That's debatable. And if you want a serious rant, ask me what I think of the current classification of some OTC meds. Because there's plenty that shouldn't be OTC.
But I didn't say estradiol, or testosterone, or spironolactone, or any other hormone or hrt related meds were dangerous, I said they came with risks that are too high for them to be reclassified as OTC. Said it differently, but since that part didn't translate I figured I should rephrase.
I'm not sure what level of terminology you're familiar with, so if something isn't what you've run into before, holla at me and I'll rephrase things.
The point is that every substance we take into our bodies has some effect on it, no matter how minor. Medications, which are just substances that have a non-minor effect that is being applied to some form of illness, disease, disorder, or just to adjust normal function to a more desirable state, have higher risks than substances like water or cheese.
Medications all (or so near all as to be irrelevant) have interactions, and contraindications.
One of the ways medications are classified is by the degree of risk. Those classifications are far from perfect (again, I have strong opinions about many, many drugs needing to be reclassified), but an OTC drug needs to meet a standard that is a much lower threshold for risk than prescription only drugs.
The threshold of risk for something like estradiol is absolutely higher than that of paracetamol, aspirin, sodium bicarbonate, even something like topical lidocaine. None of those are risk free. They don't meet the threshold of dangerous (nor does estradiol), but the level of risk is low enough that OTC status is reasonably acceptable overall.
Estradiol, since that's the example you chose, comes with a non trivial contraindication for people with liver disease, clotting issues, history of stroke or dvt, and some forms of cancer. There's a list of medications hundreds long that it can negatively interact with, not all of which are obvious
And that's just one specific medication from that class of meds. I can't even rattle off all the known detrimental interactions for that one drug, and I'm a medical nerd/geek with decades of experience and training.
I can do that the acetaminophen, for fexofenadine, famotidine and dozens of other OTC meds because the lists are so much shorter.
And that's why reclassification of those meds is a horrible idea. There's other ways for trans people to have open access. And, being real, those options are better than campaigning for reclassification of HRT meds because they'll apply to other aspects of transition and healthcare.
Every single trans person on this planet deserves to have their right to access recognized, codified, and enforced.
That is not the same thing as reclassification of a medication. It just isn't. There's absolutely no upside to reclassifying estradiol instead of just making sure than the people that need it can not only expect to have that need addressed, but to also ensure that they have access to the full suite of healthcare that should be just as fundamental a civil right.