AIC goes to Hollywood:
Why We Should Watch MTV’s Faking It

MTV’s half-hour romantic comedy series, Faking It, will feature a character with an intersex condition (or DSD) this season (see the Hollywood Reporter story here). This is not the first time a character with Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome (AIS) has appeared … Continue reading

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AIC goes to Hollywood: Why We Should Watch MTV’s Faking It

MTV’s half-hour romantic comedy series, Faking It, will feature a character with an intersex condition (or DSD) this season (see the Hollywood Reporter story here). This is not the first time a character with Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome (AIS) has appeared … Continue reading

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“What Is a Woman? The dispute between radical feminism and transgenderism”

Michelle Goldberg’s recent article for The New Yorker, “What Is a Woman? The dispute between radical feminism and transgenderism,” is an account of the fight between certain radical feminists and transgender women over whether or not transgender women should be … Continue reading

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“Should We ‘Fix’ Intersex Children?”

M was born with genitals that were not clearly male or female. Also known as disorders of sex development (DSDs), the best guess by researchers is that intersex conditions affect one in 2,000 children. The response by doctors is often … Continue reading

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Gay Teacher Fired for Getting Married

“I was told very specifically I didn’t do anything wrong, that there were no parent complaints, no student complaints, but regardless, I would not be returning,” Dollar says. “I’m still kind It is a order cialis from canada condition in … Continue reading

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Does a womb make you a woman?

By Katy Fulfer and Angel Petropanagos At the recent FABWorld Congress in Mexico City, a panel on Ethics of Uterine Transplantation outlined three ethical challenges. Ariel Lefkowitz and Jacques Balayla, authors of the Montreal Criteria for Ethical Feasibility of Uterine … Continue reading

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Women, Sports and Confidence: The Role of Roller Derby

Women’s roller derby has had a checkered history. Even now, with the modern version gaining speed and popularity, many people still associate derby with the staged, televised 1970s banked-track version of the sport. Those earlier iterations were made of pro … Continue reading

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“The Quiet Clash Between Transgender Women And Drag Queens”

Find the article Once you have looked through the ingredients in the product you should be able to determine an end to buy cialis pills check it out this condition. Just like with any other drug, the development of a … Continue reading

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Creating a Trans-Inclusive Feminism

IJfABster Tim R. Johnston has a review of Sheila Jeffreys’s new book, Gender Hurts: A Feminist Analysis of the Politics of Transgenderism. I quote from the conclusion: We need a trans-inclusive feminism that recognises trans people as who they are, … Continue reading

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Denying the Patient In Front Of You: Recent Studies of Transgender Patients’ Experiences in the ER Confirms Prior Results about Poor Treatment of Transgender Persons in Clinical Settings

Two studies which have recently hit the press reinforce a problem I have been considering for some time, namely the difficulties which transgender persons face in getting care. Herein, I will give an overview of these difficulties, the new studies, what they reveal about causes of provider’s behavior with respect to trans persons, and some brief recommendations for how providers can do better.

Transgender health advocates Sabrina Suico of the Couples Health Intervention Project and Brionna of the Mariposa project both work with services dedicated to improving the lives of transgender or gender-variant people of color. Image Credit: Aubrie Abeno, via mintpressnews.comTransgender health advocates Sabrina Suico of the Couples Health Intervention Project and Brionna of the Mariposa project both work with services dedicated to improving the lives of transgender or gender-variant people of color. Image Credit: Aubrie Abeno, via mintpressnews.com

In 2012, I presented a paper at the American Society for Bioethics and Humanities, “She Walked Out of the Room And Never Came Back…”, in which I discussed the case of a patient who had been denied care by health care personnel while visiting the ER for a broken limb before finally being seen by another provider. The first provider walked out in a huff after the transgender patient’s trans status became clear as the patient’s anatomy was revealed during a diagnostic procedure. After leaving the patient alone, in pain, with no idea whether to leave and go to another facility or wait, another provider came into the room and professionally and compassionately provided the necessary medical care. This, I found, was not uncommon. Approximately 1 in 5 transgender patients have put off preventive medical care due to experiencing, or fear of experiencing, discriminatory behavior directed at the patient by clinical staff. According to some figures, this rises above 1 in 4 (28%), and transgender persons report being denied care across every demographic but worst for transgender women, who were assigned male sex at birth, than for transgender men who were assigned female sex at birth. The fact that transgender persons experience difficulties with access to health care should come as no surprise. In 2011, the Institute of Medicine released a report which addressed the many ways in which poor access to basic medical care for transgender individuals is “due largely to social stigma” and “fear of discrimination in health care settings” as well as lack of employer-provided health insurance due to employment discrimination.

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Recommended Reading: Andrew Solomon’s Far from the Tree

Knowing something about my work on ethics and atypical sex anatomies in children, several people have recommended Andrew Solomon’s Far From the Tree: Parents, Children, and the Search for Identity (2012). Each of the chapters is devoted to children with … Continue reading

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Reminded

Note from the Editor: This is a guest post about the difficulties trans* people often encounter when seeking medical care.  Medical care can be difficult to navigate in the best circumstances, but when your gender and documentation don’t agree, or your gender presentation and your body clash, it can be not only difficult but emotionally damaging to interact with medical professionals.  Sayer Johnson is a run-of-the-mill Midwestern transgender man trying to navigate basic healthcare and share his human experience.

Reminded

Today I was reminded. Not in the sweet way that comes from a child fusing a new name with a new beard. Not in the quiet acceptance of a neighbor who, without skipping a beat, went from my old name to Papi. Not in the funny way that can come from the mouth of my always insightful six year old. Nevertheless reminded. Reminded in the bitter way that the media often reminds me. Reminded in the unfortunate way that  humanity sometimes does.  Reminded in my own community. Reminded why I continue to live my life out loud.

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