Are trans people asking for extra rights?

Trans people are often accused of asking for extra rights. That accusation could not be further from reality.

It is not an "extra right" to take puberty blockers, a treatment safely provided to non-transgender children for other conditions every year, nor is it an "extra right" for trans people to take testosterone, like Joe Rogan, or estrogen, like 30% of menopausal women. 

It is not an "extra right" for trans people to be safe in public bathrooms. It is not an "extra right" for trans kids to play soccer with their friends. It is not an "extra right" to be able to walk around wearing whatever you want without fear of strangers.

It is not an "extra right" to take testosterone blockers that most dermatologists will provide to non-transgender women for acne or a hairy upper lip without even doing a blood test. It is not an "extra right" to have control of your own body.

It is not an "extra right" to serve your country in the military, in elected office, or as a public school teacher. It is not an "extra right" to answer to a name that you choose. It is not an "extra right" to be protected from violent sexual assault in prison.

Trans people are your neighbors, your coworkers, your family members. We celebrate birthdays with our loved ones. We shovel our sidewalks in the snow. We go to school, go to work, go to church. We watch the sun set on another day on this planet. We are fully, painfully human.