Their lived experience

Where would they be without the silly platitudes and the deceptive wording? At a complete loss, that’s where.

Scottish Greens shout

We must ensure that young people are supported and that their lived experience is at the heart of trans healthcare, says the Scottish Greens health spokesperson, Gillian Mackay MSP.

Why? Why must we or they or anyone make sure that anyone’s “lived experience” is at the heart of her/his/their healthcare? Healthcare isn’t a “lifestyle” choice, it’s a technology to prevent and cure illness and injury.

In a question to the Minister for Public Health, Jenni Minto, Ms Mackay said: “Many young people will be concerned about the effect of last week’s decision to pause the prescription of hormones on their healthcare journey, and our solidarity should be with them. We need to work as quickly as possible to ensure that the concerns of the clinicians are resolved so that they can provide this care with confidence.”

Slow the fuck down, Ms Mackay. What do you mean by “their healthcare journey”? It’s not healthcare to try to change people’s sex, it’s harmful quackery. You don’t need to work quickly to shove the clinicians into continuing to help young people ruin their own bodies. The “concerns of the clinicians” are a reason to stop doing that, not to find ways to keep on doing it.

“Scottish Trans have suggested that we should consider setting up our own research study. Can the Minister outline what steps the Government is taking to resolve the current situation, and how we can ensure that lived experience is at the heart of any action going forward?”

Can the Minister help us figure out how to continue to ruin young people’s lives in defiance of medical knowledge?

Ms Mackay added: “The last few weeks have been really hard for a lot of LGBTQ+ people, and trans people in particular. They are seeing their rights being treated like a political football.”

No they’re not. There’s no such thing as a “right” to force medical professionals to pretend to change one’s sex just as there’s no such thing as a right to force medical professionals to pretend to change one’s species. Medical professionals can’t perform the impossible and there is no “right” to force them to pretend or try.

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