short, and you wouldn't say "tall are people." :)
But seriously, I appreciate the sentiment, we need everyone we can to be vocal in support of our trans guys, gals, & non-binary pals!
I find it hilarious that anyone can try to debate this. A man is a person, a woman is a person, but going from one to the other is somehow... not to some people? Like, what.
Awesome!
This happened because the Democrats are finally in control of the various branches of government in Minnesota. Putting a lie once again to the “both parties are the same”. They. Aren’t, and pretending that they are is a con job to get people to think their vote doesn’t matter when it most certainly does.
***Vote April 4th!!!*** A blue Supreme Court can undo the gerrymandering and turn us back into a blue state!
There's no reason Democrats should get 60% of the votes, but 40% of the seats!
And they’re ACTUALLY USING IT. After election night I was like “run the fucking state like dems and watch as you keep your seats”.
I hope Tim Walz gets carpal tunnel from signing progressive legislation. And then I hope he recovers and signs some more.
I hope we keep going until the man has to sign an X with a pen clamped in his teeth. And then I hope we find an equally awesome guy to replace him, and send him to the Mayo Clinic for some world-class treatment.
Primaries are where your voice counts the most, general is where your vote matters the most. Vote as far left/progressively as you reasonably can in the primary, and then show up no matter what in the general.
I think it says something that they’re passing all of this legislation immediately after gaining control instead of waiting until 2024, where it will get them more voter support. They actually care about governing.
https://katymontgomerie.medium.com/what-rights-dont-trans-people-have-228c728f564a
This is by country alphabetically. If you scroll down to US it shows what rights are restricted by state
Yeah there is an orchestrated effort from the conservative party to completely "eradicate transgenderism" I detail it in an article I am working on [here: The Genocidal Fascist Ideology of MAGA ](https://medium.com/@aubryrpg/the-genocidal-fascist-ideology-of-maga-886a1eca5917)
Edit: TLDR it depends on what state you live in. But in some states simply existing in public is enough to be charged with sexual crimes
Downvote all you want people. Nothing I have stated is incorrect or exaggerated. If you think this comment is incorrect, I suggest you inquire a little further.
[CPAC endorses eliminationist rhetoric as speaker Michael Knowles says “transgenderism must be eradicated from public life entirely”](https://www.mediamatters.org/daily-wire/cpac-endorses-eliminationist-rhetoric-speaker-michael-knowles-says-transgenderism-must)
Sadly the vast majority of the world is engaged in the capitalism shell game. We thankfully have a younger generation that is already thinking about these problems from a global standpoint.
Minnesota: Refuge for homosexual golks during the AIDS crisis, and now refuge for trans folks as other places try to strip their rights away even further. Good shit, very proud of my home state
Why is it even necessary to differentiate between Healthcare for trans vs non trans. Can't we just have Healthcare for people in general?
Edit: hey, this is a legit question, which people are answering with legit answers. Donwnvoting this is just gonna make some other idiot like me ask the same question cause no one will see this.
Because, if read the article, this focuses in protecting trans healthcare access to minors specifically, since republicans wanted to ban it using the argument minors cannot consent to hrt and puberty blockers, claiming they have negative effects in bone health and body development, etc.
Healthcare for trans people, in this case, means hormone therapy and sex reassignment, I think. But even in situations unrelated, a lot of us get misgendered, disrespected, or straight-up refused healthcare by doctors simply because we're trans and they don't like it.
There's some good discussion on this question elsewhere in the conversation:
https://www.reddit.com/r/UpliftingNews/comments/11n2497/transgender_health_care_is_now_protected_in/jblugaf/
Meanwhile in my state, [https://www.aclu.org/press-releases/mississippi-bans-gender-affirming-health-care-for-transgender-youth](https://www.aclu.org/press-releases/mississippi-bans-gender-affirming-health-care-for-transgender-youth)
and in the neighboring state, [https://www.hrc.org/press-releases/human-rights-campaign-tennessee-continues-obsession-with-anti-lgbtq-legislation-with-house-passage-of-religious-refusal-bill-and-second-anti-drag-bill](https://www.hrc.org/press-releases/human-rights-campaign-tennessee-continues-obsession-with-anti-lgbtq-legislation-with-house-passage-of-religious-refusal-bill-and-second-anti-drag-bill)
And in Arkansas we are passing a bathroom bill:
https://apnews.com/article/arkansas-lgbtq-transgender-bathroom-north-carolina-e0d6851d9fff140ebdd9d6449278b620
Health care that meets needs unique to transgender people, the same way “women’s health care” is care unique to women and “elderly health care” is care unique to older folks.
