Thread by @TheChrisMosier

1 in 3 #trans people have experienced discrimination from a doctor. I'm one of those people - & have been multiple times.

A story about my doctor visit yesterday:

#protecttranshealth

A year ago, I had hip surgery. I was terrified to have a procedure where a doctor would need to access my hip/groin area & I would be under anesthesia. I had extra calls with the surgeon to get a better understanding of how I would be draped, who would be in the room, etc.

They gave me great answers & made me feel comfortable & confident both before & on the day. I never felt worried about that on surgery day - or in the office visits, for that matter.

The doctor's office has pronouns on the intake form & everyone from the surgeon to assistants were respectful & kind. Me being trans was known, but was a non-issue.

For me, that was a best-case scenario.

Even when my MRIs & XRays were loaded on the screen (NOTHING is left to the imagination) in the office visits, beyond the first moment of shock for all of us, it was a non-issue. They zoomed & positioned the screen to show the hip, never said anything out of line, & all was good.

Yesterday I went for a follow up because my hip is hurting again. 😫 When I arrived, a young Fellow (med student) came in to do the initial intake. He did the standard checks for pain in my hip. One of his questions was if I had pain in my scrotum with the injury. 👀

... now these are always moments where I think "how much do I say." The simple answer is "no, I don't. 😂" The more complete answer is "I don't have a scrotum." Any time I'm in a situation where I am with a doctor, I weigh whether or not I need to say the simple or full answer.

As this was about my hip as well as potential hernia, I decided to give the full answer. I said no, & then told the fellow I'm trans. He immediately reframed his question, saying "okay, cool - do you have any groin pain?"

I thought, great job! He pivoted & kept it moving. Easy.

After the initial exam, he walked out to the hallway to consult the surgeon. I heard him when the doctor came over. This is where it goes downhill...

The fellow explains to the doctor clear enough for me to hear: "I've got a man, a trans male, in here with a hip thing. He had surgery a year ago and ... uh, I think a 'he' ...I think he's a trans... um, F-to-M, or um, I think they are a guy, or a he, or I'm not really sure...."

It was as loud as if he was in the room. My ears perked up as he continued to talk his way through figuring me out.
The surgeon knows. He's never said anything or had trouble interacting with me. And again: to that point, it's never been a problem or a concern for me in office.

The surgeon cut him off & said "he," & tried to prompt the fellow to continue with the real info. But it continued for another two paragraphs of confusion as the fellow tried to figure out my pronouns & which way I was transitioning. 😂🤯

While THAT is sort of funny NOW, I definitely felt rage bubble up inside me. No patient should be in a position where their doctors are trying to "figure them out" within earshot. I felt myself turning colors as the door opened & the surgeon stepped in with an assistant.

The fellow was not with, so I tried to pull myself together to get answers about my hip. At some point, the fellow entered & started to take notes. We talked through my options & as the doctor stood to leave saying, "see you in a few months for follow-up," I LET. THEM. HAVE. IT.

Doctors should treat trans patients like patients. Me being trans might be related to some of my care, but in this case, it was completely irrelevant & should not have been the focus - especially in such a demeaning or uninformed way.

The fellow spun in his chair, stunned, and said, deadpan, "I"m sorry." and then spun around. He didn't look at me the rest of the time.

The surgeon apologized while explaining it away: "thanks for telling us. we have people of all various education levels & understandings & we are doing our best to try to make a safe space for everyone but we don't always get it right."

I went in again.

I felt awful. Not about my body, not about my identity. But about the need to explain myself, defend myself, & being put in a position where someone who is supposed to help me care for my hurting body is talking about me & my body in a way that feels dangerous for me.

It’s illegal for doctors to discriminate against #trans people. So when they do, they must be held accountable.
Right now, the Biden Administration is taking public comments on Section 1557, which would protect trans people's access to healthcare.

25% of trans people skip going to the doctor when they are injured or ill out of fear of something like this happening.

33% of trans people who did go to the doctor experienced discrimination, were denied care, or suffered abuse at the appointment.

Trans people deserve healthcare just like everyone else.
Let’s end discrimination against #trans people in health care! Tell the Biden Administration to #ProtectTransHealth. Visit protecttranshealth.org to send your message.