Hello, members of the committee, and thank you for holding this hearing on an issue that I believe impacts the entire LGBTQ community or lesbian, gay, bisexual.

At the end of last year, the Financial Services Committee in the U.S. House of Representatives held a hearing with a rather long title.

It was called There's No Pride and Prejudice, Eliminating Barriers to Full Economic Inclusion

for the LGBTQ Plus community.

Now, the fact that this hearing was taking place at all, let alone in November outside of Pride Month,

when most places feel obligated to cover these issues. It really

impressed me, as did one of the people they invited to speak, and that was Tanya as a

panza Johnson Walker.

I am a proud black transgender woman. I am a combat engineer's army veteran, and my path has not been an easy one.

Despite being a combat engineer's veteran, I was forced to rely on food pantries and

kitchens throughout my adult life.

Tanya's work and activism has been pivotal in the fight for LGBT rights here in New York State.

And at that hearing, she opened up about the abuse and neglect she's received from doctors and nurses,

from healthcare professionals throughout her entire life.

From 1990 through 2010, it was virtually impossible to find doctors or other medical providers to assist with my transition.

I've been laughed at, misgendered, dead-named, and in times declared mentally ill.

One of my doctors called me schizophrenic and prescribed me pills for a condition I didn't have.

This issue, accessing appropriate healthcare,

is not new by any means,

and it's something that I think a lot about

when we talk about all the advancements

that LGBTQ plus people have made,

...