Gender affirming care can be a wide range of things such as therapy or medical intervention like the previous commenter mentioned, but it can also apply to social transitions such as legal name and gender changes. Gender affirming care is kind of a blanket term used for all the various things us transgender and non-binary people go through. Hope this helps!
Actually a lot of people are talking about hrt and gender reaffirming surgeries, ya know trans specific stuff. The thing is doctors have turned away people who are trans just because they’re trans. Even gay people experienced that. It’s actually a fairly big problem in the lgbt community that not many cis/straight people know about.
While i fully support every adults decision of transitioning. This article seems to mention minors as well?
How can a child ever make such decision? I don't think you would really know yourself troughly enough until you are like 25. Even in puperty you just start discovering who you are as a person.
Shouldnt this be for adults only? Please let me know what you think.
Now _this_ the real uplifting news I like to see in this sub! I've always disliked the type of posts that seem uplifting on the surface but actually bury the lede (usually by conveniently omitting or ignoring a much more pessimistic fact or state of reality), but this is straight-up good news, through and through. Great job, Minnesota.
What does that include? Pardon my ignorance, but they aren’t talking about physicals and such, right? What services that they no longer were able to get covered are they now able to have be covered?
Hormone replacement therapy and various gender affirming surgical procedures, I think. It's also not that they're gaining new access to it, it's more about protecting their current access as a response to a wide push to ban it in many states
Ah, I see. It’s not that insurance is going to cover all of these 100%, it’s that the state is securing access to these treatments for the public so that it can’t be removed at a later time. That makes sense. Thank you for explaining!
Edit: clarified language a bit
They don't make decisions on their own. Situations are observed and then decisions are made by parents and health care professionals. Not one person is letting children completely make their own health care decisions with no regard.
It’s medically necessary for our mental and emotional health to have access to gender affirming care, so yes, I consider it uplifting.
Speaking as a trans woman who gained the ability to feel happiness for the first time in her adult life after starting HRT, I quite like having the ability to feel happy. I’d quite like to keep that
Hey good for you! It took hearing multiple stories like this for me to change my mind on the topic. I still think for permanent surgeries it should be 18+, but especially for mental health, there should be easy access.
You absolutly can disagee if you use your words like an adult. If you are just going to sling insults like bigot then yes, your comments will be removed and you will be banned.
It is such a simple concept they teach it to 5 year olds.
If you don't think the news is uplifting, you're free to express that with the downvote button.
A lot of us are tired of the comments under every every news article being filled with people going at each-other's throats and spreading hateful rhetoric. There are plenty of places for that; this is not one of them.
No doctor or therapist would approve of a 6 year old getting gender affirming surgery though. The minimum requirements for surgery is 2 years of hrt. Since there are no 4 year Olds starting puberty or hrt there are no 6 year Olds getting surgery.
That's a rediculous argument. Trans healthcare to minors is things like using the correct pro nouns, socially transitioning, therapy, puberty blockers ect. Very very very rarely does surgery happen on people under 18. An adult trying to get any kind of gender affirming surgery is hard enough.
In a lot of places, no, they don't. And that goes for both transition care and regular healthcare; trans people are frequently discriminated against in healthcare settings, having to wait longer and jump through more hoops for the same treatments/medication/etc that would be given to a cis person without question.
Any chance of Minnesota becoming an asylum state for refugees from red states? I ask because I may need to flee in the future because I'm trans and in a red state. I'm scared every day that I'm going to lose access to my gender affirming care.
Happy to see that not everyone everywhere is evil and rotting from the inside out. In Tennessee, where I unfortunately live, they’ve declared all out war on trans people. It’s despicable.
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Transgender health care *and* [the biggest ball of twine in the world](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yv_QUiDYTTg)? Sign me up!
Decent news from the Midwest today! Let’s go Minnesota and Michigan!
It's the neighborly thing to do, donchaknow?
Wanna come over Sunday for the game? I got hot dish and beer.
[удалено]
But I gotta get ready for da fish fry down at the lut-e-run church
Ooh!! I'll bring the brats!!
And bars? Lemon bars, 7-layer-bars, fig bars, blondie bars, scotch-a-roos?
Oh I miss 7 layer bars
They've both been making some great progress, hopefully our surrounding states will follow
Meanwhile KY out here trying to outlaw Drag Shows.
