Donald Trump had recently finished a familiar riff about banning gender transition surgery for children when the former president, speaking to an audience of Evangelical voters, moved on to something new: a policy that would affect transgender adults.
“I will ban all taxpayer funding for sex or gender transitions at any age,” said Trump, receiving thunderous applause at the Faith & Freedom Coalition conference in Washington last month. The Republican leader, who moments earlier had also pledged to reinstate a ban on transgender men and women serving in the military, paused for several seconds to soak in the crowd’s adulation.
It’s the kind of moment — and the type of policy — increasingly common on the GOP presidential campaign trail this year.
It is possible to get transition care while on Medicaid in some states, at least. Because it’s healthcare! So that would qualify at “taxpayer funded.” I know some states explicitly ban it, and not sure what Medicare covers. There are also government employees who can get transition care through their insurance, so could be considered taxpayer funded?
In any case, I’d much rather have all trans people be able to get taxpayer funded transition related care.