THSW | Trans Health Service Watch

THSW is a collection of anonymous trans reviews of medical & counselling services. It's an initiative started by and for trans patients -- to help avoid transphobia in the doctor's office & access the health care we deserve. THSW is an exercise in harm reduction, not endorsement! Seek health service at your own risk. I'm still learning how to take anonymous submissions through Tumblr. In the meantime, grab a form & email me at transhealthservicewatch (at)gmail(dot)com. Trans submissions only, please! Cis folks, check out www.ratemds.com. About Me I'm Tom, a 24-year-old white able-bodied dmab/queer/trans fem/woman/whatever settler on Lekwungen & WSANEC land. I'm poor & blogging from home, so if you like THSW, let me know or send some $$$ support! This blog is also part of a personal healing project for trauma inflicted by 'trans-friendly' doctors who did not live up to their claim.

[upworthy]

It’s hard being trans. It’s even harder when you can’t find a doctor. A new site hopes to fix that.

There’s a lot of talk about physical violence and employment discrimination against trans people, but there’s one aspect you don’t hear much about: health care.

According to 2011′s National Transgender Discrimination Survey, nearly 20% of survey respondents reported having been refused care because they’re transgender. More than 25% reported being harassed in a doctor’s office, and 50% had to actually educate their doctors on aspects of trans health care.

“I have been refused emergency room treatment even when delivered to the hospital by ambulance with numerous broken bones and wounds,” says one survey respondent.

But a group of four trans people have teamed up to provide a simple service: connect other folks with trans-friendly medical providers.

[transhealthservicewatch]

Magali Brulot

Provider Name:

Magali Brulot

Provider Service:

Gender Counseling – Hormone Readiness Assessment

How receptive were they about your identity & need for service?

      Magali is an informed and capable gender counselor.  She is generally fully booked – but she will book time for the three visits necessary to complete hormone readiness. She would be very strong on NOT being a gate keeper – but rather making sure a person is ready to start hormone therapy.  When we are at that stage of transition – it is hard not to be anxious about getting going – but it is a profound life altering change of life – and three months considering this step is a reasonable standard. As sure as we are about our gender identity – we are also in the situation where it does not match our assigned birth gender. It is beneficial to spend some time with a person who has talked to a range of people like ourselves and can provide feedback on how our story compares to the other stories they have heard. It is an important step of validation and one each person should focus on making the most of the experience. I do think that if Magali was sure this was not right for you, or you are not ready yet, her perspective has merit and it is important to support her in this role. I also think that if she did not think a person ready – she would work with them until they were.

Were their questions relevant to the services you were seeking?

Yes – One of the things that impressed me about her was how she kept track of all of the detail of my story.  Our conversations over the several months tended to be all over the place as I related my life experiences that had brought me to this decision, when she put it all together in the letter of recommendation she brought it to a coherent narrative. It really made me feel as though I had been heard.

Did they use appropriate language/pronouns to talk about you?

Yes

How do you think others could have success/difficulty accessing their services?

I highly recommend Magali to anyone looking to start assessment or in particular to parents of trans children who are looking for a qualified guide through the complexities of helping their children.

[deepsky28-deactivated20141202]

Things I don’t understand.

1. Why is this tagged as both bigender and trans woman?

2. Why do you use insulting terms like transsexual? That one is outdated and is linked to transphobic porn so stop using it.

3. Do not call us by a slur. Queer is a slur, I don’t care if it’s been ~reclaimed~.

Other than this, I have a q.

Do you know of any therapist willing to discuss and assess your situation and then write the letter or recommend doctors to help you without needing to take hormones or pretend you’re ftm/mtf? If you tagged this as bigender might as well have useful information for us? Most bigender people I talked to do not wish to go on hormones because they don’t want those changes. What we do want are transition options specific to us, that’s why talking to a therapist might help clear things up but it’s ultimately useless. What we need is bigender surgery.

[transhealthservicewatch]

Hi deepsky28. Please understand that this review was submitted anonymously -- these aren't my words. The identity tags were submitted along with the review, and are only meant to describe this particular reviewer. I know that opinions on the labels queer and transsexual vary regionally, generationally, and between communities. While you might not agree with how other people self-identify, that's not really my concern. Hopefully these tags helped you evaluate how relevant this person's review is to you. That's really all they're there for! I'm sorry I can't provide you more helpful info. There hasn't been much variety in submissions yet, but maybe sometime in the future there will be more for you here. :)

[transhealthservicewatch]

Dr. Caspar Friesen - 2.5/5

Familiy Doctor

Location: Victoria BC

Rating: 2.5/5

I saw him once because someone mentioned he was trans friendly. He read over my HRT recommendation and referred me to an endocrinologist within 5 minutes. There's something about him though that I can't explain that would make me hesitant to recommend him. I think he does HRT readiness assessments himself, but I don't think I would't feel comfortable talking to him.

[transhealthservicewatch]

Dr. Lucretia van den Berg - 3.5/5

Endocrinologist

Location: Victoria BC

Rating: 3.5/5

This is the endocrinologist to see if you want your hormones without any fuss. Never been anything other than friendly, but she's not very communicative, so If you need or want an endo that explains shit this is not your doctor. 

[transhealthservicewatch]

Vanessa Bailey, RN - 4/5

Clinical Counselor

Location: Victoria BC

Rating: 4/5

Seemed quite new to trans issues (In March 2014) but was pretty good. Friendly, respectful, and easy to talk to. She didn't take issue with my bisexuality or lack of genital dysphoria. I had my HRT recommendation after two sessions.

[transhealthservicewatch]

Magali Brulot

Provider Name:

Magali Brulot

Provider Service:

Gender Counseling – Hormone Readiness Assessment

How receptive were they about your identity & need for service?

      Magali is an informed and capable gender counselor.  She is generally fully booked – but she will book time for the three visits necessary to complete hormone readiness. She would be very strong on NOT being a gate keeper – but rather making sure a person is ready to start hormone therapy.  When we are at that stage of transition – it is hard not to be anxious about getting going – but it is a profound life altering change of life – and three months considering this step is a reasonable standard. As sure as we are about our gender identity – we are also in the situation where it does not match our assigned birth gender. It is beneficial to spend some time with a person who has talked to a range of people like ourselves and can provide feedback on how our story compares to the other stories they have heard. It is an important step of validation and one each person should focus on making the most of the experience. I do think that if Magali was sure this was not right for you, or you are not ready yet, her perspective has merit and it is important to support her in this role. I also think that if she did not think a person ready – she would work with them until they were.

Were their questions relevant to the services you were seeking?

Yes – One of the things that impressed me about her was how she kept track of all of the detail of my story.  Our conversations over the several months tended to be all over the place as I related my life experiences that had brought me to this decision, when she put it all together in the letter of recommendation she brought it to a coherent narrative. It really made me feel as though I had been heard.

Did they use appropriate language/pronouns to talk about you?

Yes

How do you think others could have success/difficulty accessing their services?

I highly recommend Magali to anyone looking to start assessment or in particular to parents of trans children who are looking for a qualified guide through the complexities of helping their children.

[transhealthservicewatch]

THSW | Trans Health Service Watch

THSW is (soon to be) a collection of anonymous trans reviews of medical & counselling services. It's...

Do you identify as trans? Are you having a hard time navigating the healthcare system? Have you had a positive experience? Share your story with other trans patients! We want to hear from you!