So Today I Want To Talk About Puberty Blockers For Transgender Kids, Because Despite Being Cisgender,

So today I want to talk about puberty blockers for transgender kids, because despite being cisgender, this is a subject I’m actually well-versed in. Specifically, I want to talk about how far backwards things have gone.

This story starts almost 20 years ago, and it’s kind of long, but I think it’s important to give you the full history. At the time, I was working as an administrative assistant for a pediatric endocrinologist in a red state. Not a deep deep red state like Alabama, we had a little bit of a purple trend, but still very much red. (I don’t want to say the state at the risk of doxxing myself.) And I took a phone call from a woman who said, “My son is transgender. Does your doctor do hormone therapy?”

I said, “Good question! Let me find out.”

I went into the back and found the doctor playing Solitaire on his computer and said, “Do you do hormone therapy for transgender kids?” It had literally never come up before. He had opened his practice there in the early 2000s. This was roughly 2006, and the first time someone asked. Without looking up from his game of Solitaire, the doctor said, “I’ve never done it before, but I know how it works, so sure.”

I got back on the phone and told the mom, who was overjoyed, and scheduled an appointment for her son. He was the first transgender child we treated with puberty blockers. But not, by far, the first child we treated with puberty blockers, period. Because puberty blockers are used very commonly for children with precocious puberty (early-onset puberty). I would say about twenty percent of the kids our doctor treated were for precocious puberty and were on puberty blockers. They have been well studied and are widely used, safe, and effective.

Well. It turned out, the doctor I worked for was the only doctor in the state who was willing to do this. And word spread pretty fast in the tight-knit community of ‘parents of transgender children in a red state’. We started seeing more kids. A better drug came out. We saw some kids who were at the age where they were past puberty, and prescribed them estrogen or testosterone. Our doctor became, I’m fairly sure, a small folk hero to this community.

Insurance coverage was a struggle. I remember copying articles and pages out of the Endocrine Society Manual to submit with prior authorization requests for the medications. Insurance coverage was a struggle for a lot of what we did, though. Growth hormone for kids with severe idiopathic short stature. Insulin pumps, which weren’t as common at the time, and then continuous glucose monitoring, when that came out. Insurance struggles were just part and parcel of the job.

I remember vividly when CVS Caremark, a pharmaceutical management company, changed their criteria and included gender dysphoria as a covered diagnosis for puberty blockers. I thought they had put the option on the questionnaire to trigger an automatic denial. But no - it triggered an approval. Medicaid started to cover it. I got so good at getting approvals with my by then tidy packet of articles and documentation that I actually had people in other states calling me to see what I was submitting (the pharmaceutical rep gave them my number because they wanted more people on their drug, which, shady, but sure. He did ask me if it was okay first).

And here’s the key point of this story:

At no point, during any of this, did it ever even occur to any of us that we might have to worry about whether or not what we were doing was legal.

It just never even came up. It was the medically recommended treatment so we did it. And seeing what’s happening in the UK and certain states in America is both terrifying and genuinely shocking to me, as someone who did this for almost fifteen years, without ever even wondering about the legality of it.

The doctor retired some years ago, at which point there were two other doctors in the state who were willing to prescribe the medications for transgender kids. I truly think that he would still be working if nobody else had been willing to take those kids on as patients. He was, by the way, a white cisgender heterosexual Boomer. I remember when he was introduced to the concept of ‘genderfluid’ because one of our patients on HRT wanted to go off. He said ‘that’s so interesting!’ and immediately went to Google to learn more about it.

I watched these kids transform. I saw them come into the office the first time, sometimes anxious and uncertain, sometimes sullen and angry. I saw them come in the subsequent times, once they were on hormone therapy, how they gradually became happy and confident in themselves. I saw the smiles on their faces when I gave them a gender marker letter for the DMV. I heard them cheer when I called to tell them I’d gotten HRT approved by insurance and we were calling in a prescription. It was honestly amazing and I will always consider the work I did in that red state with those kids to be something I am incredibly proud of. I was honored to be a part of it.

When I see all this transgender backlash, it’s horrifying, because it was well on the way to become standard and accepted treatment. Insurances started to cover it. Other doctors were learning to prescribe it. And now … it’s fucking illegal? Like what the actual fuck. We have gone so far backwards that it makes me want to cry. I don’t know how to stop this slide. But I wrote this so people would understand exactly how steep the slide is.

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trans healthcare

More Posts from Letskilltimetogether and Others

letskilltimetogether

1 month ago

AHHHHHH IT LOOKS SO GOOD

I had fun doing this sketchbook spread(˶' ᵕ ' ˶)

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Dr stone ishigami senku dcst dr stone senku senku

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letskilltimetogether

1 month ago

THATS SO AWESOME WHAT

letskilltimetogether - KillingTimeTogether

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not mine Dr stone senku ishigami ishigami senku dcst dcst senku dr stone senku senku cosplay dr stone cosplay cosplayer

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letskilltimetogether

2 months ago

love the periodicity with which these freaks return back to the forefront of my brain. like clockwork

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Dr stone senku ishigami gen asagiri sengen

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letskilltimetogether

1 month ago

He looks so cool!! I was def imagining him as a little skunkle guy but he fits really well. The cracks around his eyes look awesome, love it!

Also super happy to see more art for this fic, I love it so much💖💖💖💖

Cool dude Dr. Isha from —

https://archiveofourown.org/works/46429378?view_full_work=true

appreciate this guy

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fanfic Dr stone senku ishigami ishigami senku senku doctor stone

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letskilltimetogether

1 month ago

I’ve thought a lot about this bc of how much I’ve analyzed the credits, so pls ignore the rant lol.

