https://www.erininthemorning.com/p/california-ag-bonta-files-groundbreaking>“For the last five months, there has been one thing standing in the way of getting my child the medically necessary treatment they needed,” Sasha, a California parent of a trans minor, said. Their written speech was read aloud by activists to the crowd of 600 protestors outside of Rady Children’s Hospital in San Diego on Jan. 24, according to organizers on the ground.>“It wasn’t science,” Sasha said of their barriers to care. “It was politics. It was a system deciding that my child’s healthcare was a debate, rather than a diagnosis.”>Sasha battled with insurance companies, with corporate bureaucracy, with the American health care system. “Our family lived on a roller coaster of hope and heartbreak,” they said. “I cannot tell you the relief of looking at my child and saying, ‘We did it. You’re going to get the care you need.’”>Then they called the hospital to schedule an appointment.>“That is when Rady’s told me that they simply don’t do it anymore,” Sasha said. “If my child had a different diagnosis, they would likely have a surgery date tomorrow. But because of who my child is, the door was closed. Not by an insurance algorithm, but by the very institution we trusted to care for them.”>Sasha is a pseudonym; as a parent of a trans kid, they fear they cannot speak out without subjecting their child to violence, harassment or even persecution. Their remarks were provided by Kathie Moehlig, executive director of TransFamily Support Services.>Fourteen years ago, Moehlig’s own trans child was a patient seeking gender-affirming care at Rady Children’s. In fact, they were the very first.
