So I've always been sort of a medical science freak. I find it so interesting with all of the new advances that scientists make every day - yesterday I read an interesting article about an Australian group who will be using derived adult stem cells in regenerative treatments next year because of their success with human cells on mice. Stuff like that simply amazing to me! But lately I've been frustrated by some in the community and it makes me want to distance myself from it. I feel like they're the old guard, and they try to make me feel alone. I feel like they act as hope police, as if finding some type a cure is offensive and new therapies and surgeries are a pipe dream because they insist that we are fine the way we are.

It's maddening because I feel like we're not exactly fine - nearly everyone in the transgender community has some degree of a physical problem that can cause a whole host of problems if left untreated. I feel that we do treat it in order to do as much as we can to fix whatever went wrong. Specific communities like MtFs are reliant on surgeries that haven't changed much since they came out in the 1930s and they're not really standardized either. Everyone has to familiarize themselves with each surgeon and their specific technique in order to find "what's right for you." If anything goes wrong, we chalk it up to YMMV which is essentially saying that our treatments might not work for everyone. That type of extreme variability makes it seem more of a quality of care issue than anything else. Plus, there's the infertility problem that we face and that many MtFs would like resolved in a way besides "sperm banking." The polls around here show that most would actually prefer full blown female reproductive systems. So why should we settle and not discuss for a cure or better surgeries and therapies when there are so many promising procedures being developed out there right now?

Well it all comes down to money, research money. In Australia about 1/12 of the grants to the NH&MRC (the medical research funding body) was funded in 2015. It is expected go to 1/8 this year.

To get funding the topic has to be important, the team excellent, the track record excellent and the outcome of the research will benefit people either directly or fundamentally.

The 'best' figures for the size of the trans community in Australia and NZ is between 3-4%. A significant number as far as a needy population is concerned. But the community has not made the argument that better treatment is required. Unlike say breast cancer, heart disease etc. So the focus of the funding body does not see the issue.

The other problem is that treatment options for trans people in Australia and in many countries is outside of the national health insurance areas. So for example if you have breast cancer in Australia all of your treatment is free, covered by the national health insurance. Saving the country money by creating better health care options is seen to be financially important.

Since the trans community basically has to pay for treatment themselves the government doesn't see it as a saving.

Our best bet for research funding is from the USA military. Believe it or not! As they are not happy with treating soldiers who have suffered genital mutilation from warfare they are keen to find ways of solving that. Such therapy will then go into main stream medicine and hopefully help all.

As Cindy notes I expect well benefit most from research that was intended to assist cis people with their problems. Once HRT for genetic women became a full on medical concern in the late 1990s trans women benefitted from that. Likewise, research to grow and attach new genitals and reproductive organs in cis people will undoubtedly have flow on benefits for trans people. I wouldn't worry too much about nay sayers, changes in trans treatment techniques is a constant, and if they can't see that then too bad for them.

Nothing to stop Trans people from establishing a research fund dedicated to funding medical advances in transition care, is there?