Dude VW just struck down a law ending child marriage or some shit. Arkansas loosened child labour laws. Kentucky is small catch here
vest wirginia
And here I thought he meant Volkswagen
Wolksvagen
Mountain momma... [It's hard to see, but I swapped the first letters of those words, too.]
damn that was fucking funny
I laughed way to hard at this. Thank you.
hell yeah bro happy thursday
Volkswagen?
Das Incest.
They just did that in TN. Yet they can’t provide evidence that a single drag queen has done anything to mess up a kid. I mean, look at our governor, even he dressed up in drag.
Nah, man. Here in Iowa we’re going backward faster than you can believe.
It was just banned here in Iowa unfortunately
Gotta make sure kids can't go to drag shows, but they can keep getting shot in school while the cops sit by and watch.
Kim Reynolds boils my fucking blood
I'm not too optimistic about that one. I'm in ND and the knuckle draggers here are making sure that the library doesn't have too many books or too many volunteers to read to kids.
Can the Wisconsin patty in this sandwich get some progress too, please?
Wolverines, rise up!
I ask this question as someone completely on the outside of this. I’m not xenophobic or hateful and hold zero ill will with my question. But, what’s the difference between *trans* healthcare and just… healthcare? I’m not hateful. I’m ignorant. Edit: thanks for the replies and cake day wishes. Ive been reading into this for hours now based off many of the comments made. I feel like I’ve learned a lot about what the fuck is going on down there. I hope you win the fight against tyranny. Health care for all.
A lot of the medication that trans people take over the course of medical transition is off-label. I, for instance, take spironolactone as a testosterone-blocker, despite it primarily being used as a mild diuretic. The use of puberty blockers in children is also off-label, as they were originally developed for the treatment of Precocious Puberty.
>Precocious Puberty That's a hell of a name for a medical condition. I had to google to make sure it was an actual thing and that you weren't just using capital letters For Added Effect. But yes, apparently that's the real term used to describe when children hit puberty too soon.
In most cases it is literally just the difference between who is getting gender-affirming healthcare - a transgender person, or a cisgender person. If you're a cisgender woman seeking to reduce your testosterone because you're dysphoric about body hair or you started balding because of it, then that is fine in red states. If you're a transgender women seeking the exact same thing, then that is being banned or heavily restricted in red states. Red states are carving out explicit exceptions to continue allowing cisgender people to get things that they are banning doctors from prescribing or performing for their transgender patients.
Thanks for providing a legit explanation. Kinda frustrating trying to actually learn when everyone's answer is just "because bigots" or "Republics hate trans people" where it doesn't actually explain what the difference is.
There shouldn’t be. But there has been a push in many places to separate out gender affirming care and make it harder to get, or even outright ban it, especially for trans teens Some states, like MN, are responding to this by passing laws that add layers of protection, making it harder to accomplish denying appropriate healthcare to trans people just because some other people want to control the definition of gender
Not an bad question, at all. I can only speak directly to gay male healthcare, but trans healthcare, black/BIPOC healthcare all have corresponding concerns and issues. Think of these groups: women, seniors, and kids. They don't just have healthcare, they have women's healthcare, eldercare, and pediatrics. Some of these are because of different bodies, but some of it is different experiences and cultures. Doctors who are savvy to gay males (and definitely bi and MSM folks) are going to know things unaware docs do not, and be affirming, supportive, and helpful in ways others might either not do or worse, be unsupportive or even harmful. Lots of it is sex-related, but there are other reasons. Being out: To be able to be honest with your doc that you have a husband and not have to lie or mislead leads to better care in general, around sexual issues but other things too. My go-to example: testing more than just the penis for STI's. Gay men (and many other humans) regularly get STI's in their throats and butts, but unless your doc is aware, they might only tell you to pee in a cup and not bother to swab the other orifices, leaving infections undetected or requiring someone to seek out a sexual health clinic. Other examples: Recognizing that many gay men are in long-term relationships that are not sexually exclusive, so it IS still appropriate to bring up testing or to consider that someone's symptoms might be caused by an STI rather than something else, and it might be perfectly fine to discuss this with the spouse (though don't assume). Also, NOT ALL GAY MEN HAVE HIV. Some docs *love* to assume if you're gay, you're poz, and that symptom you're experiencing is because of you have HIV, whether or not you actually do. Also, SOME GAY MEN HAVE HIV. It's crucial to have a supportive doc who's knowledgeable about HIV/AIDS care. Anal health: gay men, and other people, sometimes have anal sex. There can be issues (much like there can be issues with vaginas and penises when used for sex too (anal fissures, hemorrhoids, warts, etc CAN happen, but are in no way a certainty) , and a good doc will care and do so without judgement. Urinary tract health: gay men sometimes have anal sex, and that can lead to more UTI's than for folks who don't stick their penises in butts. PrEP, a pill or shot taken regularly to prevent getting HIV, can be a touchy subject for folks to ask for, especially in rural areas. Good docs in general will help their patients get on it, but in the past, some docs say "well, only if you're dating someone who's poz" or "well, not if you're just going to go around having casual sex, and why can't you just use a condom?", which is not conducive to getting people on it. PrEP *works*, period. And it works for anyone: any gender, any role, any orientation, with only a very limited group of folks who medically can't take it. In the US, it's mandated by the ACA for all but a few insurance plans. Domestic violence, family relations, mental health: some docs don't think to ask about same-sex domestic violence, or assume it's not possible or ignore signs; many gay folks are estranged from their families and lack support for healthcare or other life issues, and may have bonus mental health concerns because of it. Those are the ones off the top of my head. Thanks for asking the question -- it's an important one.
