Utah lawmakers recently announced that they will not revisit a 2023 law banning gender-affirming care for minors, despite a study commissioned under the same law finding that gender-affirming care creates “positive mental health and psychosocial functioning outcomes.” Social media posts across platforms discussed the mental health benefits of gender-affirming care, and many expressed dismay that Utah lawmakers are “ignoring evidence” from a study that they requested. Other posts, however, expressed unfounded concerns that gender-affirming care is unsafe and falsely referred to trans identity as a “mental illness.”
Recommendation
The myth that being trans is a mental health condition frequently emerges in online conversations about gender-affirming care. In response, communicators may stress that while trans people may experience psychological distress in response to discrimination and legal stigma, all major mental health organizations agree that trans identities are normal variants of human gender and are not mental health conditions. Communicators may also reiterate that gender-affirming care improves mental health.
Fact-checking sources: American Academy of Pediatrics, Psychology Today
