We’re all painfully aware of the current attacks on trans rights, with gender-affirming care for minors being a particularly hot topic incensing conservatives around the country. However, the ante has officially been upped, as gender-affirming care for adults on Medicaid is now officially off the table for trans West Virginians.
The decision came from a panel of three judges from the U.S. 4th Circuit Court of Appeals. The three judges, all conservative, overturned a prior 2024 ruling in favor of allowing Medicaid to cover gender-affirming care for adults in West Virginia. The statute had previously been found to be in violation of anti-discrimination laws. However, the new ruling will prevent Medicaid funds from covering top or bottom surgeries for trans adults, as well as other elective surgeries commonly associated with gender affirmation, such as facial procedures.
Ironically, the highly sought-after look for MAGA women right now, dubbed “Mar-a-Lago face,” is precisely what gender-affirming care is. The “rules for thee but not for me” mental gymnastics are in full force here.
The cookie-cutter, pillow-faced women of the right have somehow justified in their minds that shooting up their faces with Botox and fillers is perfectly sane and healthy, while hormone therapy or top surgery is somehow crossing a line. Kristi Noem’s botched plastic surgery is a fucking jump scare, and in our opinion, doesn’t look healthy by any means.
Gender-affirming procedures has a regret rate of 1%, according to a study from the National Library of Medicine. Gender-affirming care is life-saving for trans people, who often grapple with mental health problems related to gender dysphoria, such as depression and anxiety. It goes without saying that because suicide rates for trans people are much higher than the U.S. general adult population is, it’s of the utmost importance that trans people can access the care they need to live their best lives.
Unfortunately, the rollback of our rights is the current story of the day. But with the upcoming midterms, we have a window of opportunity to make our voices heard and fight back against the litany of conservative attacks on queer people. It’s not curtains for us quite yet, and the story of tomorrow can still go differently than today’s.
