(Accessibility: We're stronger together. TransActual July 2023 newsletter out now. Illustration of people putting their hands into the middle of a circle)
“Fertility clinics might as well be alien planets. I’ve found the experience strangely hostile. Not necessarily aggressive, but a lingering atmosphere of ‘this isn’t for you.’ My non-binary partner and I don’t fit into the established understanding of their world. They don’t know what to do with us.” Ivy
93% of trans people have experienced transphobic abuse online. This abuse results in anxiety, depression and fear. Galop Online Hate Crime Report, 2020
If you need support, we'd recommend taking a look at the Depression Toolkit by the University of Michigan for information, tools, support & resources. Click the link & scroll to featured articles: https://www.transactual.org.uk/insta
74% of UK based disabled trans people told us they've been impacted by ableism when accessing non trans-specific healthcare.
In 2021 we released our findings from our Trans Lives survey. We found that a greater proportion of disabled trans people receive inadequate care from transition related healthcare services. Healthcare services need to understand how to better support trans people, disabled people, and trans disabled people. Disabled trans people cannot be left behind.
“A gynaecologist told me that my reproductive issues would not be treated or investigated further because ‘Oh you’ll be on testosterone in 6 months’. I ended up not starting hormones for another 3 years.” Emory.
Alt text: text as in post, background photo shows a person holding their abdomen.
“I spend a great deal of time educating people when I am going in for an appointment about myself. It's exhausting. And takes valuable time away from my medical appointment. I can't focus only on my disability or my symptoms, because the doctor needs to understand not to misgender me.” Lee-Anne
Alt text: text as in post, picture of Lee-Ann with short blonde hair, wearing glasses and a dark-blue top.
"The first thing I think about when I wake up and the last thing I think about before I get to sleep is dysphoria. It also appears throughout the day, whenever I go to the toilet. Luckily applying testosterone is part of my morning routine." Eddie
Alt text: Picture of of person in a tee shirt sitting with their head in their hands. Text as in post.
Elliot shares how their experience as a medical professional has changed the way they attend appointments. "I recently started a medical role working in the NHS. As a black, queer, non-binary person with autism, I’ve found it a strange yet eye-opening experience."
“Help, community, support, connection: it IS out there for us. And the more we fight to access it, the more empowered we will become to make the changes necessary for trans joy— which means trans health— to become the rule, and not the exception.” Fred
Hi, Mastodon! I am writing my thesis for my Master's in Social Work. Originally, I wanted to focus on butch women obtaining top surgery.
Now, I want to look at how the trans community navigates/negotiates/pressures the medical community into creating a more expansive view on gender and a less medicalized view of gender dysphoria. (ie, viewing dysphoria as a social problem, not psychological.)
Do you have sources? Do you know people who are involved?
“I aged out of the system before I even reached the top of the waiting list.” - transmasculine respondent who had been on the waiting list for GIDs.
Gender Identity Developement Services work with children and have a waiting list that is years long, currently seeing patients referred in 2019. Our research found that this affects trans people's mental health and relationships, you can read more here: https://www.transactual.org.uk/transition-access-22
“Those of us who live right smack bang in the middle of the gorgeous, mutable Venn diagram that is transness and neurodivergence know that there is so much to be learned about each through the lens of the other, and how exhilarating and transformative the spiral journeys we take towards ourselves can be.” Fred
The uncertainty of being stuck on a long waiting list can impact trans people's mental health as well as their careers. Money worries that come from being unemployed can then act to exacerbate the issue.
Jak told us: "I lost my job because of the uncertainty of surgery and when I was going to be called for my next surgery My mental health has been massively effected as I'm stuck, my life can't progress."
There's a wealth of research showing that puberty blockers to be safe and effective. They are used “off-label”, which means they are used outside their licenced use.
Other "off-label" medication includes the contraceptive pill, which is a hormonal treatment used to treat acne.
So, I extremely hate to ask for assistance here like this, and I was holding out sharing this, for the sake of infosec job prospects I had, that fell through now. But my wife and I, are currently trapped in Oklahoma, and it's becoming more dangerous for us regularly here, and with me unable to perform physical, in person work due to long COVID, I'm coming here, asking for assistance.