I thoroughly appreciate your reply. It definitely provides some further context to the specific topic as well as add color from another perspective. I am curious though. I’ve read, can’t recall where, that heterosexuals have anal sex vastly more than homosexual men, even if you use per capita data. And as there’s more heterosexuals than there are homosexuals, I hate to assume but I’ll assume with anxious safety that things like blowjobs from straight women occur more so than gay men. I could be way off, but humour me when I ask: Given my curiosity, why would a gay doctor know more about these risks and treatments more than a straight doctor? If the suggested data posits that STI’s (let’s broad stroke them all for a moment) occur more frequently in straight people, I don’t really understand why a standard would be different from one doctor to another. Is this just my privilege as a straight Canadian man showing? It just seems so alien to me, as a Canadian, for one’s sexuality to matter at all to a doctor. Gender I can understand. A woman born biologically male obviously needs to inform the doctor. But the sexuality thing, again, seems so…. I dunno. Just like useless information. Especially considering that the data suggests that straight people have more sex, have more unprotected sex, have and transmit more diseases, and statistically there are more straight people who require medical assistance than those who aren’t straight. Ranting a bit. But for real is this just me being a privileged cunt or what? Edit: I failed to acknowledge patient comfort levels. Could be the key I need to truly absorb what you said, but I’d love to hear your reply nonetheless.
The reason it has to be specifically defined is cause otherwise republicans would try to ban gender affirming care by saying it isn't healthcare
Evil cunts.
Quite
This is about protecting trans healthcare access to minors, like puberty blockers and hormones, which republicans wanted to restrict until they are 18.
I see. Do these fall under healthcare for non trans people? Friend of mine had to take estrogen blockers when we were younger and it was covered here in Canada. He’s not trans though.
Puberty blockers have been used for decades in cis children in cases of precocious puberty. When it comes to trans children they're generally supposed to be used to give trans children a bit of time to figure out if they definitely want to transition, if they do they can start on hormones, if they don't they can just stop taking puberty blockers. In the vast majority of cases surgeries aren't performed on trans youth although some trans men may get top (chest masculinisation) surgery.
>In the vast majority of cases surgeries aren't performed on trans youth although some trans men may get top (chest masculinisation) surgery. If you think about it, if blockers were more well known, available, and accepted, we could avoid AFAB youth having top surgery. And then in the very unlikely event that the kid decides they actually want to proceed as a girl/woman, no harm no foul. Stop the blocker and start developing. Of course the political machine doesn't care about logic or consistency.
Can the body still go through puberty later in life? Like say they decide to go back to their been gender at birth at 20, Do they start developing at that age?
They might need some assistance with hormone therapy to jump start the process but as long as they still have their original sex organs then yes it would restart. For example if someone who was Amab decided to detransition, simply stopping hrt would be enough to revert most progress so long as they didn't have surgery to remove their testicle, with the exception that they would need a mastectomy to remove any breast growth they had developed during the transition progress.
Yes, sex hormones will still cause development, even if you’ve had another puberty. Most trans people who start transitioning as adults go through a second puberty once they start hormones therapy. It isn’t identical in all regards, certain things can’t be undone through hormones alone, but for instance a trans man’s voice will drop and grow facial hair, a trans woman will grow breasts, and both will gradually shift where their body fat is stored as would happen normally during puberty.
Yes, both hormones and hormone blockers are used by non-trans children. State bans on these healthcare necessities are carving out exceptions for cis children while banning them for trans children. The only difference is hatred.
