A new bill in Florida would mandate health insurance plans cover conversion therapy, according to the bill's sponsor. It also bans trans people from updating their drivers license gender markers.
In 1932 Jews made up around 1% of Germany's population. The Nazis blamed Jews for all the ills of society and passed ever greater draconian laws against a very small number of people that ultimately lead to extermination. Trans folx make up around 1% of the population and Republicans (neo-fascists) see them as a great threat to society and pass evermore draconian laws that will end with extermination. Fascist elevate a relatively small group of powerless human beings to be the great enemy. If you ever wondered if what happened in Nazi Germany could happen in the USA, stop wondering and see that it is happening. The only question is what will you do to stop it.
The other bad part of the insurance provision in this bill is that it would essentially require insurance companies to charge more for policies that cover gender-affirming care (in addition to requiring that they cover conversion therapy and detransition treatment), and then also to have alternate policies available that do NOT cover gender-affirming care. While I have no problem with it covering detransition treatment for the small percentage of people who need it, I do believe that the requirement for lower cost plans that don't cover gender-affirming care will overwhelmingly result in employers choosing the lower cost plans instead of ones that cover gender-affirming care, resulting in even more barriers to receiving care in a state that has already heavily restricted access even for adults. This bill is most definitely less bad than the OTHER biological sex bill, HB 1233, but it would increase the risk of people experiencing discrimination and violence, especially if combined with other bills that are also making their way through the Florida legislature this session. It's a very multi-pronged approach attacking us from all sides, and it sucks being trans in Florida right now, and it sucks even more being the kind of person who is incapable of ignoring what's happening and who understands the complexities of all of the many different ways these bills can impact our lives. :(
Anna is amazing. She was at every medical board meeting I attended, always debunking the lies and misinformation. We need to elevate her every chance we can get. Thank you, as always, Erin.
So are they proposing just to prohibit drivers’ license sex marker changes going forward, or are they also proposing to try to revert all the changes that have been done in the past?
I feel like no amount of testimony or effort against these bills does any good anymore....if the GOP controls the legislature, this is likely going to be run through like a steamroller regardless of how eloquently and passionately opponents speak out against it. Courts are really the only possible redress against this stuff in the deeply red states...sadly.
Of particular concern to me is that it isn't just saying that the insurance has to cover conversion therapy, it is saying that if an insurance company doesn't cover conversion therapy it ISN'T ALLOWED to cover gender affirming care. This looks like it could be a slight-of-hand trick to me, similar to how last year's ban in SB 254 affected 80% of trans adults without outright saying that would be the end result. A legal or insurance expert needs to weigh in on the subject, but I suspect that it isn't logistically feasible for any private insurance company to cover conversion therapy for several reasons (no reputable certified practitioners in-network, no actuarial data for setting prices for the coverage, etc) and so this bill could force them to drop coverage for gender affirming care because covering conversion therapy isn't actually feasible even if they wanted to. I don't want to sound too alarming because I don't know if this is true, but I also don't want to get blind-sided if that is what would happen.
The lifestyle that results in embracing who we really are is hard enough. I suspected to get some crap from society, which is why it took me 4 years to embrace who I really am. NOW I know what I was afraid of back then (2011-2015). I couldn't even read all of this, I'm so pissed. How dare a group of people openly look like fascists, racists & Nazis in this country. While a shit load of observers stand by to see what will happen instead of pushing back. Looks like we have very few allies. The GOP are acting like hate & fear is the only thing they know how to run on. Politicizing who we are and what we're about is disgusting. I certainly didn't embrace this, thinking I'm making a statement of any kind. Same when I stopped fighting that I thought I was a lesbian back in the 1970's, because I had no language for being trans. THIS is a nightmare and literally makes me sick. Where does it end?
I keep telling people this is like a big snowball running downhill, getting bigger & faster. We're at the bottom of the hill to be destroyed by that thing. Eradication? How dare this happen in AmeriKKKa.
Ridiculous. Hydra-like, this old BS, debunked "therapy" rises again and again. Same battles we must fight over and over. Different historical context but same old tired discourses.
Friendly states need to make it possible to easily get driver's licenses/IDs in their states (e.g. easing/looking the other way on residency requirements). I simply refuse to out myself as trans every time I get pulled over or buy alcohol.
Erin you are right in stating there has been no clinical evidence that supports conversion therapy for trans sexuality. But and this is a large BUT, the most recent trend in people claiming to be trapped in the wrong body, does not have the same development and pathology as older transsexuals as myself did.
The current generation's infatuation with gender has been caused by a social contagion, and over dependence upon technology during the critical child forming and pre puberty years. And as a result it is quite possible that new therapeutic modalities could turn help the gender confused individual deal effectively with their confusion, and thusly no require surgery to solve their problems .
Lastly you should not be surprised by the large number of anti transing bills there are being introduced throughout the country. Once the AMA and Endocrine Society eliminated all hurdles that transgender people had to jump through to get meds and surgery, it was inevitable that many confused young people would receive medical interventions that were not the solution to their emotional problems, and thusly "de transition" back to their native birth sex. It was having an proverbial open door policy which allows for surgical sterilization that helped to create the political environment that is spawning all of these bills.
By insisting that the transgender confused person can better diagnose themselves then a team of qualified and experienced therapists and doctors, (who incidentally might refuse medical treatments to the person) this generation of transgender people layed the foundation for these actions.
Now if transgenders want to take control of their own healthcare once again, they will have to work within the medical establishment once again.