The straightforward definitions are Casanova meaning a harem man, or a man how loves/charms many women, and Posse as a group of people, typically with a similarity. This means the phrase Casanova posse generally means a group of harem men lol.

This doesn’t immediately make sense in context of the song and the arc, but I think the true meaning was lost in translation(along with much of the English lyrics). I believe the phrase is meant to refer to a group of loving/caring people.

For example, the opening song lyrics talk about changing times, freedom, determination, and creating new things. Then in the end chorus it switches to “Save me” and “I won’t let you down” and “smile and resist”. In general I believe the Casanova posse is supposed to reference the KOS and how they’re loving and caring people despite the odds they face.

(I’m getting a little deep here but bear with me)

Like the battle of Dr stone has gone from Science vs. Might to Science vs. Science. The current difference is the goals of the teams. Zeno wants to rule the masses with an iron will, and doesn’t care much for people outside of his circle. Zeno uses science for personal gain, which is one of the main motivators for invention.

By contrast, the KOS is exactly the opposite. They embody inventing to help others, science for everybody. Senkuu heals Ruri. Forgives Tsukasa, Hyoga, Moz, etc. He cares for everybody, wants to revive all of humanity.

With this in mind, the KOS is a caring group. They may be a bunch of scrappy teens, but they care for people and work together despite the obstacles. So I think the label fits pretty well, disregarding the translation lol.

Thanks for coming to my ted talk🫡

fellow stoners, silly question but what does "Casanova Posse" even mean?

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lol Dr stone Dr stone anime senkuu ishigami dr.stone dr xeno dr stone xeno ramblings casanova posse

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letskilltimetogether

4 months ago

I’m glad I haven’t accidentally spoiled anything- I don’t think I’ve said much past Treasure Island. Are you excited for the season in Jan? I’m very excited to see how they translate it, and what they cut/add.

I’m a little nervous bc I heard this is the final season they’re making, but there’s a lot more arcs ahead, so idk if they’re going to rush it or just cut it off or what.

Spoilers for all of Anime, as well as vague descriptions of later arcs

I def agree, Senkuu is the best leader shown in Dr. Stone and he does work well bc he’s science focused and most of civilization is also science focused. (Trying to avoid spoilers) Later in the story they encounter a group of people who directly oppose most of their values, a have to work with them. About here is when I would exchange Senkuu’s leadership with the 5 Generals, as things become more complicated.

It would be very funny to have an episode where Senkuu has to drop all the science and craft a legal system lmao.

I agree that Hyoga fighting Moz instead of Senkuu is evidence Hyoga supports women(idk that sentence is so funny. Hyoga supports women’s rights and women’s wrongs). To delve into more character stuff, I think this moment could also be tied to Hyoga’s interest in “incredible people.” He wanted to keep most people in stone and only revive petrified people who possess extraordinary skills, to create like a super powerful human race. In this situation, it’s either help Senkuu, who he says himself is on his level, or Moz, a strong enough guy but lacking awareness and also hates women. Hyoga chooses to help Senkuu as 1. He has that interest in Senkuu, and 2. Disagrees with Moz, thinking he is not an “incredible person.”

I totally agree with you, I just wanted to delve into his character, which I rarely get to do bc I don’t like him lol.

It’s totally cool that you’re an anime only watcher! I myself have read all the manga because I hyperfixated and needed to know what happened next IMMEDIATELY lmao. I actually prefer watching the anime, as having the characters audibly read their lines lets me focus more on the art and story beats, which is harder while reading. I’ll do my best to avoid manga spoilers!

For my next question… Who is your favorite character and why? Doesn’t have to be a complex reason, it could just be a feeling.

*eats a chip and hands both back to you*

Your honor they're homosexuals

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Dr stone ishigami senku yay this is fun! I love yapping I want to get into Bungo Stray Dogs but I just haven’t yet HXH is so good def recommend it was actually my first anime lol I’m doing okay now :) please do post the fic I will read yapping

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letskilltimetogether

2 weeks ago

SQUARE UP ANON🤺👊👊💥💥💥

That headband is going to give you head problems. and you look better without it. and your catchphrase is stupid

Excuse me? Who the hell are you???

And if I don't wear it then my hair falls everywhere and I can't see, so. Shut up, dude.

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Dr stone I like your catchphrase Chrome do not listen to the haters why chrome lol there’s someone out there who just despises Chrome specifically lmao

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letskilltimetogether

1 month ago

CROSSOVER!!! Also adorable babies<333

★More SpyXfamily + Dr.Stone★

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crossover Dr stone gen asagiri ishigami senku senkuu ishigami asagiri gen dr stone fanart spy x family

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letskilltimetogether

1 month ago

God I love this fic. Also this feels like something that just happens in canon lol

Lil side art of the previous post :^]

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ao3 fanfic Dr stone senku ishigami ishigami senku dcst tsukasa shishio dr.stone doctor stone

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letskilltimetogether

1 month ago

I would read the crap out of that. Please write it I beg of you🙏🙏🙏

Dreams about fanfictions I havent thought of or written yet are a trip like what do you mean I could be writing a Dr. Stone fic where Senku had a pen pal in America that was supposed to be for a dumb English lesson in middle school but ended up vibing with enough to keep writing for the next few years? What do you mean he could have been planning on going out to meet her after he graduated and since the world got petrified has been so sure she's waiting for him in stone somewhere and how that kinda hurts a lot so let's just not think about it and focus on saving the world with science except oops now we're here and what do you mean she's unpetrified and has been trying to get to Japan to save him this whole time?

...

Anyway if anyone needs me for the next 6-10 business weeks I'll be drowning in my own emotions over a super nerd and his oc girlfriend.

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fanfic writing Dr stone senkuu ishigami writing promts that’s so adorable I love it

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