oh i one hundred percent agree. the problem is that, at the moment, trans-related medical care is very different from every other. this is what i mean by segregation
cisgender balding men and cisgender women in menopause can be prescribed hormones or hormone blockers by their GP. the only requirement is that they understand what the risks…
oh i one hundred percent agree. the problem is that, at the moment, trans-related medical care is very different from every other. this is what i mean by segregation
cisgender balding men and cisgender women in menopause can be prescribed hormones or hormone blockers by their GP. the only requirement is that they understand what the risks and consequences are, and that the GP believes it will help. in order to obtain the same medicine, transgender people must access a specialist service where they must perform gender stereotypes and answer invasive questionnaires in order to pass some bar of being 'a real trans'. even without the twenty year waiting lists, this arbitrary gatekeeping benefits nobody
This is outside my expertise, but the risks associated with menopause treatments are different from those associated with interfering with puberty, even if they both involve the use of hormones. I don't think it's unfair that different standards apply to seeking treatment for either condition.
your earlier point, which i agree with, is that requests for trans-related medical care should be treated the same as any other: a GP should explain the risks and consequences, and the patient and doctor should make a decision based on that. the substance of those risks is, of course, to be considered on a case-by-case basis. i'm confused about what changed between you asserting that point and now
for what it's worth, cis children with hormone deficiencies can also be prescribed hormones by their GP; if that's not interfering with puberty, i don't know what is
Patients can refuse treatment, but they can't request it either. Your complaint seems to be that doctors are too reluctant to prescribe treatment that would block puberty, among other things. In general I think their caution is justified. Prescribing a teenage boy treatment to enable normal male puberty should be less contentious then giving them treatment to prevent male puberty, in my view.
going through the wrong puberty is pretty horrific, whoever you are, but sure, these things must be handled with care. but by centering 'reluctance' here, you demonstrate that you still don't understand what the current framework for trans healthcare in the UK is
the segregation is not a product of reluctance, it's a product of explicit policy. GPs are not allowed to prescribe medicine that is otherwise simple to prescribe if it is perceived to be part of gender-affirming care for a transgender patient. a GP must instead place the patient on a decades-long waiting list to be put in front of a panel where the patient must then performatively demonstrate their transness to the satisfaction of a panel of people whose decision is based on discredited stereotypes
it's not okay to hold anyone's body to ransom until they tell a stranger what they think about when they masturbate
"The wrong puberty" is certainly an interesting phrase, but ultimately I don't think you're making fair comparisons here. For people experiencing gender dysphoria it seems entirely sensible that other psychological interventions be explored rather than going straight to physical interventions, the long-term risks of which are unknown and known risks of which include infertility. You can call that "segregation" if you want, but it's hardly some kind of colour bar. It's different approaches for different conditions.
That last point is an interesting one. What does someone's thoughts during masturbation have to do with their gender? Are you saying that people who are turned on by thoughts of sex with women must be men and vice versa?
no, i am not. i do not understand the relevance of the question either. for some reason, though, GICs insist on asking it as part of determining if a patient is trans enough to get healthcare that balding men can get straight from their GP
i said GIC (gender identity clinic), not GC; GICs are the specialist groups that transgender people have to get through in order to receive gender-affirming healthcare in the UK. this is a question that many of them include in their assessments that must be passed to receive gender-affirming care
yeah the whole thing is baffling and just generally sucks. i understand that most patients in this situation, after spending years on a waiting list for the care that they need, go in knowing what the panel expects and just tell them what they want to hear. this probably does not help to dismantle whatever stereotype that question is based on
oh i one hundred percent agree. the problem is that, at the moment, trans-related medical care is very different from every other. this is what i mean by segregation
cisgender balding men and cisgender women in menopause can be prescribed hormones or hormone blockers by their GP. the only requirement is that they understand what the risks and consequences are, and that the GP believes it will help. in order to obtain the same medicine, transgender people must access a specialist service where they must perform gender stereotypes and answer invasive questionnaires in order to pass some bar of being 'a real trans'. even without the twenty year waiting lists, this arbitrary gatekeeping benefits nobody
This is outside my expertise, but the risks associated with menopause treatments are different from those associated with interfering with puberty, even if they both involve the use of hormones. I don't think it's unfair that different standards apply to seeking treatment for either condition.
your earlier point, which i agree with, is that requests for trans-related medical care should be treated the same as any other: a GP should explain the risks and consequences, and the patient and doctor should make a decision based on that. the substance of those risks is, of course, to be considered on a case-by-case basis. i'm confused about what changed between you asserting that point and now
for what it's worth, cis children with hormone deficiencies can also be prescribed hormones by their GP; if that's not interfering with puberty, i don't know what is
Patients can refuse treatment, but they can't request it either. Your complaint seems to be that doctors are too reluctant to prescribe treatment that would block puberty, among other things. In general I think their caution is justified. Prescribing a teenage boy treatment to enable normal male puberty should be less contentious then giving them treatment to prevent male puberty, in my view.
going through the wrong puberty is pretty horrific, whoever you are, but sure, these things must be handled with care. but by centering 'reluctance' here, you demonstrate that you still don't understand what the current framework for trans healthcare in the UK is
the segregation is not a product of reluctance, it's a product of explicit policy. GPs are not allowed to prescribe medicine that is otherwise simple to prescribe if it is perceived to be part of gender-affirming care for a transgender patient. a GP must instead place the patient on a decades-long waiting list to be put in front of a panel where the patient must then performatively demonstrate their transness to the satisfaction of a panel of people whose decision is based on discredited stereotypes
it's not okay to hold anyone's body to ransom until they tell a stranger what they think about when they masturbate
"The wrong puberty" is certainly an interesting phrase, but ultimately I don't think you're making fair comparisons here. For people experiencing gender dysphoria it seems entirely sensible that other psychological interventions be explored rather than going straight to physical interventions, the long-term risks of which are unknown and known risks of which include infertility. You can call that "segregation" if you want, but it's hardly some kind of colour bar. It's different approaches for different conditions.
That last point is an interesting one. What does someone's thoughts during masturbation have to do with their gender? Are you saying that people who are turned on by thoughts of sex with women must be men and vice versa?
no, i am not. i do not understand the relevance of the question either. for some reason, though, GICs insist on asking it as part of determining if a patient is trans enough to get healthcare that balding men can get straight from their GP
You said "it's not okay to hold anyone's body to ransom until they tell a stranger what they think about when they masturbate"
which implies to me that you think it is relevant and I can't really imagine how it would be, hence my question.
Or maybe you think that GCs consider it relevant? Personally, I doubt that they do (though there are often extremists on both sides of any argument).
The only valid criterion I can see would be a diagnosis of body gender dysphoria which I don't think is related to sexual preferences.
But I'm not an expert in any of these areas.
i said GIC (gender identity clinic), not GC; GICs are the specialist groups that transgender people have to get through in order to receive gender-affirming healthcare in the UK. this is a question that many of them include in their assessments that must be passed to receive gender-affirming care
That's interesting, thanks. I wonder what sort of answers they are expecting from a gender-dysphoric person.
yeah the whole thing is baffling and just generally sucks. i understand that most patients in this situation, after spending years on a waiting list for the care that they need, go in knowing what the panel expects and just tell them what they want to hear. this probably does not help to dismantle whatever stereotype that question is based on