EXCERPT:
SOBON: “As a queer person, I can truly identify with the issues that can arise in having access to care. For me, as a trans person, that ability to transition, that ability to access medical care was not only life-fulfilling, making my life one that was much more willing, but it was life-saving. Looking in the mirror wasn’t a hateful experience, it was one that I could actually embrace. Having access to life-saving, gender-affirming care meant the world to me, but I also know how many barriers there can be to access that, how doctors that gate-keep can keep you from getting access to the right care, and people that put their own opinions over seeking the right medical advice for you can get in the way, how financial barriers can stand so strong in the way of you getting the care that you so deeply need. And as a queer person, I hope that you at home of will keep in mind that it’s worth the fight, that it’s worth reaching out to organizations like Medi-Cal, looking into the resources we offer, that it’s worth talking to your doctor, and if they don’t fit your needs, if they're gate-keeping or if they’re just not willing to accept you as you, to look for a different one, to go to your local LGBT community center and ask for resources, ask for supporting, affirming doctors.”