🚨 The Department of Veterans Affairs announced Monday that it will immediately phase out gender-affirming care medical treatments for transgender veterans, citing President Donald Trump’s January 20 executive order defining gender as strictly male or female and fixed at birth assignment. The decisio...
      • TanyaJLaird@beehaw.org
        4·
        3 days ago

        When people say things like hair plugs are gender-affirming care, they’re really showing they don’t get the concept. Gender-affirming care is just that - something that affirms your gender. Male-pattern baldness is a male secondary sex characteristic. Reversing it is anti-gender-affirming care, if anything. Nothing wrong with getting hair plugs if you want, but hair plugs are not gender-affirming care. They’re just cosmetic surgery.

        Breast reduction for cis men? That would be gender affirming. Breast enlargement for cis women? Also gender affirming.

        If a cis person gets a treatment that reinforces the secondary sex characteristics of their natal sex, then that treatment is gender-affirming care. Not every cosmetic treatment is gender-affirming care.

        • CyberEgg@discuss.tchncs.de
          8·
          2 days ago

          It’s just anecdotal evidence, but I’ve met (cis) men who said their male pattern baldness makes them feel less masculine. In that case, hair transplants would be gender affirming care.

          It’s not only about sex characteristics, it’s also about (perceived) societal expectations and norms.

      • Megaman_EXE@beehaw.org
        2·
        3 days ago

        Do hair transplants count as gender affirming care in a lot of places? I didn’t realize they might be, and I have some research to do lol. I miss having a full head of hair

        Edit: not covered where I live. Makes sense in retrospect. Otherwise, everyone would have a full head of hair. RIP.