Children’s Hospital Colorado has discontinued gender reassignment care that saved my life (opinion)

Hospitals and policymakers across the country are reconsidering whether to provide gender-affirming care, and some, like Children’s Hospital Colorado, are abruptly halting it. Decisions about a child’s health should be made by parents, children, and doctors, and we should all be alarmed when governments begin to take away that autonomy.

When hospitals abruptly end legal care for transgender children, it shows us that our lives are expendable and not worth as much as other children. This is a dangerous slope that has real consequences and causes real harm, is discriminatory, and violates Colorado law.

Gender-affirming care saved my life and the lives of many others. It has helped me grow into the successful and fulfilled woman I am today.

I started my social transition when I was 9 years old. Even at that age, I knew something fundamental about myself. It meant that I felt more like a girl than a boy. My family listened. My doctors listened. And this decision is one that should be left with people like my parents, health care providers, and me. I was able to begin my journey to becoming more comfortable with myself. I was one of the first patients treated at Children’s Hospital Colorado’s TRUE Center for Gender Diversity.

What many people don’t realize is that gender-affirming care is not a one-time appointment or a hasty decision. It is a thoughtful, medically guided process approved by leading medical organizations such as the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Medical Association. Multiple specialists work together to support patient health.

My journey began with a licensed psychologist who helped me understand my feelings and speak openly about who I am. I was then referred to a gender-affirming care specialist who explained how medical transition works and helped me determine when I was ready to begin treatment. My care was provided in accordance with established medical standards, based on scientific research and clinical experience supporting transgender patients.

During my transition, many professionals worked together to care for me to ensure my safety and well-being. My gender-affirming care specialist worked with my pediatrician to monitor my health and perform blood tests. Nurses, therapists, pharmacists, and other health care providers all played important roles in my care.

Gender-affirming care is often described as controversial. But in reality, it seems that good medical care should be about being attentive, collaborative, and focused on the patient’s needs.

Healthcare workers are just one part of that support system.

When hospitals stop providing gender-affirming care, the impact extends far beyond a single visit or appointment. This disrupts the networks of care that help keep transgender youth healthy. It creates uncertainty for families trying to do what’s best for their children. And it sends a message to transgender people that their health care is negotiable and their lives are expendable.

But for many of us, it’s essential.

Gender-affirming care has given me the opportunity to grow into an adult feeling comfortable in my own skin. Having access to gender-affirming care has allowed me to live as the woman I have always known.

Without that consideration, my life would have been completely different.

All young people have the right to grow up healthy, receive support and have the opportunity to live their authentic lives.

Colorado has been my home since I was born. Denver has generally been accepting and accepting of the LGBTQ+ community. Today, we feel completely abandoned and scared because Children’s Hospital Colorado has bowed to government pressure to discontinue gender-affirming care.

Medical care is a legal obligation, not a calculated risk. Child care must not be sacrificed or compromised for political reasons.

Jude Clinchard is a Colorado-based transgender advocate who speaks publicly about the importance of access to gender-affirming health care.