At almost 40 years of age, I realized this year that I have gender dysphoria. It's an absolute inconvenience, a cumbersome burden on my psyche, and a difficult path to navigate existentially. Of course, worrying about which family, friends, coworkers, neighbors, and civil servants will accept me and which won't is also difficult. But it's all worth it, because for the first time since stumbling into puberty, I don't hate myself. I can look at who I am and understand why I do things the way I do, why things like eyebrow plucking never worked for me, why I never met certain expectations, why I embraced things like my manual transmission car. I spent so many years struggling with self-harm and suicidal ideation. I considered myself not only to be a failure but to be a bad person, someone undeserving of love or life. Now I'm finally learning the beauty of who I truly am. 
Please, so many kids don't make it to 40 years to discover what I have. Please, they're struggling. You're members of our Board of Health, you must know the statistics. You must know the risks they're facing - bullying, self harm, suicide. Please don't make this about politics. Please make this decision based on the health and safety of our children, including our transgender kids. They need government leadership to set precedent that what they're experiencing is healthy, that they are healthy, that they have our love and support. They need us. They need you. Please. Please put their safety first.