Gender Transitioning

HAPPY LGBT HEALTH AWARENESS WEEK!

I kicked my final week of this rotation off with a workshop I facilitated with the women of trans experience and gender non-conforming clients at the Bronx Community Pride Center.  The topic was Gender Transitioning: A Medical Perspective, and it was such an energizing hour of dialogue with these amazing folks, who were so engaged in the discussion, asking really informed questions, and contributing their thoughts on controversial issues such as black market hormones.

So what are some general requirements/recommendations for individuals interested in transition-related health care?

LGBT: An Underserved Demographic. What can we do?

When you think of medically underserved communities, what comes to mind?  Ethnic minorities?  The uninsured?  The poor?  How about the LGBT community?

LGBT Hot Topics: Contrasting Views

Over the past few weeks, it has been fascinating to hear different perspectives from LGBT-identified individuals as well as allies on some often hotly contested topics, which I'll share below.



Issue #1: Philosophical Issues with the LGBT Umbrella
Some people feel that the increasingly long aconym referring to the queer community (I think the latest was LGBTQQIA) is not only unwieldy but has its own issues.  Several transgender individuals with whom I've spoken have vented concerns that lumping trans with LGB issues is problematic.  One trans woman stated that she feels uncomfortable going to a "gay center" for services because she identifies as a heterosexual woman.

This brings up an important point mentioned before; sexual orientation ≠ gender identity.  

HIV/AIDS work

During my time here in the Bronx, I have been fortunate to work with a number of great clinics and community-based organizations, two of which are focused on HIV/AIDS management - the South Bronx Health Center for Children and Families (SBHCCF) and the Adolescent AIDS Program housed in the Children's Hospital at Montefiore.

Trans 101

Today I had the opportunity to meet and do some planning with a few members of the amazing staff of the Bronx Community Pride Center (BCPC). We came up with some really exciting things that I can help contribute to, with a primary focus on transgender health and programming.

Vocab

So what does it mean to be transgender?

"This is a broad term indicating a person whose gender identity and expression do not 'match' the sex assigned at birth, in whole or in part." -- Community Healthcare Network

Street Outreach to Youth

Today was the beginning of my adventure on my final rotation of medical school (last but not least!). I'm living and working in the Bronx for the next month as I delve into the study of LGBT health - or for those of you who are less-than-savvy on the latest acronyms, Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender health.

For Day 1 of the elective, I joined some of the amazing staff of the New York Children's Health Project through their ongoing mobile clinic campaign. There is a medical clinic bus (where I worked) and a dental clinic bus that set up shop at various locations throughout the week. Monday mornings are spent parked outside of the Safe Horizon youth shelter in Harlem, and the afternoons are based at the StreetWork drop-in center reserved for "street-involved" youth (currently homeless, previously homeless, or otherwise at-risk).