I can assure you as a trans person who had to stay closeted when I was young, people are absolutely influenced to look and act cis

Where did I say they were?

How are people who take their own life before 18 supposed to transition after 18?

How are people who are forced through unwanted irreversible changes that damage their health before 18 supposed to avoid them after they've already happened?

>How much of the population do you actually think is trans, versus the amount of people who are swept up in a fad? Especially kids, who are influenced by educators and internet influencers who have a vested interest in promoting their world view.

It is vastly more common that kids are influenced and forced to appear cis, including being forced through unwanted irreversible changes like you want

>can cause irreparable changes

Denying puberty blockers causes unwanted irreparable changes to their body

>Of course it’s different for life saving and medical necessity.

Citations on transition as medically necessary, frequently life saving medical care, and the only effective treatment for gender dysphoria, as recognized by every major US and world medical authority:

• Here is a resolution from the American Psychological Association; "THEREFORE BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that APA recognizes the efficacy, benefit and medical necessity of gender transition treatments for appropriately evaluated individuals and calls upon public and private insurers to cover these medically necessary treatments." More from the APA here

• Here is an AMA resolution on the efficacy and necessity of transition as appropriate treatment for gender dysphoria, and call for an end to insurance companies categorically excluding transition-related care from coverage

• A policy statement from the American College of Physicians

• Here are the American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines

• Here is a resolution from the American Academy of Family Physicians

• Here is one from the National Association of Social Workers

• Here is one from the Royal College of Psychiatrists, here are the treatment guidelines from the RCP, and here are guidelines from the NHS. More from the NHS here.

• Here are the guidelines from the New Zealand Medical Journal

It's a condition that harms the health of the individual, and there's a treatment that helps improve the health of the individual

It's that simple

"Gender" is a bit of an umbrella term

Things like gender roles/norms/expectations are social constructs

Gender identity is to the best of our knowledge an innate aspect of someone's neurology

When one's gender identity and sex don't align, that can cause clinically significant distress in the form of gender dysphoria that's treated by aligning them as much as possible/necessary

You think taxpayers should have to have chosen for someone to have a health issue before it can be insured?

Pretty sure they didn't make a personal choice to suffer from gender dysphoria

>It’s to help you if you’re sick or broken.

This is a case of treating gender dysphoria, so it's exactly what insurance is for