Gender Care Is Already a Long and Thoughtful Process

The process toward gender transition is a long and thoughtful one right now, based on current medical and mental health practices, with no new legislation needed. First, the trans youth and their parent(s) need to come out to their family doctor, if they have one. The family doctor then needs to agree to refer them to the gender care clinic. The gender care clinic team accompanying a trans youth and their parent(s) includes nurses, therapists, doctors, and a psychiatrist. Currently, the psychiatrist, who has to sign off on any hormone therapy, has a one year wait list. If there is any hesitancy or lingering questions, the psychiatrist will not give the go-ahead for hormone therapy. So, none of this is rushing the young person or done on a whim. In addition, once the trans youth becomes an adult, a second psychiatrist needs to agree that they are ready for any surgical procedures. There are many controls already in place to ensure that it is the right decision for the individual, without any new laws or  policies needing to be enacted.