What is Gender Affirming Care?
Definition of Gender Affirming Care from the American Association of Medical Colleges:
“Gender-affirming care, as defined by the World Health Organization, encompasses a range of social, psychological, behavioral, and medical interventions “designed to support and affirm an individual’s gender identity” when it conflicts with the gender they were assigned at birth. The interventions help transgender people align various aspects of their lives — emotional, interpersonal, and biological — with their gender identity. As noted by the American Psychiatric Association (APA), that identity can run anywhere along a continuum that includes man, woman, a combination of those, neither of those, and fluid.
The interventions fall along a continuum as well, from counseling to changes in social expression to medications (such as hormone therapy). For children in particular, the timing of the interventions is based on several factors, including cognitive and physical development as well as parental consent. Surgery, including to reduce a person’s Adam’s Apple, or to align their chest or genitalia with their gender identity, is rarely provided to people under 18.
“The goal is not treatment, but to listen to the child and build understanding — to create an environment of safety in which emotions, questions, and concerns can be explored,” says Rafferty, lead author of a policy statement from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) on gender-affirming care.”
What is Gender Affirming Therapy?
Definition of Gender Affirming Therapy from the America Psychiatric Association:
“Gender Affirming Therapy is a therapeutic stance that focuses on affirming a patient’s gender identity and does not try to “repair” it.”
"Much like how a crisis pregnancy center steers pregnant people away from abortion, GETA’s (Gender Exploratory Therapy Association) strategy is to sound cautious and helpful while promoting a very specific view of how people should live their lives, which is as the gender they were assigned at birth." –Slate article, 2023
When seeking a provider for yourself or your child BEWARE of any therapy advertised as "Gender Exploratory Therapy” or “Therapy First”. Gender Exploratory Therapy may attempt to present itself as a harmless exploration of one's gender identity, but in reality, it is nothing more than a repackaging of conversion therapy. Conversion therapy refers to any emotional or physical treatment that aims to "cure" or "repair" a person's sexual attraction, gender identity, or expression. The abusive nature of conversion therapies has been widely recognized and condemned by reputable mental health organizations across the board.
By disguising Conversion Therapy as Therapy First or Gender Exploratory Therapy, this harmful practice seeks to deceive those who may be seeking support and understanding in their gender journey. The goal of GET is to withhold any gender-affirming treatment and instead find an explanation based in their personal trauma history that is convincing enough to persuade a trans person to delay their transition. They especially pray on youth and their families. Delays in appropriate treatment for gender expansive youth can be fatal, the suicidal thoughts and actions of gender expansive youth that are not receiving hormone blockers or hormone replacement therapy are significantly higher than their peers receiving treatment.
FAQs about Gender Affirming Therapy and Gender Exploratory Therapy
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Gender Affirming Therapy is based on the idea that the client should lead their treatment, their self expression, and their gender transition.
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Therapy First and Gender Exploratory Therapy (GET) is Conversion Therapy with a fancy rebrand. The goal of Therapy First and GET is to prevent minors from having autonomy in their personal transition. GET is a delay tactic that causes significant harm to trans children and teens, including death.