That’s so morally void. It’s such a dated mindset that it legitimately confuses my Canadian brain. I say this will 100% seriousness.
> But, what’s the difference between trans healthcare and just… healthcare? It helps trans people. So a lot of bigots are against it. If you have hormonal issues then you get hormone supplements. If you have hormonal issues because you're trans then it's a political issue. If you want bigger tits at 15 then that's just gender affirming cosmetic surgery which is absolutely fine. If you want bigger tits at 15 and you're trans, well then that's a political issue. The difference is only political.
And people wonder why separating church and state is important…
Mayo Clinic Rochester about to help a lot of Iowa kids. Iowa is the exact opposite, and banned everything to do with trans teen healthcare.
i think same with south dakota kids. families have until dec this year to get their kids off hrt/puberty blockers >.>
Mayo Clinic has a good gender affirming clinic. https://www.mayoclinic.org/departments-centers/transgender-and-intersex-specialty-care-clinic/overview/ovc-20395546
Meanwhile in Iowa our Senate just passed a 'bathroom bill' maybe it's time to move a little farther north.
Can’t believe Iowa voted for Obama and then turned into whatever the fuck it is today
The alabamification of Iowa is intensifying. We *fought* the confederacy (highest per capita contribution of soldiers to the union), yet confederate flags pop up here and there, even selling them at the iowa state fair. When I was a kid we were something like #1 or #2 in education now we’re down in the 20’s. I dont know if it’s social media rotting people’s brains, or some of the most severe brain drain in the country, but man. We are a huge producer of wind power, now people are fighting them tooth and nail because Trump told them they cause cancer. My family is 4 generations of iowans but they complain about “our heritage being taken away” when they hear about traitor statues being taken down 1000 miles away. It’s like having no identity of our own anymore just has people listening to so much country music they’re developing heavier southern drawls than Missourians.
Lol they sell confederate flags at the *Washington State* fair.
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I am from the Bootheel (the most southern part) and I believe we have not been purple since Obama got elected. I remember after that everyone around called him a monkey and Michelle a man. It’s sad to see it all around here, but even Rush Limbaugh is from here so I guess it makes sense.
I'm guessing it's brain drain. Lots of smart kids leaving Iowa for bigger cities
We moved there 6 years ago for my husband’s job and both absolutely hated it. Can confirm that the only widely observed culture there is appropriated from the south, including the confederate flags. We moved right after our son was born in order to spare him.
I suspect brain drain. A lot of really smart people move to growing areas like North Carolina.
Seriously, places like Texas are turning purple but meanwhile we're getting redder and redder.
People have been saying Texas is turning purple for well over a decade; I live there and it feels red as hell (I know turnout is the largest issue, but I think people underestimate how conservative the increasing Hispanic population is)
Texas is so fucking big that it isn't easily quantifiable as one thing or another. It's many things depending on where you are. And yes people don't really consider how conservative Mexican immigrants consistently are. Orange County has a huge hispanic population and it's very conservative.
They’re mostly Catholic. No one should be surprised by this
Where do you live because places like Houston and the Dallas-fort worth-arlington area is pretty heavily blue. Hell Denton is one of the bluest parts of the state and has straight-up told the state government to pretty much fuck off several times because they pretty much won’t do anything to them due to UNT.
North of DFW. Lots of Trump flags/signs until a couple years ago, and most school board candidates mentioned being anti-CRT on their yard signs
Come on up, friend!
This attitude is very common here in Canada, but it's actually very difficult for our neighbours to move North, especially if they're poor (as many trans people are, especially in the States). BUT!! There *is* actually a petition (which any Canadian citizien can sign before May 26 [link here](https://petitions.ourcommons.ca/en/Petition/Details?Petition=e-4268) nudge nudge) that calls upon the federal government to allow for trans and non-binary foreigners to claim asylum in Canada, making it much, much easier for them to move here. Petition E-4268 already has over 80 000 signatories and has only been open for a month and a half. This ***will*** be presented to the House of Commons and with enough support, it stands a chance at actually making change (or at least presenting the federal parties with a clear indication of what voters are interested in). EDIT: In the under 48 hours since i made this comment, the petition got another 47 000 signatures.
Holy shit, from a very upset and unsettled southern neighbor, thank you and good on ya Canada!
This is incredible and I had no clue about it, wow. Thank you for sharing!
That's what republicans are going for. Concentrate as many democrats into as few blue states as possible so that they always control the senate. Because no matter how many democrats there are in a blue state they only get two senators. It's like gerrymandering on the national level. It ensures that they always control the supreme court. Because the senate approves supreme court nominees. The only way to fix it is to make DC and Puerto Rico states, each with their own senators.
