Dear FTC, Regarding Gender-Affirming Care
I sent the following letter to the FTC in cooperation with A4TE. If you have a story about gender-affirming care you’re willing to share to protect our rights, please do so.
I strongly urge the Federal Trade Commission to reconsider and abandon its current investigatory efforts regarding gender-affirming care (GAC), This longstanding and evidence-based field of medicine is safe, effective, and medically necessary set of treatments grounded in decades of rigorous clinical standards.
The current efforts by the FTC deviate from its core mission of protecting consumers from actual deceptive and fraudulent practices. Instead, they reflect an alarming bias against gender-diverse individuals and a well-established field of medicine that is already regulated by a diverse range of professional associations, licensing boards, and clinical practice guidelines.
I was a pre-teen the first time I attempted suicide. At the time, I didn’t understand why I was suddenly so depressed. My voice was changing, hair was growing on my body, and my moods were less predictable. Unwanted puberty and all the ostracization from classmates about being a bit of a feminine boy threw me into a deep depression that I and the medical professionals who analyzed me thought was clinical.
I attempted to kill myself two more times as the years went by, obviously failing each time. I still wonder what stopped me when so many others are able to go through with it, but I’m grateful I failed. Depression didn’t stop me from trying to live a tolerable life, but it was a constant burden, robbing me of much of the joy most people seemed to experience from graduating, succeeding in my career, getting married, and traveling.
In my late thirties, after constantly searching for ways to cope and relieve my depression, I received my diagnosis for gender dysphoria. And slowly, as I went to specialized therapy and began opening up to loved ones about my experience, things started to get better. After hesitating for over a year I tried hormone therapy, and for the first time since I was 8 years old my depression started to lift. It was incredible. Within a few weeks I was enjoying food more, being more energetic while socializing with friends, and hating who I saw in the mirror less and less.
Today, I’ve grown rather fond of my newfound will to live. I never want to lose it again. And I weep for the kids who are growing up like I did, a tiny helpless minority of children, who can be spared from the decades of pain I endured. Whose families and communities can understand them much better, much earlier and provide support. Kids who might otherwise be more successful than I was at ending their own lives.
This care is prescribed by highly trained clinicians who undergo nearly a decade of professional training in order to serve the healthcare needs of their patients. These professionals administer these treatments in a staged manner, in keeping with evidence based clinical guidelines that emphasize informed consent, transparency, and shared decision-making with patients and their families. These standards include clear discussions and disclosure of potential adverse effects and benefits, ensuring that every
individual and their caregivers are empowered with accurate, honest information regarding the treatments being prescribed.
The FTC should not allow political or ideological pressure to distort its regulatory role. Its focus should remain on real threats to public health and consumer safety, not on fueling stigmas or restricting access to essential, affirming care.
I respectfully call on the FTC to stop this misguided scrutiny and instead uphold its responsibility to protect, not harm, the health and wellbeing of all people—especially those most at risk of discrimination and marginalization.
Sincerely,
Corry