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I am outraged at the statement by the VCPA sponsor that allowing a doctor to prescribe testosterone, an FDA-approved medication, for my 15-year-old child is child abuse. Having grown up in an abusive household, I know the difference between acceptance and abuse. Prior to being prescribed testosterone, my child was depressed, lonely, and always questioning themselves. They never felt in their right place in the body and they contemplated self-harm. Since beginning testosterone injections, my child is happy, talkative, and more confident in their interactions with family, friends, and classmates. They no longer contemplate self-harm and are not depressed. The difference has been like day and night, from sadness to joy. This is love, not abuse. As a parent, I am supposed to provide for my child, to help keep him safe and allow him to be his best self. Parents will not sit idly by and let the state substitute its judgment for that of the child, parent, and medical professionals provi

My name is Robert and I am a parent of a transgender daughter. My daughter, assigned male at birth, grew up in a loving home comprised of mom, dad, and two older sisters. Our daughter's journey has been tumultuous to say the least. Her physiology (male anatomy) did not match her psychology (female identity). This was a fact of which she was aware at a very young age. She would be brought to the threshold of tears nearly daily when at school she was placed in a line with the boys when her mind was screaming that she should be lining up with the other girls. It was a personal pain that she harbored as for many years she was unable to find the language that would enable her to share it with us. This dissonance resulted in year after year of persistent bullying at the hands of her school peers. This harassment and mental anguish our daughter shouldered bravely day after day at school, but it haunted her once home. It was a personal pain that she harbored as for many years she was