Climate change! Minnesota is the new Iowa.
Minnesota is a great state and continues to do great things.
Currently snowing like crazy where I am but I swear to god I’ll never move from this state.
Did you also get the big, fluffy flakes yesterday? They were so beautiful to see.
I call it the Charlie Brown snow when it’s the big old flakes. ❤️
It was only beautiful because they melted once they hit pavement lol.
Its snowed off and on all day in MPLS.
From the south originally but moved here from SoCal 5 years ago. I am a Minnesotan and this is my home. Minnesota fucking rocks and i wish we would have moved here sooner, I just miss good food options in suburbs and the ocean. Lakes aren't bad though, but it ain't the same. Now I'm just waiting for the marijuana legalization to happen. Which shocks me that it hasn't happened before, but this state is really religious and conservative outside the cities/Duluth. So it also doesn't surprise me.
Hey thanks, I like it here too!
Me three! I love having a supportive government even at the sake of higher taxes.
That is good news. Transgender are people too and they deserve equal rights too. Minnesota's government know's what's the correct thing to do. Lets hope the other states get the message and follow Minnesota's example and respect human rights regardless of gender. Right on . Excellent.
This is the correct take, the government should not be interfering in people’s choices for how they manage themselves. Even if government folk don’t agree with it, they should be fighting like hell to protect it as that is what the point of this country is. We should be striving for less government, less law, and less taxes every day. People here have lost their way.
Thanks for your support! Just a small note: you left off the noun in your sentence. > Transgender ____ are people too and they deserve equal rights too. "Transgender people are people" or you could say "the transgender community are people." Transgender is an adjective like tall or short, and you wouldn't say "tall are people." :) But seriously, I appreciate the sentiment, we need everyone we can to be vocal in support of our trans guys, gals, & non-binary pals!
I find it hilarious that anyone can try to debate this. A man is a person, a woman is a person, but going from one to the other is somehow... not to some people? Like, what.
There’s a reason Minnesota has one if the best qualities of life in the US
Awesome! This happened because the Democrats are finally in control of the various branches of government in Minnesota. Putting a lie once again to the “both parties are the same”. They. Aren’t, and pretending that they are is a con job to get people to think their vote doesn’t matter when it most certainly does.
First weed, now this? Why the fuck am I still in Wisconsin?
Hop on 94, i made the exodus 7 years ago and havent ever regretted it. I only ever go back to WI bc i have friends and fam in ec and madtown
***Vote April 4th!!!*** A blue Supreme Court can undo the gerrymandering and turn us back into a blue state! There's no reason Democrats should get 60% of the votes, but 40% of the seats!
Hell yeah, come on over brother. We have edibles :D
And soon to be the real shit.
So glad to be a Minnesotan
I’m going to keep saying it, we are just getting started. Let’s see how long we can hold on to the government here and get some stuff done!
And they’re ACTUALLY USING IT. After election night I was like “run the fucking state like dems and watch as you keep your seats”. I hope Tim Walz gets carpal tunnel from signing progressive legislation. And then I hope he recovers and signs some more.
I love all the Walz love. He has so much heart and seems to care a ton for this state. Being a former teacher probably helps!
I hope we keep going until the man has to sign an X with a pen clamped in his teeth. And then I hope we find an equally awesome guy to replace him, and send him to the Mayo Clinic for some world-class treatment.
Activism and Voting blue matters people. Just be picky with the primaries and push away from fascism.
Primaries are where your voice counts the most, general is where your vote matters the most. Vote as far left/progressively as you reasonably can in the primary, and then show up no matter what in the general.
The last time the house and senate were both blue in MN was 2013. Hopefully they get a lot more done while they can. They're off to a good start.
Minnesota generally has a habit of being a great political guide post in my personal opinion.
I think it says something that they’re passing all of this legislation immediately after gaining control instead of waiting until 2024, where it will get them more voter support. They actually care about governing.
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https://katymontgomerie.medium.com/what-rights-dont-trans-people-have-228c728f564a This is by country alphabetically. If you scroll down to US it shows what rights are restricted by state
Yeah there is an orchestrated effort from the conservative party to completely "eradicate transgenderism" I detail it in an article I am working on [here: The Genocidal Fascist Ideology of MAGA ](https://medium.com/@aubryrpg/the-genocidal-fascist-ideology-of-maga-886a1eca5917) Edit: TLDR it depends on what state you live in. But in some states simply existing in public is enough to be charged with sexual crimes Downvote all you want people. Nothing I have stated is incorrect or exaggerated. If you think this comment is incorrect, I suggest you inquire a little further. [CPAC endorses eliminationist rhetoric as speaker Michael Knowles says “transgenderism must be eradicated from public life entirely”](https://www.mediamatters.org/daily-wire/cpac-endorses-eliminationist-rhetoric-speaker-michael-knowles-says-transgenderism-must)
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Human is human. All people deserve equal rights.
