“I ask my seniors and sometimes my friends for the suggestion, but it was all different.” ‘New’, a 14-year-old trans girl talks about her experience in ‘taking birth control pills to make her body more feminine. This method is popular among those who cannot afford hormones due to financial reasons.

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She kept on talking about her experience after taking the pills. “My head was spinning. But I was scared that if I stopped taking them for just a day, my body would look masculine again.” This scenario is not new. Even though birth control pills contain female hormones, they are not designed for transitioning uses. Then why do many transgender youth still take them?

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On Transgender Awareness Week, GendersMatter is working together with UNDP Thailand to clear up misunderstandings about transgender people. Today’s topic is “Medical Transitioning and Transgender Youth.”

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When we talk about ‘transgender youth’, some will ask if a youngster can be a transgender person. The answer is that transitioning, which is a biological transition leading to one’s sexual consciousness, might be innate. Thus, there should not be doubts about the existence of transgender youth, as it does not depend on cultural or social influences.

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Studies found that the sooner transgender youth could have a transition process; the better their mental health will be since they can suffer less from gender dysphoria. This leads to the next question of how and where they can go for a medical service, and whom they can consult.

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#TryConsultingTheDoctor – is the most obvious answer, but not many services are well prepared with knowledge and information on ‘transitioning’. However, ‘Gen V clinic’ at the Faculty of Medicine Ramathibodi Hospital is one of the most popular options that can offer well-covered transition services. (Contact at https://bit.ly/3nCM694)

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The Medical Center at the University of California in San Francisco says that medical transitioning involves five processes: hormone therapy, body hair removal, speech training or voice training, frozen eggs and sperm, and sexual reassignment surgery (SRS).

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In Thailand, there are only three processes that have been practiced: hormone therapy, body hair removal, and SRS. Considering the financial limitations of young transgender people, they cannot afford those services, which may cause them to struggle with ‘gender dysphoria’ that also requires financial support for treatment.

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Gender transitioning is necessary for transgender and there is no reason why it should not be included in the health welfare scheme. Many people still see transitioning as a process just for beauty, and transgender people should be responsible for it by themselves. Thus, not being able to afford the process is an obstacle for gender transition, especially for the youth who still do not have economic power.

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Because gender medical transition is necessary, that is why it should be a welfare.