The Effects of Restrictions on Gender Affirming Healthcare

• In Event: Poster Session 2

Abstract

Restricting Gender Affirming Healthcare negatively impacts individuals who need it. The existing research on Gender Affirming Healthcare (GAH) is focused on how GAH affects the emotional, mental, and physical wellbeing of individuals under the age of eighteen, and how the youth that seek out GAH are impacted by outside factors. By researching scholarly articles, secondhand stories, studies, and statistics on this issue, it is found that restricting GAH to all parties who need it have very harmful impacts. Some of these impacts include gender dysphoria, anxiety, psychological distress, depression, and suicidal ideation. As a result of researching these negative effects, some solutions came into light. By talking about GAH with the people who are receiving and being restricted from it, medical professionals can get an idea about how these individuals are affected, which can lead to changes in the laws. The results of this research can contribute information to the ever-increasing issue of ignoring the restricting of GAH, and thus creating more of a platform to discuss the impacts that those individuals face.

Author

• Maggie Jeanne Sullivan, Southern New Hampshire University