My therapist pissed me off a little today. I guess it's been percolating through my head today, but I haven't really put my finger on it until now.
I went in for my normally scheduled appointment, and asked her if I could get a letter for my orchiectomy (they only require this, and this alone). She said no problem, but she doesn't feel comfortable making a /recommendation/. She said she will confirm the diagnosis, and affirm that I'm capable of making the decision, but they don't like recommending anything because of potential "problems".
When I mentioned that studies have shown that 1% or less regret transition, she smiled and said that that's true, but they only hear about that 1%. Then she mentioned something about malpractice suits.
And there's our problem: our medical system is so afraid of the potential of a lawsuit or other problems, that the 99% of us have to jump through lengthy hoops to do what we know we have to do. We're treated as though we have a mental issue, and have to go through months and months of therapy, and a full (documented) year of living in our proper "gender role".
It pisses me off to no end that cis women can get a breast reduction, or size FF implants without stepping foot in a therapist's office. However, we have to PROVE our "trans-ness" to multiple people over a lengthy period of time to get PERMISSION to adjust our bodies to make life worth living.