Having gender variance classified as a mental disorder and relying on that for health insurance coverage is a bit of false logic. Most insurance companies in the U.S. exclude treatments for Gender Identity Disorder, but there hormonal imbalances are covered for all kinds of conditions that are not related to GID. People who need to have medical support to manage their gender variance can and should be able to access competent medical care through health insurance, but for the most part right now a GID diagnosis must be avoided if coverage is expected. There are transgender health advocates working to address this issue systemically, both from the activist side as well as from the health care provider side. Thanks, by the way, for your generally excellent responses to the questions raised about this sorely neglected and unfortunately too long obscured topic.
It's Not as Simple as Pink or Blue
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Debra Rosenberg: Gender changes can be very confusing for families and I think they have to work their way through all the changes together. Some families do break up over this, but others find ways to stay together. Some spouses remain married even when their partner changes gender. Everyone has their own way of handling the situation. In our story, Ken Kopriva became Karen and now her daughter calls her "mom."
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Kewadin, MI: Do you think that trans-gender's will ever be accepted in society? How can we help the fight for acceptance of trans-genders?—Could you give us a breakdown of the process of becoming trans-gender?—Do you have any advice for trans-genders and becoming accepted?
Debra Rosenberg: It's hard to say when or whether transgender people will be fully accepted in our society. With more anti-discrimination laws being passed, though, it does seem like things are moving in that direction. There are efforts now to pass more legislation in Congress to help transgender people. That could be one way to show your support if you are interested.
There is really no process for becoming transgender since it's an umbrella term that includes people who don't actually take any physical steps toward changing their gender. If a person does want sex-reassignment surgery, there's a long and complicated process (involving counseling and living openly as the new gender) they must go through first.
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