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Transgender self-help
A critical issue with the recent UK ban on puberty blockers was the UK government’s promotion of suicide helplines for trans teenagers, a direct signal they understood the implications of the ban. Trans people are expected to self-help in the face of government rejection of their essential healthcare, expected to use communal resources and the free labour of volunteers to resolve the funding crisis of the government’s own making. Trans people face a double bind of being refused state funded support and lack of jobs capable of supporting private healthcare. Within the global trans community the narratives of despair are amplified because this is the new baseline, not an exception as we move to a brighter future.
The trans community has always practiced self-help due to the rejection they faced within their respective societies. To be trans was invariably to ender an underground railroad of healthcare professionals, support groups, and a huge dollop of internal gatekeeping. What has changed in the 2020s is that with the internet there is no underground, a quick Google search reveals a plethora of help and large numbers of online communities to engage with. The catch is that there is no vetting, so while the support can be found, often this is mixed in with misinformation, gatekeeping, and self-interest.
When it feels as if the whole world is crashing down the advice you receive can…
