Healthcare providers need to catch up; we need more medical schools teaching trans medicine. We need more healthcare providers that are more affirming and not turn us away because “I don’t know how to treat a trans person.”
We need more healthcare providers trained who can provide care for us, not just endos and surgeons but GPs, GYN/OBs and other specialists who will not turn us because “I don’t know how to treat a trans person.”
What a Pediatrician Learned from a 9-Year-Old Transgender ChildWe need more healthcare providers!
KQED
By Lesley McClurg
February 5, 2018
The number of transgender people in America has doubled in the last decade, but that doesn’t mean the medical profession has caught up. Transgender patients are often unable to find quality healthcare. Research shows they may face stigma, discrimination and cannot find medical interventions like hormone therapy and/or sex reassignment surgery.
Ximena Lopez is a pediatric endocrinologist at Children’s Health in Dallas, Texas, and is one of the few in the country who specialize in care for transgender youth. Recently she shared the story of her steep learning curve at the TEDMED conference in Palm Springs.
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Parents Desperate for Help
I was not prepared when my first transgender child walked into my clinic. I didn’t get any training in medical school, my residency or my sub-specialty training to care for transgender children. And there were people in my clinic who questioned whether I should take the appointment. I decided to see whether I could help, but I didn’t think I’d actually provide care.
During the first appointment the most striking thing was how desperate the parents were for help. They told me they had called 100 doctors and nobody wanted to provide treatment to stop Tyler’s puberty. Then they said, ‘We don’t care if you experiment with our child. We will do anything for his mental health.’
They said a phrase that really stayed with me, ‘We prefer to have a living son than a dead daughter.’
I knew I had to help.
We need more healthcare providers trained who can provide care for us, not just endos and surgeons but GPs, GYN/OBs and other specialists who will not turn us because “I don’t know how to treat a trans person.”
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