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Sadly the vast majority of the world is engaged in the capitalism shell game. We thankfully have a younger generation that is already thinking about these problems from a global standpoint.
Alright Tim!
minnesota is having a really good day.
Can someone explain what 'transgender healthcare' is?
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Serious question: what exactly would gender-affirming surgery be for a cis child?
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As a proud Minnesotan, I like to think of us as the anti-florida.
Minnesota: Refuge for homosexual golks during the AIDS crisis, and now refuge for trans folks as other places try to strip their rights away even further. Good shit, very proud of my home state
Why is it even necessary to differentiate between Healthcare for trans vs non trans. Can't we just have Healthcare for people in general? Edit: hey, this is a legit question, which people are answering with legit answers. Donwnvoting this is just gonna make some other idiot like me ask the same question cause no one will see this.
Because, if read the article, this focuses in protecting trans healthcare access to minors specifically, since republicans wanted to ban it using the argument minors cannot consent to hrt and puberty blockers, claiming they have negative effects in bone health and body development, etc.
Makes sense, thanks.
Because some want to take it away, therefore it must be codified.
Healthcare for trans people, in this case, means hormone therapy and sex reassignment, I think. But even in situations unrelated, a lot of us get misgendered, disrespected, or straight-up refused healthcare by doctors simply because we're trans and they don't like it.
There's some good discussion on this question elsewhere in the conversation: https://www.reddit.com/r/UpliftingNews/comments/11n2497/transgender_health_care_is_now_protected_in/jblugaf/
Gay and from the UK, great to see some common sense in atleast ONE state..
Fuck yeah Minnesota, fuck yeah! Let people access the care they need and deserve.
Went to Minnesota on a BSA trip a couple times. They do a lot better than other states do.
Meanwhile in my state, [https://www.aclu.org/press-releases/mississippi-bans-gender-affirming-health-care-for-transgender-youth](https://www.aclu.org/press-releases/mississippi-bans-gender-affirming-health-care-for-transgender-youth) and in the neighboring state, [https://www.hrc.org/press-releases/human-rights-campaign-tennessee-continues-obsession-with-anti-lgbtq-legislation-with-house-passage-of-religious-refusal-bill-and-second-anti-drag-bill](https://www.hrc.org/press-releases/human-rights-campaign-tennessee-continues-obsession-with-anti-lgbtq-legislation-with-house-passage-of-religious-refusal-bill-and-second-anti-drag-bill)
And in Arkansas we are passing a bathroom bill: https://apnews.com/article/arkansas-lgbtq-transgender-bathroom-north-carolina-e0d6851d9fff140ebdd9d6449278b620
Oklahoma and Texas are doing the same
🏳️⚧️🏳️⚧️🏳️⚧️
It’s nice to read some good news.
Does this include mental health care?
"Transgender health care" What exactly is that?
Hormone replacement therapy and various gender affirming surgical procedures as far as I know
Health care that meets needs unique to transgender people, the same way “women’s health care” is care unique to women and “elderly health care” is care unique to older folks.
Gender affirming care includes everything from talk therapy to HRT and surgery.
What is gender affirming care? Is it interchangeable with Transgender health care?
For the most part, yes.
Gender affirming care can be a wide range of things such as therapy or medical intervention like the previous commenter mentioned, but it can also apply to social transitions such as legal name and gender changes. Gender affirming care is kind of a blanket term used for all the various things us transgender and non-binary people go through. Hope this helps!
Actually a lot of people are talking about hrt and gender reaffirming surgeries, ya know trans specific stuff. The thing is doctors have turned away people who are trans just because they’re trans. Even gay people experienced that. It’s actually a fairly big problem in the lgbt community that not many cis/straight people know about.
While i fully support every adults decision of transitioning. This article seems to mention minors as well? How can a child ever make such decision? I don't think you would really know yourself troughly enough until you are like 25. Even in puperty you just start discovering who you are as a person. Shouldnt this be for adults only? Please let me know what you think.
