Nearly Half of Trans People Have Been Mistreated by Medical Providers
Liam Paschall
Learning & Development Leader | Driving High-Impact Teams | Sales Enablement & Leadership Development | Keynote Speaker | DEI Champion
I posted this earlier today and have since received several messages asking me if I can post it as an article. I've also decided to add a bit to the article.
THIS is why trans people ignore some things about their health and refuse to go to the doctor.
THIS is why we're terrified of having an emergency situation where we have to be taken to the closest hospital.
THIS is why we're afraid of EMS coming to our aid if we have an emergency and need to get a hospital right away.
THIS is why we do a significant amount of research and ask other trans people for recommendations for primary doctors, endocrinologists, hematologists, psychologists, plastic surgeons, dentists, eye doctors...the list goes on and on.
Just Google the words "transgender" and "healthcare" and you'll see tons of these articles.
Here are a handful.
Many trans people go without medical care for long periods of time.
Because we don't trust.
? Because we are terrified.
? Because we don't want to be embarrassed or shamed for being who we are.
? Because we don't want to be harassed or bullied.
? Because we don't want to be abused.
? Because we don't want to be looked at as "experiments".
? Because we don't want to be misunderstood.
? Because we don't want to go through unnecessary tests.
? Because we don't want to be misgendered.
? Because we don't want to be " dead-named".
? Because we don't want to have to educate medical staff about transgender health and treatment.
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? Because we don't want to be asked questions that don't need to be asked - that are asked only to humiliate us.
? Because of bias, discrimination, and hate.
? Because of past experience with doctors, nurses and other medical staff.
? Many healthcare providers, don’t even understand what the term “transgender” means. Many simply don't care to know.
Excerpts from one of the articles referenced earlier in this article:
Another challenge they face is being left out of “traditional” medicine categories.?Clair Kronk, PhD—a transgender woman—recalls signing up for a?COVID-19 vaccine?clinical trial only to be turned away because there was no category for her. “I have complicated feelings about it, because these were some of the most important clinical trials in the history of the United States,” she says. “There were lives on the line, and I was trying to do my part."
On one occasion, Kronk consulted an optometrist about her astigmatism, a common condition that affects the curvature of the eye. The doctor told her the problem was "probably associated with taking hormones," a theory her endocrinologist later told her didn’t make sense, in part, says Kronk, because the astigmatism was diagnosed two decades prior to her starting hormones.
And this statement is something I've shared with numerous people:
Some young adults are concerned about something many of us have never had to think twice about, which is how they feel while sitting in medical office waiting rooms. Transgender men may still need gynecological care, but might be wary of waiting in a room full of cisgender women.
If you can't feel safe and cared for in a medical facility, where are you supposed to feel safe???
It's a daily reality for many transgender people to deal with stigma, discrimination, prejudice, and ignorance. In healthcare, education, and the workplace, it's clear that more needs to be done with education and understanding.
Trans people are constantly exposed to discrimination, intimidation, and physical violence, which inevitably takes a toll on their physical and mental health.
I'm pleased to share this article, which includes a podcast as well. I would encourage you to read the article and listen to the podcast. I wish there were Rainbow Clinics everywhere in the world.
Helping transgender people see themselves in the health-care system: How medical students are learning to provide safer, more inclusive care for all
It’s really important for physicians to be equipped to serve people with many diverse identities, whether it’s race, culture, religions, sexual orientations or gender. “Historically, gender diversity has not been reflected in medicine, and that can be damaging medically, emotionally and socially because it means folks might not seek care and their overall health will suffer.
Imagine: how would you navigate a hospital where you couldn’t use the bathroom?” she said. “Or a family medicine waiting room where every poster included no one who looked like you? How would you feel in our health-care system if you couldn't find a space to manage your blood pressure where you felt welcomed and included, or safe from being harassed verbally or even physically?
Inclusive care is everyone's responsibility - every single person who works in a doctor's office, hospital, dentist, eye doctor...any type of medical facility - they are responsible. And every one of those people should be properly trained, and should treat transgender patients with the respect, understanding, and compassionate care we deserve.
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