What is transgender-affirming care, and why is it such a flash point in today’s public debates? Who decides what kind of healthcare is best—doctors, Congress, the trans community, parents, or religions? Across the country, many transgender people say discrimination has turned lifesaving care into a struggle for recognition and respect. The questions go far beyond medicine, touching the deeper and commonly misunderstood complexities of sex, gender, and identity. Meanwhile, politicians and pundits attempt to turn that complexity into votes.