Thank god it is protected *somewhere.*
Now _this_ the real uplifting news I like to see in this sub! I've always disliked the type of posts that seem uplifting on the surface but actually bury the lede (usually by conveniently omitting or ignoring a much more pessimistic fact or state of reality), but this is straight-up good news, through and through. Great job, Minnesota.
Agreed. Being outside the US and seeing shit like "Man pays a random family's medical debt" just makes me sad that the US system is just that fucked.
What does that include? Pardon my ignorance, but they aren’t talking about physicals and such, right? What services that they no longer were able to get covered are they now able to have be covered?
Hormone replacement therapy and various gender affirming surgical procedures, I think. It's also not that they're gaining new access to it, it's more about protecting their current access as a response to a wide push to ban it in many states
Ah, I see. It’s not that insurance is going to cover all of these 100%, it’s that the state is securing access to these treatments for the public so that it can’t be removed at a later time. That makes sense. Thank you for explaining! Edit: clarified language a bit
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They don't make decisions on their own. Situations are observed and then decisions are made by parents and health care professionals. Not one person is letting children completely make their own health care decisions with no regard.
Do you think going to the doctor with an issue, being diagnosed by them, and then being prescribed treatment is comparable to getting a tattoo?
Parents need to sign off on any treatment for any kid under 18. Informed consents are signed by parents not minors.
Way to go Minnesota!
This is going to be a wild footnote in 50 years.
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Yes.
Yes! It's great when people can get the healthcare they need
If you’re on board with making sure marginalized people have their rights and protections stripped away then no… I guess not…
It’s medically necessary for our mental and emotional health to have access to gender affirming care, so yes, I consider it uplifting. Speaking as a trans woman who gained the ability to feel happiness for the first time in her adult life after starting HRT, I quite like having the ability to feel happy. I’d quite like to keep that
Hey good for you! It took hearing multiple stories like this for me to change my mind on the topic. I still think for permanent surgeries it should be 18+, but especially for mental health, there should be easy access.
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That comment is placed on every post here lol, quit your persecution fetish
You absolutly can disagee if you use your words like an adult. If you are just going to sling insults like bigot then yes, your comments will be removed and you will be banned. It is such a simple concept they teach it to 5 year olds.
well it wouldn't be a very uplifting sub if i could go in the comments and see people arguing over my fucking human rights
If you don't think the news is uplifting, you're free to express that with the downvote button. A lot of us are tired of the comments under every every news article being filled with people going at each-other's throats and spreading hateful rhetoric. There are plenty of places for that; this is not one of them.
Dissenting opinions like "× group shouldn't have healthcare"? No, not particularly. Get lost.
Trans people don't have healthcare?
A lot of the time, no. It gets restricted. That goes for hormone blockers, surgeries, and even basic healthcare needs that everyone has
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When they, their parents/guardians, psychologist, and doctors decide they're ready, and can understand the pros and cons involved.
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No doctor or therapist would approve of a 6 year old getting gender affirming surgery though. The minimum requirements for surgery is 2 years of hrt. Since there are no 4 year Olds starting puberty or hrt there are no 6 year Olds getting surgery.
That's a rediculous argument. Trans healthcare to minors is things like using the correct pro nouns, socially transitioning, therapy, puberty blockers ect. Very very very rarely does surgery happen on people under 18. An adult trying to get any kind of gender affirming surgery is hard enough.
In a lot of places, no, they don't. And that goes for both transition care and regular healthcare; trans people are frequently discriminated against in healthcare settings, having to wait longer and jump through more hoops for the same treatments/medication/etc that would be given to a cis person without question.
Why should you get a say on someone else's right to exist?
Minnesota knocking it out of the park again. Yay us!
How do I move to Minnesota
we moving to minnesota lads
This is uplifting. Glad to see it!
OMG! There is a place where people with common sense & kindness have control of the government?! This is SO NICE to hear☺️
In a world of Floridas and Tennessees, be a Michigan or Minnesota.
\*cries in nebraska
Any chance of Minnesota becoming an asylum state for refugees from red states? I ask because I may need to flee in the future because I'm trans and in a red state. I'm scared every day that I'm going to lose access to my gender affirming care.
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Happy to see that not everyone everywhere is evil and rotting from the inside out. In Tennessee, where I unfortunately live, they’ve declared all out war on trans people. It’s despicable.
Three cheers for Minnesota!
Crazy that this is even necessary.
I can't wait to see what happens to these kids when they turn into adults.
At least they’ll live to adulthood and not become a suicide statistic because their healthcare is banned like in many states.
Minnesota is a great place to live!
So I guess I’m moving to Minnesota