I know firsthand: Kansas would only hurt children if it blocks trans health care | Opinion

Young transgender people are a prime political target today, in Kansas and all around the United States. Recent email records uncovered by Mother Jones magazine expose the anti-scientific roots driving a network of proponents who are pushing a surge of copycat bills across the nation attacking gender-affirming care and general participation in public spaces such as restrooms and sports venues.

In Kansas, a ban on trans athletes participating in school sports has been written into law as H.B. 2238. A separate piece of legislation seeks to penalize doctors who provide health care for trans kids.

Many amazing allies have been standing in opposition to these bills and dozens like them around the country, and I greatly appreciate their continued effort.

Many advocates of these bans sincerely believe they’re acting to protect children from harm. And to these people, I say thank you for your concern. But it does beg the question: Is any actual harm being inflicted on kids?

I have firsthand experience as someone who transitioned as a minor. There is vast scientific research on this topic, and I saw that this process is taken extremely seriously and responsibly by doctors, educators and parents.

The real harm is in restricting kids from self expression. In fact, many Kansas lawmakers seem to think the same — yet they voted for H.B. 2238 anyway.

At the age of 12, I came out as transgender (female to male). A year later, I started puberty blockers, which had no permanent effects on my body, but stopped my menstruation cycle. Blockers are well studied and have been used safely for decades with cisgender children (kids who are not transgender) to delay premature puberty.

Careful decision-making among doctors, parents and kids is commonplace when trans youth seek gender-affirming care. Social transition, which means presenting as another gender with no medical intervention, is also common with these children. Usually, it’s just asking people to call them by the names they’ve chosen and the pronouns that align with their identity. Most young people who take gender-affirming hormones such as testosterone are 16 or older when they begin, and very few receive surgery like breast removal (“top surgery”) or sex reassignment (“bottom surgery”). Every medical decision is made carefully and collaboratively, taking long-term mental health into consideration.

I started testosterone at 17, after extensive warnings about the side effects and results. My mom, my doctors and I all took this decision seriously. Ask anyone I know, and they’ll tell you that I’m far more confident and happy than I was before testosterone. Without it, I would have been absolutely miserable.

Trans kids deserve to know the joy of being themselves, because they already know the pain when they had to hide. Recent legislation has made sure that they experience as much hurt as possible, for little reason at all. What will protect them from the hatred and anger spewed at them?

I want to protect these kids — we all do. How best to do that is subject to debate, but the existence of trans people, and the evidence that many trans kids benefit from medical intervention, are not up for discussion. Denying these children access to the best life possible is absolutely unnecessary, and backed by no professional consensus.

If you’d like to join the fight with me for protecting kids from hateful bills, call your representatives and tell them you’re against laws banning trans kids’ participation in sports and blocking them from receiving health care. Talk to people you know about these bills. Groups such as the ACLU and the Movement Advancement Project have resources to combat general misinformation about trans people and them taking part in sports. Remember that having discussions and making mistakes is far better than ignoring people who are misinformed.

Most important, know that many people advocating for these harmful bills actually believe they are trying to help trans kids — and they might not know the harm they’re doing. We know that the data supports trans youth living their lives authentically, and we want to educate others about the facts. We all just want our kids to be safe.

Adam Kellogg is a student at the University of Kansas studying psychology.