With rhetoric against transgender healthcare by Republicans in her home state of Missouri waning, with her insurance expiring, Erin Still visited an exotic drug site as a “last resort” to make sure that you continue to receive the hormones you need.
Still, 26, sent a $300 wire transfer to a Taiwan-based supplier for a six-month supply of estrogen patches and androgen-blocking pills. For three weeks she feared she had been conned, but breathed a sigh of relief when a huge package arrived at her home in St Peters.
“It’s a little scary,” Still said. “Taking advantage of an opportunity like this, my money could be stolen and there’s not much I can do about it. But at this point, the benefits outweigh the risks.”
Still, others around the country, are calling for contingency plans as Republican politicians increasingly erode access to transgender treatments that many consider vital.
The fears became even more apparent in Missouri this month after Republican state Attorney General Andrew Bailey issued the first rule imposing tighter restrictions on child and adult care.
While some doctors say self-medication for gender-affirming cases is dangerous, Still is one of a growing population who sees no other option.
If enacted, the Missouri rule would require people to experience a documented “acute pattern” of gender dysphoria for three years and at least 18 months or more with a therapist before receiving sex blockers. Must obtain at least 15 hours of sessions. puberty, hormones, surgery, or other treatments.
Patients should also be first screened for autism and “social media addiction,” and any mental illness should be addressed and resolved. Few people will be able to keep their prescriptions during mandatory testing, which is not affordable for many.
Some Missouri transgender people and health providers have filed a lawsuit to strike down the rule, and a St. Louis judge pushed back its effective date from last Thursday to 5 p.m. Monday while he contemplates whether the court the rule applies when the case proceeds in The decision is expected to come on Monday.