In 1932 Jews made up around 1% of Germany's population. The Nazis blamed Jews for all the ills of society and passed ever greater draconian laws against a very small number of people that ultimately lead to extermination. Trans folx make up around 1% of the population and Republicans (neo-fascists) see them as a great threat to society and pass evermore draconian laws that will end with extermination. Fascist elevate a relatively small group of powerless human beings to be the great enemy. If you ever wondered if what happened in Nazi Germany could happen in the USA, stop wondering and see that it is happening. The only question is what will you do to stop it.
The other bad part of the insurance provision in this bill is that it would essentially require insurance companies to charge more for policies that cover gender-affirming care (in addition to requiring that they cover conversion therapy and detransition treatment), and then also to have alternate policies available that do NOT cover gender-affirming care. While I have no problem with it covering detransition treatment for the small percentage of people who need it, I do believe that the requirement for lower cost plans that don't cover gender-affirming care will overwhelmingly result in employers choosing the lower cost plans instead of ones that cover gender-affirming care, resulting in even more barriers to receiving care in a state that has already heavily restricted access even for adults. This bill is most definitely less bad than the OTHER biological sex bill, HB 1233, but it would increase the risk of people experiencing discrimination and violence, especially if combined with other bills that are also making their way through the Florida legislature this session. It's a very multi-pronged approach attacking us from all sides, and it sucks being trans in Florida right now, and it sucks even more being the kind of person who is incapable of ignoring what's happening and who understands the complexities of all of the many different ways these bills can impact our lives. :(
These heartless scumbags must be defeated.
Anna is amazing. She was at every medical board meeting I attended, always debunking the lies and misinformation. We need to elevate her every chance we can get. Thank you, as always, Erin.
They are really pushing for the guillotines, aren’t they?
So are they proposing just to prohibit drivers’ license sex marker changes going forward, or are they also proposing to try to revert all the changes that have been done in the past?
I feel like no amount of testimony or effort against these bills does any good anymore....if the GOP controls the legislature, this is likely going to be run through like a steamroller regardless of how eloquently and passionately opponents speak out against it. Courts are really the only possible redress against this stuff in the deeply red states...sadly.
With his nice suit and perfect hair, I get icky vibes from him. He’s an abuser.
Of particular concern to me is that it isn't just saying that the insurance has to cover conversion therapy, it is saying that if an insurance company doesn't cover conversion therapy it ISN'T ALLOWED to cover gender affirming care. This looks like it could be a slight-of-hand trick to me, similar to how last year's ban in SB 254 affected 80% of trans adults without outright saying that would be the end result. A legal or insurance expert needs to weigh in on the subject, but I suspect that it isn't logistically feasible for any private insurance company to cover conversion therapy for several reasons (no reputable certified practitioners in-network, no actuarial data for setting prices for the coverage, etc) and so this bill could force them to drop coverage for gender affirming care because covering conversion therapy isn't actually feasible even if they wanted to. I don't want to sound too alarming because I don't know if this is true, but I also don't want to get blind-sided if that is what would happen.
The lifestyle that results in embracing who we really are is hard enough. I suspected to get some crap from society, which is why it took me 4 years to embrace who I really am. NOW I know what I was afraid of back then (2011-2015). I couldn't even read all of this, I'm so pissed. How dare a group of people openly look like fascists, racists & Nazis in this country. While a shit load of observers stand by to see what will happen instead of pushing back. Looks like we have very few allies. The GOP are acting like hate & fear is the only thing they know how to run on. Politicizing who we are and what we're about is disgusting. I certainly didn't embrace this, thinking I'm making a statement of any kind. Same when I stopped fighting that I thought I was a lesbian back in the 1970's, because I had no language for being trans. THIS is a nightmare and literally makes me sick. Where does it end?
I keep telling people this is like a big snowball running downhill, getting bigger & faster. We're at the bottom of the hill to be destroyed by that thing. Eradication? How dare this happen in AmeriKKKa.
Ridiculous. Hydra-like, this old BS, debunked "therapy" rises again and again. Same battles we must fight over and over. Different historical context but same old tired discourses.
Friendly states need to make it possible to easily get driver's licenses/IDs in their states (e.g. easing/looking the other way on residency requirements). I simply refuse to out myself as trans every time I get pulled over or buy alcohol.
And "conversion therapy" is MALPRACTICE.
Appalling.
JFC! Why are people?
Erin you are right in stating there has been no clinical evidence that supports conversion therapy for trans sexuality. But and this is a large BUT, the most recent trend in people claiming to be trapped in the wrong body, does not have the same development and pathology as older transsexuals as myself did.
The current generation's infatuation with gender has been caused by a social contagion, and over dependence upon technology during the critical child forming and pre puberty years. And as a result it is quite possible that new therapeutic modalities could turn help the gender confused individual deal effectively with their confusion, and thusly no require surgery to solve their problems .
Lastly you should not be surprised by the large number of anti transing bills there are being introduced throughout the country. Once the AMA and Endocrine Society eliminated all hurdles that transgender people had to jump through to get meds and surgery, it was inevitable that many confused young people would receive medical interventions that were not the solution to their emotional problems, and thusly "de transition" back to their native birth sex. It was having an proverbial open door policy which allows for surgical sterilization that helped to create the political environment that is spawning all of these bills.
By insisting that the transgender confused person can better diagnose themselves then a team of qualified and experienced therapists and doctors, (who incidentally might refuse medical treatments to the person) this generation of transgender people layed the foundation for these actions.
Now if transgenders want to take control of their own healthcare once again, they will have to work within the medical establishment once again.
Ha! Let's see how long it is before the insurance companies say, "Uh... you don't tell us what to cover." What stupidity, ignorance, and hatred.