My best friend is a trans* guy, and he has talked to me alot about the whole process of starting T and having surgery, and, as most people who hear about this do, I found it incredibly unfair, and stupid even, that trans* people have to go to a psychologist to have their surgery approved, but any idiot can walk in off the street and have himself turned into a cat the next day, and that cisgendered people don't need therapy to remain that way

So, as a show of support to him, I am planning on finding a psychologist, making an appointment, and when I go in asking how many sessions they think I should have before I can stay the way I am.

what do you think?

Kyle: This is a tough one for me to answer, because as an activist I think this is a great metaphor and gesture, but I also feel a need to recognize that such a gesture is unfair to whichever therapist you find should you follow through on this. Sometimes it’s better to find some way to illustrate this in the blogosphere or in a public action than to target a person who has to follow certain rules as part of their job, agreeing with them or not.
Now, it’s also important for me to note that while therapy requirements are controversial, they are not without reason. Therapy as a requirement before HRT and surgery is not to try and talk people out of their decisions, rather to make sure that there aren’t any reasons it could be the wrong idea. For example some people with moderate bipolar can have it become unmanageable on testosterone, and it’s better to treat bipolar disorder before HRT than to start right away. Other extremely rare cases exist where someone may otherwise appear trans but instead have DID or another disorder that needs to be treated instead.
Personally I do hope for a day when informed consent is the predominant model for care, but I also believe that there will always be a need to have therapists trained in transgender issues for those folks who do need additional mental health care.

Notes

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