In an article in
the American Journal of Public Health
from 2001, Leslie Feinberg recounts his unfortunate experiences that he and
transgender people endure in day-to-day life, like being misperceived or
laughed at by medical staff. Misperceptions about the trans* community present
a societal problem that is being faced by most people under the queer or
transgender umbrella. Often times they will be segregated into wards by their
genitalia rather than their preferred identity, for example. Due to the feelings
of discomfort inflicted on people outside the typical gender binary, “there is
no way of knowing how large a segment of the population avoids seeking health
care because they have been wounded by sex and gender oppression” (Feinberg). The
American Public Health Association is promoting a social movement to assimilate
transgender folks more into the community in casual ways. Tips that they
encourage include using last names rather than “Mrs./Miss/Mr./Ms/” when talking
with or about a patient, providing literature on how trans health concerns
might be different from typical male-female issues. To ease the tension and uneasiness when seeking health care,
there should be lists provided that detail which facilities are trans-friendly.
The health care field is extremely lacking in pamphlets and other forms of information
for patients explaining how their health is affected differently as one moves
through the continuums of gender and sexuality. This is crucial to the understanding
of patients and communication between the patient and doctor. Feinberg proposes
that we set aside labels for now. The binary used today puts people into boxes,
when gender and sexuality are spectrums that cannot be described in one-word
terms. This means facilities should have unisex bathrooms, use
nongender-specific signs, and, as for any patient, allow for self-advocacy of
the patient and explain every step that will occur in an exam. In her article
from the same issue of the journal, Lombardi goes further by pointing out that “We
also need to look at how misunderstandings or prejudices in the non-trans
health care community affect needs assessment. For example, are very masculine
females less likely than others to do breast self-examinations?” (Lombardi).
The problem of
discrimination against androgynous or trans* folks becomes a more political debate
rather than a social debate when it comes to employers or private insurers determining
how health care benefits are distributed. People are frequently denied certain
benefits because of gender discrimination (“Transgender Health and the Law”).
Due to a lack of education of their legal rights, transgender people often use
this as justification to turn to other, more dangerous methods for getting what
they need. Hormones, for example, can be illegally distributed and increase the
likelihood of the transmission of HIV or other bloodborne infectious diseases (Lombardi).
Institutions like
the American Public Health Association
and Intersexed Society of North America
have been recently very outspoken about how these societal issues that are
founded in the health field need to be fixed. They are engines for the social
movement to protect transgender rights and encourage education of the general
population. Their efforts, along with other trans* organizations, are making
people more aware of the fact that the T is a major branch of LGBTQ. People who
categorize themselves under the T often face battles unique from the rest of
them and they need to be respected and given proper care in all settings.
Feinberg, Leslie. “Trans health
crisis: for us it’s life or death”. American
Journal of Public Health: Vol 91, No 6. June 2001. Web. 15 February 2012.
Lombardi, Emilia. “Enhancing
Transgender Health Care”. American
Journal of Public Health: Vol. 91, No. 6. June 2001. Web. 15 February 2012
“Transgender Health and the Law”. Transgender Law Center. July 2004. Web
document. 16 February 2012.
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