https://www.forbes.com/sites/dawnstaceyennis/2019/10/26/texa...

Everyone wants in on the act of deciding if transgender have a right to their own bodies. For many, that answer is no. They in their infinite ignorance and yes, stupidity, decide they know more than those, who have for fifty to sixty years, researched and studied all aspects of transgender. It's easy to be an expert on something they know absolutely nothing.
When I was nine or ten, daddy made a comment and it has stuck with me all my life. "If you don't know what you're doing, start it and someone will be along to tell you how to do it, even when they don't know themselves."
The jury awarded the mother custody of the boys and girl because the father was a habitual liar about every aspect of his life, his service, his experience, his degrees..., virtually everything about the man was a lie except he was a liar. The judge vacated the jury judgement and awarded the father joint custody and placed a gag order on both. (now she can't defend herself) Everyone from the President to the Texas governor, AG and every ignorant bigot with a phobia about transgender got in on the act. Promises to pass bills making hormone blockers illegal for children has been promised next legislative session.
I wrote to my governor, senator, and congressman when this same stupidity came up in Oklahoma legislature. I asked to be able to speak when this bill came up for a vote. I am not a public speaker and thank God Governor Kevin Stitt wrote back a very nice letter and informed me it wouldn't be necessary. The bill only had two sponsors and nil chance of coming to a vote. If by some quirk it managed to pass, the senate had to vote on it where it had no support, not even one. He would veto it if by some miracle it made it to his desk. His letter wasn't a politician's white wash, the bill never came to a vote.
Two weeks ago I sent a letter to my primary care provider as a round about way to let her know I wasn't changing VA Hospitals. The following was that letter, name redacted as I don't want her to come under fire if this leaks to any hate mongers.
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Dr. --------------, thanks for arraigning the tests at OKC. Least I forget, let's not do that again. Every few years the memory slips, I forget just how much I dislike going there until I do it again. I'll make that 330 mile round trip to Amarillo instead. It seems the VA has opened a satellite clinic in Clinton, Okla. 30 miles from me. Dropped by to talk to them and see what they offered. Informed them I was Trans, accepted by the Arizona VA and Amarillo VA. I think I was a little too direct. Mentioned one doesn't expect a pediatrician to do brain surgery and most doctors have no real concept what trans is or how to treat us. If they hadn't ever dealt with trans or feel like they couldn't treat me I wouldn't be coming in. There wouldn't be any hard feelings on my part. I had a beautiful doctor in Amarillo, a Women's Clinic in OKC who accepted me and knew what they were doing. They could call me if they knew more about trans than what they had read in the tabloids.
That was twenty one days ago. I might have been a little too brisk?
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We are going to need to keep informing, enlightening, and softly educate the masses, transgender is treatable. But not as most think. It takes an early start to be the person our mind is telling us we are. We are human the same as the rest of the population. We aren't contagious, we aren't mental, and we don't subtract but add to the diversity of the population, among our many attributes.

I pray I make an easier path for those who follow to find their life and are able to live it. I'm not stupid, I know it's not enough but I'm trying.
Barb
Life is a gift, even for those of us who are a lighting rod for hate, bigotry, and ignorance.