Question 1

Is Gender-affirming healthcare not harmful?

Accepted Answer

No. Decades of research show that GAHC is safe, effective, and life-saving. It reduces depression, anxiety, and suicide risk - improving quality of life for those who access it.

Question 2

Is Gender-affirming care not experimental?

Accepted Answer

No. GAHC is well-established, evidence-based medicine. Major health authorities, including the World Health Organization and WPATH, recognize it as standard clinical care - not experimentation.

Question 3

“There’s no long-term research on GAHC.”

Accepted Answer

False. Studies spanning decades show that GAHC improves mental health, social functioning, and self-esteem. The evidence base continues to expand - reinforcing its effectiveness and safety.

Question 4

The Cass Review proves gender-affirming care is unsafe.”

Accepted Answer

False. The Cass Review, published in the UK in 2024, was a systematic review of service delivery, not a ban or medical discrediting of GAHC. It highlighted gaps in UK data collection - not evidence that GAHC is harmful. Major medical bodies, including the World Health Organization and World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH), continue to affirm that gender-affirming care is safe, evidence-based, and medically necessary.

Question 5

“Being transgender is a mental disorder.”

Accepted Answer

The World Health Organization removed gender diversity from its list of mental disorders in 2019. Gender diversity is not pathology - it’s part of human variation.

Question 6

“People regret transition.”

Accepted Answer

Regret rates are extremely low (typically under 1–2%). Most regret relates to social stigma or lack of support, not the medical interventions themselves.

Question 7

“Gender-affirming care is only about surgery.”

Accepted Answer

False. GAHC includes a spectrum of care - respectful communication, social support, counselling, hormones, and sometimes surgery. Not all trans people pursue medical interventions.

Question 8

“Doctors can refuse to provide GAHC on moral grounds.”

Accepted Answer

False. The HPCSA’s ethical rules prohibit discrimination in care. Practitioners may not deny treatment based on a patient’s gender identity or expression. Ethical duty must outweigh personal belief. If the practitioner is unable to provide adequate care, the practitioner must refer the patient to another practitioner who can provide care. Beliefs cannot impede a patient's legal right to access care.

Question 9

“Using someone’s chosen name and pronouns is optional.”

Accepted Answer

Respectful communication is part of professional ethics. Using a person’s name and pronouns affirms dignity - a constitutional and ethical obligation in South African healthcare.

Question 10

“Gender-affirming care is ideology, not medicine.”

Accepted Answer

False. GAHC is grounded in science, ethics, and human rights. Providing it reflects the HPCSA’s core duties: beneficence, non-maleficence, and respect for autonomy.

Question 11

“Gender-affirming care is not protected by South African law.”

Accepted Answer

The Constitution guarantees Equality (Section 9), Dignity (Section 10), and Access to Healthcare (Section 27). These rights apply to everyone - including those seeking GAHC.