before I was diagnosed with “gender dysphoria” and “transsexualism” I got a hysterectomy. this was not easy— medical misogyny exists and I had to assert repeatedly that i didn’t want children and I was married with a spouse who didn’t want children and that I had tried a “less invasive” solution first. all this sucked. it was paternalistic and condescending and led to me suffering for years for zero reason.
however. if I hadn’t gotten the hysterectomy back then and was trying to get one now, it would be harder. after becoming recognized as trans in medial systems, legally I would need two separate psychiatric professionals to write letters affirming I’d been under their observation, that I was mentally stable enough to know I wanted the surgery, and that they also believed it was necessary. and I would need to find a surgeon willing to operate on trans people.
like this is the difference. the literal procedures involved in medical transition are not exclusive to trans people. the difference is that these procedures are gatekept from us.
that’s why all the laws banning trans healthcare (in the US, I haven’t read legislation elsewhere) are framing it as only banned when someone has a “gender dysphoria” diagnosis. the point isn’t to stop performing the actual procedures, the point is to deny trans people healthcare because we are trans.
saying “trans people don’t need surgery” is like saying “cis people don’t need surgery.” like obviously not every cis person needs every surgery. but cis people have the right to surgery. and trans people deserve the same right.
