Transition through hormone therapy (and more) is the only effective treatment for gender dysphoria, and it is one of the most effective medical treatments throughout medicine—rating higher on satisfaction and lower on regret rates than even liver transplants! Transgender women are not drag queens. Most drag queens and most crossdressers have male gender identities. Trans women *are* women, and these medical treatments are the only effective way to relieve gender dysphoria.

A transgender woman is born with a male body, but her physical brain structures resemble those of a natal female, and she will typically develop a female gender identity. These are both physical aspects of the brain and psychological aspects of the mind. Other than the physical body’s development as a man, a transgender woman /is/ a woman!

Gender dysphoria is the cognitive dissonance provoked by the incongruity of a male body with a female gender identity. These feelings drive an estimated 40-60% of transgender individuals to attempt suicide at some point in their lives. For comparison, less than 2% of the general population attempts suicide, and much has been discussed recently about the significant problem of gay male suicide, which a recent study estimated to be 12%. The costs of suicide attempts run into the tens of thousands—-making electrolysis cheap in comparison, eh?

The few women who grow slight blonde mustaches go through significant body-image problems, anxiety, and depression. Can you imagine how it makes a woman feel to have whole swathes of thousands of dark, course hairs all across her cheeks, chin, and neck? Shaving does not “fix” this problem, by any means. Large numbers of dark hairs leave a shadow **underneath the skin** no matter how closely you shave! Covering beard shadow with concealer is impractical and unhealthy for most skin types.

The APA and the AMA have both released clear statements that hair removal, in addition to hormone therapy, is medically necessary—*not* cosmetic!—for trans women.

The cost, as you complain about, is actually entirely reasonable! The link below shows some estimated costs (0.004% of typical healthcare costs), and I’ve seen suggestions that trans health benefits cost about $60,000 on average through a lifetime. This is easily a tenth the cost of some of the most common medical conditions, like asthma, diabetes, or obesity! The costs of transition are pennies next to hundred dollar bills when we talk about asthma. The only reason we discuss this at all is due to the lack of knowledge and education about transgender issues.

http://www.tgender.net/taw/tsins.html