I want you to understand

· 4 min read

I want you to understand what it is like to be transgender during this time.

I want you to understand the threat to doctor-patient confidentiality. In June, the Department of Justice began targeting clinics and health systems which provide treatment for gender dysphoria with subpoenas requesting personally identifying information about patients. While these subpoenas currently target clinics which provide services to minors, it is clear that they are testing the waters for expanding their inquiry to adult patients. Although compliance with these subpoenas is likely illegal as disclosure of these records would violate HIPAA, I worry that I will be included on a list of transgender individuals and targeted for discrimination as a result.

I want you to understand the threat to medical care for trans people more broadly. Like with the subpoenas, these efforts are starting with trans children. Although I am privileged to have private health insurance through my employer, private insurers often use Medicare coverage determination criteria as a baseline for their policies. I worry that I could be denied access to medically necessary health care in the future.

I want you to understand that one does not simply quit taking hormones. Abruptly stopping HRT can leave the body in a hormonal state that may never fully return to baseline and potentially reverses some of the desired effects. This outcome is often distressing, and loss of access to medical care may lead many to self-manage their HRT. Due to confidentiality concerns, such self-managed treatment will likely not be monitored with lab work. Managing hormone therapy without proper medical supervision can be dangerous.

I want you to understand what it is like to travel as a transgender US citizen. As a result of Trump’s Executive Order 14168, it is no longer possible for transgender people to obtain a US passport that correctly reflects their gender presentation. Traveling with identity documents that do not match your gender presentation can be dangerous abroad. In some cases you can even be denied entry or even deported. Such policies discourage trans people from traveling due to fear of discrimination.

I want you to understand what it is like to be a transgender worker. A report from The Williams Institute of Law at UCLA shows that over 80% of transgender employees in the US have experienced discrimination or harassment at work at some point. Contrary to some optimistic portrayals during Pride Month, this is actually getting worse: the Movement Advancement Project 2025 NORC survey reports a significant uptick in discrimination and harassment complaints. If that wasn’t enough, Lambda Legal also reports a surge in the volume of requests submitted to their help desk.

I want you to understand what it is like to be a transgender entrepreneur. Based on a report from Pitchbook, only 0.8% of venture capital funding went to female-founded companies in 2025, the lowest since 2015. While we do not yet have data for LGBTQ founders in 2025, StartOut estimated that only 0.5% of companies which raised venture capital from 2000-2022 were founded by LGBTQ founders. These numbers plainly highlight ongoing social inequities.

I want you to understand what it is like to be a transgender leader in open source. While the open source community has made progress toward inclusion, a study by the Linux Foundation observes that people identifying as women, non-binary, LGBTQ+ or disabled were three times more likely to report threats. Another study found that simply having a Code of Conduct did not make projects safer. Without meaningful enforcement, participants continued to experience harassment. Even meaningful enforcement isn’t enough. For example, after rejecting Xlibre in Alpine due to their reactionary background, a notable alt-right Linux podcaster made a video targeting me, focusing on my transgender identity rather than the technical merits.

I need you to understand that while things are dire for trans people right now, we can fight back and win. At the same time, we must confront these realities: human decency demands it. Support politicians who fight anti-trans policies. Donate to law firms like Lambda Legal. If you are a business owner, hire trans people: we have been driving innovation since time immemorial. If you are an investor, invest in trans founders: the same StartOut report that shows that only 0.5% of funded companies were founded by LGBTQ founders also observed that those founders created more jobs with less funding than their peers.