I began socially and medically “transitioning” as a minor. When a doctor prescribed me testosterone at the age of 17, I wasn’t concerned about the effects because I was told it was the answer to my psychological struggles.
A whole team of healthcare professionals convinced me, a teenage girl with a history of trauma and well-documented mental illnesses, to mutilate her body at such a young age.
I later started questioning whether medically transitioning was right for me and detransitioned as an adult.
I irreversibly changed my body as a minor and still suffer the physical, emotional, and mental consequences today.
Unfortunately, my story is not unique. Real-life stories in New York have shown the irreversible damage “gender transitioning” has had on young bodies.
Take Cristina Hineman’s story, for example. After detransitioning, New Yorker Cristina is still left with a host of difficult side effects stemming from her prolonged use of testosterone and irreversible surgery. This includes, but is not limited to, unwanted hair growth, chest pain, nerve pain, permanent changes to her voice, and a potentially compromised reproductive system.
A New York ballot initiative called Proposal 1 would allow minors to “transition” without parental involvement. It frightens me to think about how many more Prishas or Cristinas out there will be sold a lie and suffer the consequences.
If passed in November, Prop 1 would permanently enshrine “protections” for minors to “transition” in the state’s constitution, without any parental oversight.
Proposals like this are life threatening and dangerously misinformed.
New Yorkers must say #NoOnProp1 TODAY!
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Suggested Copy: Prop 1 would allow minors to “transition” through life-altering drugs and surgeries without parental involvement. Say #NoOnProp1! #ParentsRightsMatter
I know firsthand that minors can’t fully understand the implications of “transitioning” on their bodies. We cannot allow this to happen to the over 30,000 minors in New York who identify as transgender.