Transgender son's treatment at risk due to father's vote for Trump; father expresses concern over potential executive order targeting gender-affirming care.
In the midst of political flip-flops, Ashton Colby, a 32-year-old transgender man, braves the turbulent waves of an uncertain future. After undergoing top surgery, Ashton's conservative, Republican father Rick Colby was by his side every step of the way, offering unwavering support that proved pivotal during his recovery.
Fast forward to 2025, Ashton finds himself once again battling fears of rejection, this time from the Trump administration's executive order denying federal funding for gender-affirming health care for minors. The order, while temporal, still manages to disrupt care for patients of all ages, threatening to upend even Ashton's own treatment.
Before the order's implementation, gender-affirming care was considered medically necessary, backed by major medical groups such as the American Medical Association, the American Psychiatric Association, and the American Academy of Pediatrics. This care consists of a tailored approach to help individuals transition from their assigned gender to their affirmed gender, supporting those with gender dysphoria—psychological distress resulting from incongruence between one's gender identity and sex assigned at birth.
While the executive order only applies to minors, its ripple effects on adults like Ashton are significant. Clinics and hospitals around the nation temporarily ceased gender-affirming care out of fear of losing federal funding, raising concerns about potential disruptions and medical risks.
Ashton, who receives gender-affirming care from an Ohio clinic since 2015, has already been warned that he might need to travel across state lines to Pennsylvania for treatment due to the order. His medical center heavily relies on federal support to treat all of its patients.
The chaos caused by the order doesn't spare even blue states, plunging medical providers and their patients into uncertainty. Disruptions in gender-affirming care are already evident, with patients on puberty blockers—a therapy fully reversible—worrying about interruptions in their treatment and facing significant medical risks.
This wave of attacks on gender-affirming care is not isolated; it's part of a series of measures causing shockwaves across the United States, predominantly pushed by Republicans, targeting the LGBTQ+ community. Rick Colby, Ashton's father and a Trump voter, defies the administration's discriminatory moves towards the transgender community, stating, "I agree with just about everything Trump is doing except for transgender people."
Ashton and his father share a bond strengthened by their shared experiences, proving that the fight against discrimination transcends political ideologies. It's an ongoing struggle to advocate for the rights of transgender individuals in a political environment that often fails to understand their struggles.
- Ashton, a transgender man, disagrees with Rick Colby's political leanings, but they find common ground in their fight against the Trump administration's executive order that risks denying federal funding for gender-affirming health care for minors, potentially disrupting Ashton's own treatment.
- Despite the risks of losing federal funding, clinics and hospitals around the nation are hesitant to continue offering gender-affirming care, fearing potential disruptions and medical risks, which could impact adult patients like Ashton.
- Rick Colby, a Republican and Ashton's father, risks alienation from the Trump administration for publicly stating his disagreement with the administration's discriminatory moves towards the transgender community.
