Longreads

Thailand is a top destination for gender confirmation surgery. Its success is a symptom of Western failure.

 It is no surprise that Thai GCS has grown exponentially with the internet. Trans people’s lost faith in medical systems has led to a greater transference of trust in each other for healthcare recommendations and support. In an age of digital misinformation, the increasing reliance on photos shared on Reddit, threads on Twitter, conversations on Discord, and reviews on Facebook pages can be troublesome. But with many people advocating hard for a greater informed consent model of care, Thailand’s laissez-faire approach to GCS feels like an empowering alternative to more restrictive Western healthcare systems. For those with lived experiences of discrimination or barriers to care, going to Thailand is a reclaiming of control over one’s own body and medical trajectory.

“Another beauty of endurance is that it is happening at all times. It is everywhere we look. To see someone, anyone, in this world is to witness someone engaged in a feat of endurance.”

“Debt was still a promise held by my body, and absent of the money, my body paid in other ways.” On living with debt in America.

Separated by war, boundaries, and immigration policies they cannot control, one young Yemeni couple refuses to give up on love.

Heather Lanier writes about raising a disabled daughter and the pressure to perform happiness.

In an excerpt from her new book on fertility, feminism, and queer family-building, Jennifer Berney explores the possibilities of sperm banks.

In her debut memoir, Miranda Ward explores the unique place of almost-motherhood — an uncertain landscape characterized by waiting, wanting, hoping, and not-knowing.

“On injury, compensation, and living with pain.”

Three women seeking asylum navigate motherhood, coronavirus, and climate change at the U.S.-Mexico border.

“In 2018, Floridians voted overwhelmingly to end greyhound racing, a sport they were told was archaic and inhumane. What if they were wrong?”