The Transphobic Media Debate and its Consequences

Have you, too, noticed the marked increase of trans-negative narratives in the media recently? I am thinking of, among other things, Uppdrag Granskning's episode on April 3rd, 2019: "Tranståget och Tonårsflickorna" ("The Trans-Train and the Teenage Girls"), along with its sequel. Or the text that Expressen's editorial staff posted in November last year. You know, the one who says that the government "must stop behaving like a 12-year-old" when they wanted to simplify the process of legal gender recognition for transgender people? Maybe you remember Adam Cwejman's column in GP from February this year, where the writer was upset that the DO (The Equality Ombudsman) ordered a school to pay damages after a teacher refused to use neutral pronouns for a non-binary student?

This might be new information to some of you but for those of us affected by this, it is sadly a well-known tale.

One result of this media storm is that Astrid Lindgren's Children's Hospital in April 2021 enforced a policy change for the clinic KID. The staff at KID, who treat young trans people in Sweden, did not sign off on this decision. Instead, it was three overhead directors at ALB who made the decision. 
The guidelines for hormone-related treatment for patients changes. Those with an established treatment plan may continue, while those who haven't yet initiated treatment should only be able to receive it within the framework of a research study.

This in turn resulted in strong reactions from, among others, RFSL and similar interest groups. Concerned parents of trans youth were interviewed on SVT, a debate article in Läkartidningen calls the decision "unethical" and a network of activists arranged a successful petition and lettering campaign, which resulted in the delivery of 6931 letters to hospital director Svante Norgren (one of the three who signed the decision).

The basis of the decision is a concern about side effects from hormone treatments, specifically puberty blockers. Among other things, a court case from England, Bell v Tavistock, is cited, which met with harsh criticism before it was appealed and the decision in the case was changed. Even the scientific basis for ALB's decision is shaky at best.

Those who were positive about the decision from ALB were in turn well-known anti-trans activists from GENID (also known as 'Gender Identity Challenge Skandinavien'") and detransinfo.se, key people who often appear in these contexts. Most often, they present themselves as "concerned parents of trans children", other times with their doctor's titles and names. You can find them in UG's report, an investigative report in the magazine Filter, various debate articles in the mainstream media and Läkartidningen.

Other proposals we have seen are to prevent treatment for transgender people younger than 25 years old, which in turn will only increase suffering for us. The question becomes what kind of life transgender people are even allowed to live that is acceptable in the eyes of the general population, and if the general population could even handle living such a restricted and limited life that we are forced into.

Already today, we have waiting lists spanning several years for a first meeting with the public Swedish GIC system, after which it takes several years more to actually receive a diagnosis and treatment. This is something that in turn leads many to a crossroads: self-medication or suicide. We already know that medical treatment reduces the risk of depression and suicidal ideation in transgender adults and adolescents, although the most important aspect of their well-being is still supportive parents and guardians, and an understanding environment.
In short, people feel bad when they do not receive adequate healthcare and aren't treated with respect. Transgender people are tired of being discussed without being included in the conversation about the decisions that govern our lives, tired of being denied the opportunity to participate in society as equals. Had another patient group been treated in this way, it would have been unacceptable, but we can safely be denied healthcare on shaky grounds after political stunts. The situation makes it very difficult not to see oneself as of a lower class in society than the general public, and we are extremely tired of that.