Gender-affirming care is for (most) of us

Gender-affirming care is not just for a few of us, it’s for many of us. Here’s some of the gender-affirming care I’ve received:

• When I was born, doctors and nurses checked my private parts to check for disorder of sex development (DSD). If my parts needed surgical adjustment to be more clearly male, they were ready to do it, as they do with some babies.
• When I was in middle school, I felt out of step with other boys because I was way behind on knowing how to play sports like football and baseball, and at my parents generously hired a college student to teach me one on one
• I was a boy scout, which involved extensive instruction in conduct and skills to be more convincingly “manly”
• I was concerned that my scrawny, bony chest looked strange and not in sync with masculine norms, and brought this up with my doctor, who extrapolated the course of my development and provided his opinion
• In my 20s, I had testicular cancer, and had a testicle removed. The doctors informed me that insurance would cover having a prosthetic testicle inserted in its place, if I wished to continue appearing in sync with masculine norms.
• In preparation for that cancer surgery, I froze sperm so that I would still be able to father children genetically in case I lost that ability in the surgery.
• As I’ve gotten older, my doctor has consulted with me about my testosterone levels and whether I need, or want, my testosterone supplemented.

Too often, the term “gender-affirming care” is used as though it’s only trans people who need or want it—whereas actually, it’s something most of us have appreciated in one way or another, no matter our identity.