They was Patient

Abstract

Gender-affirming care is a highly politicized topic in the United States. Trans+ individuals do not control the narratives about their access to care, quality of life, and decision-making. Trans+ people are othered, marginalized, and abused by medical systems. The author of this poem accessed life-changing, gender-affirming care partly due to educational, racial, and geographic privilege. In 2023, 220 (and counting) state legislative bills targeting trans and non-binary people were filed. Many of these bills target transgender youth, but some states have even considered limiting adult care. Gender-expansive people face misinformation, microaggressions, and ridicule due to oppressive political narratives. From the family of origin to Twitter, trans people have to make themselves palatable. Even in the best situations, trans+ people face well-intentioned healthcare providers’ intrusions, ignorance, or infantilization. Allies who have not unpacked their transphobia may cause harm, even in seemingly innocuous interactions. Public health can benefit from the irreverence of gender euphoria. This poem is me living a vibrant, queer life in academia and at my family’s kitchen table, resisting moral panic one stanza at a time. To view the original version of this poem, see the supplemental material section of this article online.