For trans Hoosiers, Senate Bill 480 is heartbreaking. It makes preventative treatment illegal.
Additionally, it stops hormone replacement therapy for young people. I’m worried about teens who will no longer be able to begin hormone replacement therapy, but more importantly, worry about the people in my area who will have to stop receiving gender-affirming care right away after they have fully adjusted to the shift in their hormone levels.
Most transgender youth attempt to live as their true selves, but the change is a cultural transition for them as they seek acceptance from their loved ones. Young people who have a chance to show themselves, jumping through the ranks of gender- distress diagnoses and a method that attempts to refute their existence, are unjustly denied treatment.
I have the good fortune of having a friendly group of medical specialists who are assisting me through this transition. Transgender youngsters should not be denied that opportunity.
Equipment Smith lives in Indianapolis.
