Transgender Services Come to Kansas City

Starting April 11th, at their Kansas City North location (Gladstone, MO), Planned Parenthood of Kansas and Mid-Missouri will be offering comprehensive services specifically for the transgender community. They join the more than 27 Planned Parenthood locations offering similar services across the country. Currently finding some of the vital transgender services needed has been difficult. However, Planned Parenthood has made it easier to find them; and most importantly, in an environment that strives for safety and inclusive.

At launch the northland clinic will be offering counseling referrals and guidance, HRT (Hormone Replacement Therapy) for both trans men and women, as well as all of the blood tests and monitoring that are so important to HRT. However, there is one service that is critical but often overlooked. Many trans men fail to get yearly exams such as pap smears, for fear of embarrassment or body dysmorphia. Planned Parenthood understands those fears and has sought making this as comfortable as possible a paramount goal.

Part of their commitment to this goal is the approach they’ve taken with their own education. They have taken great pains to make sure their staff and doctors understand the particular needs of the transgender community. They have reached out to therapists in the area for guidance, seeking to understand and embrace the “standards of care” for transgender individuals. Additionally they are bringing in transgender men and women to talk to the staff so they can share their experiences and needs.

“We want to focus on caring for both physical and emotional needs in a safe place.” said Bonyen Lee-Gilmore, Director of Communications & Marketing for Planned Parenthood of Kansas and Mid-Missouri, “We need to put health first.”

Reproductive Health for All

Part of this initiative is the growth of their PrEP (Pre Exposure Prophylaxis) services for HIV/AIDS. On March 14th, Planned Parenthood expanded those services with launches in midtown Kansas City, MO as well as Columbia, MO- with plans to expand to all six locations within six months to a year. In fact, this chapter of Planned Parenthood in particular finds itself in a state of great growth.

The reason for the expansion of these services is simple, women are the fastest growing segment of the population to contract HIV/AIDs. This includes the often overlooked menopausal and post-menopausal population.

Their treatment program is multi-faceted, covering risk factors as well as treatment. Not only do they handle the prescription of the drug Truvada, they also monitor kidney function, and over health with regular screenings and checkups.

However, most importantly, they seek to service the community with education. Bonyen Lee-Gilmore continued, “There is a great need for education about reproductive health and STI symptoms. We are seeking to change this by providing education and treatment for all regardless of gender, gender identity, or generation.”

For further information visit Planned Parenthood of Kansas and Mid-Missouri online.

For transgender specific services you can reach out to the Gladstone office at 816-453-6000 or at their clinic page.

You can also find them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

(edit- Corrected proper name for mid-America branch. Added social media. Corrected start date for transgender services.)

There are only two weeks left in session for the Kansas legislature, but they are looking to go out with a bang. Two new bills, Senate Bill 513 and House Bill 2737, have been introduced that target the transgender community and specifically declare open season on transgender students. The legislature would effectively encourage students to seek out and report any transgender student that they find in the “wrong bathroom” or locker room/changing room. If they do, and report the student, they will be authorized to sue the school for $2,500 per incident.

The essential aim of the legislation seems to be reaching for a broader range though. The language of the bill points towards a higher goal of setting a precedent in the state to define gender and completely physical and reliant on physical criteria. The legislation specifically states, “the physical condition of being male or female, which is determined by a person’s chromosomes, and is identified at birth by a person’s anatomy.”

This would set a dangerous precedent that could gain a foothold for other states and champions of limiting transgender rights. If a piece of legislation gets passed that sets a legal definition on gender would soon create a snowball effect that promises to herald an onslaught of legislation.

A “slippery slope” as some conservatives like to say.

Opponents from Within

There are opponents though, including other republicans. Republicans like Stephanie Clayton (R), who attacked the bills and insisted that Kansas should be spending less time worry about bathrooms and more time worry about the state’s financial situation and simply keeping schools open.