Filament Kind says gender-affirming care is suicide prevention and supports Intro 949

Thank you, Chair Amanda C.

Farias, Chair Tiffany Caravan, Chair Mercedes Narcisse, and members of the Committee on Women and Gender Equity, the Committee on Mental Health and Substance

and the Committee on Hospitals for holding this hearing and providing us with the opportunity to testify.

My name is Filament Kind, my pronouns are they, he, and I'm a program participant at the New York Transgender Advocacy Group,

where we focus on creating pathways for TGNC, NBI New Yorkers to build leadership, drive advocacy, and grow community rooted in collective care and power.

I am here today to explain why I believe Intro 949 is an essential step towards guaranteeing the health and safety of trans New Yorkers.

Six years ago, I was hospitalized after coming very close to ending my own life and engaging in self-injurious behaviors.

Four years ago, I did so again.

My life then felt like a maze with no end.

I was lost.

I did not know who I was, and I didn't feel like I fit anywhere I found myself.

I'd known for many years that I was queer and trans, but a piece was still missing.

For me, that missing piece was medical transition.

Luckily, in 2023, I made a friend, Joe.

Who guided me to community health clinics where I could receive the gender-affirming care I was seeking when I did not know where else to turn or where to start.

Once I made my first appointment at Callen Lord, I knew for certain that starting HRT was what I wanted.

I am now two years on testosterone, and I can say without a doubt that testosterone and queer joy have been the most effective antidepressants that I've ever been on.

Gender-affirming care is suicide prevention.

Now, some trans folks in New York City may not be so lucky.

I am an English-speaking white U.S.

Citizen, so finding queer community was easier for me to access.

This information is primarily spread by word of mouth, creating gaps in access to this crucial health care for those who don't have such community or connections yet.

Intro 949 would create for many of these folks access to health care that could save lives.

We thank the Committee on Women and Gender Equity, the Committee on Mental Health and Substance Use, and the Committee on Hospitals for their continued support and leadership in protecting TGNC-NBI New Yorkers.

We make the following recommendations to City Council and urge support for the following to prioritize constitutional and legal protections for TGNC-NBI folks.

We support Intro 949 to create a resource map related to the unique health care needs of LGBTQI individuals, including information regarding access to health services and obtaining and providing gender-affirming care.

We support Resolution 0208, mandating all medical students in New York State to receive anti-bias training.

We support Resolution 0547 to establish a gender-affirming care program in the Department of Health to ensure the continuity of gender-affirming care services in the state.

We thank the Committee on Women and Gender Equity and the Committee on Mental Health and Substance Use for its continued support and leadership in protecting TGNC NBI New Yorkers.

Thank you for allowing us to testify.

And we look forward to working with you to make sure trans folks get the support they deserve.

Thank you.

Thank you so much.

Thank you for your advocacy even more so.

Thank you for sharing your deeply, deeply personal stories.

And I just want to say to the young folks who have joined us and are submitting written testimony, I cannot wait to read it.

And thank you so, so much for engaging in this process.

What you bring to us, we take incredibly seriously, and we're going to do everything possible to be as supportive as we can.

So thank you.

Okay.