Every now and then, I get all optimistic about the state of trans people in society. Usually, it’s because I’m not paying attention and/or focusing on a tiny subset of us. To wit:
Back in April, a man shot and killed Brandy Martell (a trans woman of color). I’m not sure how I missed the news, but I’m pretty sure the media largely ignored the story because she was a trans woman of color. (via Julia Serano)
Yesterday, a Brooklyn trans woman died in a suspicious fire, and the New York Times cared just enough to discuss her body and clothing. (via Janet Mock)
Oh! Here’s some political news:
Eric Fehrnstrom is called Mitt Romney’s “most trusted” adviser. Well it seems that Mr. Romney’s most trusted adviser is alleged to have “glee”-fully outed a transgender women, ending her career in politics. This from GQ:
Fehrnstrom saved his cheap shots for smaller-time Massachusetts pols. When a political activist and gadfly … was elected to the Massachusetts House of Representatives, the fact that she was transgender was an open secret in Boston political circles. But Fehrnstrom was the first one to put that information into print—”I can remember his glee when he found the birth certificate,” says former Herald reporter Robert Connolly—thus bringing a swift end to [her] future on Beacon Hill. [Emphasis, redaction mine]
(via Abby Jensen)
Neat!
I’m in the process of flushing some really expensive sperm down the drain. In the process, I learned that the folks who collected it refused to label it with my legal name, on account of how girls don’t make sperm n’ such. Whoops!
I’ve recently been having all sorts of fun things going on with my body. It turns out it might (in part) be a thyroid thing. Some it might involve my hormones, too.
Because very few doctors know much about super queer ladyhormones, I felt the need to research the subject myself (for, what, like the twentieth time?). Here’s my conclusion:
1. Sex hormones are magical, and doctors admit that prescribing, managing, or otherwise observing their effects is pretty much alchemy.
2. Many, many other aspects of modern medicine are extraordinarily similar to managing trans* peoples’ hormones, only medical professionals will not admit that these, also, are pretty much alchemy.
In a totally random format, because I have to wash my pussy after he spent two days hiding in my neighbors’ garage (for realz).
Did you know that the Jim Collins Foundations funds gender confirming surgeries for needy trans people? They do! You can submit a scholarship application or donate here. Via @radicalguy
Supreme Court refuses to hear state’s appeal, ending Wisconsin’s ‘Inmate Sex-Change Prevention Act.’
The ACLU and Lambda Legal jointly filed a case in 2006 on behalf of several transgender inmates entitled Fields v Smith who were experiencing severe physical and psychological harm after the medical treatment they had been receiving under prison doctors’ care was abruptly cut off due to the new draconian law.
The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin then struck down the law as unconstitutional based on both the Eighth Amendment (cruel and unusual punishment) and on the Equal Protection Clause after a four day trial. The state of Wisconsin appealed the ruling in 2010 and in August of last year, a unanimous three-judge panel of the U.S. District Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit upheld the previous Lambda Legal court win, stating: “Refusing to provide effective treatment for a serious medical condition serves no valid penological purpose and amounts to torture.”
Monica Roberts via @AutumnSandeen
In Defense of the C-Word by Laurie Penny
For me, “cunt” is, and will always be, a word of power, whether it denotes my own genitals or any obstreperous comrades in the vicinity. The first time I ever used it, I was 12 years old, and being hounded by a group of sixth-form boys who just loved to corner me on the stairs and make hilarious sexy comments. One day, one of them decided it would be funny to pick me up by the waist and shake me. I spat out the words “put me down, you utter cunt”, and the boy was so shocked that he dropped me instantly.
Trans man Louis Birney requested that the New York City Department of Health correct his birth certificate. When they refused, he took them to court. He won.
From the Washington Post, emphasis mine:
[In order to grant the correction] The Health Department called for more details on the “reconstruction procedure,” plus a psychiatric evaluation and a physician’s record of a post-operative examination.
The ruling, made public last week, orders the city Health Department to re-evaluate [Birney's] request and questions the agency’s understanding of “the lives and experience of transgender people.” It marks something of a victory for advocates seeking to make it easier for people who have changed gender to change their identity documents.
“I hope that the Department of Health will really take this to heart and really see that the court is, in this decision, recognizing the importance of respecting the identities of transgender individuals,” said Erica Kagan, a lawyer for the man, Louis Birney, who declined to be interviewed.
“It does not seem very likely that an individual would go through all the years of required preparation for surgical transition, including psychotherapy, undergo major surgery, assume life under his or her new gender, and then decide it was all a mistake and change back,” Feinman wrote. “This apparent assumption tends to suggest a certain ignorance by the department of the lengthy transition process and the lives and experience of transgender people.”
The other week I was looking at my medicine drawer. Certainly, I’m quite privileged in that I’ve had not one, but two different insurance plans in the past year.
I’m not posting this to play Drug Olympics (certainly not on a weekday). What gave me pause was that all these bottles represent just five prescriptions– three anti-depressants (go team!), estradiol, and a testosterone blocker.
It took me close to a year to find a doctor that would prescribe me hormones. Eventually, I decided to drive to Chicago (150 miles away) to get my script. When I moved to Upstate New York, it also took me a while to get settled in with a new doctor.
Basically, I’m paranoid (or justifiably anxious) about losing access to my medication. Maybe I won’t be able to find a doctor to write a prescription. Maybe my insurance company will decide to stop paying for my hormones. Perhaps there’ll be conscience clauses.
I subconsciously hoard pills. As soon I’m eligible to refill an order, if I can afford it, I do it (hooray for tax returns!). Over time, that can lead to quite a surplus. I hold on to old pill bottles just in case I ever need to prove to a pharmacist that back in ought-eight such-and-such doctor wrote a certain prescription. I’m not sure what sort of situation would lead me to desperately whip out a four-year-old prescription bottle. I guess it’s best to be prepared.
Every day I hear of more and more laws that chip away at bodily autonomy. The less privileged the person, the higher the likelihood of finding oneself without healthcare. I’m worried that in one of the most affluent nations on Earth, hoarding and scarcity will increasing define our experience with medicine.
Four months after deciding to move back to the Midwest, things are finally taking shape. Our house is mostly unpacked, I’m somewhat used to my job, and our daughter has a grown up bed, courtesy of an IKEA road trip. Plus, it’s a bazillion degrees and sunny out, and we live well inland. Things are looking up.
[Me 1, IKEA Ø]
For those of you wondering about the fundraiser, it’s still very much on. The tally is at the same place it was in December. It’s not that there aren’t plenty of folks making monthly donations (thank you!), but that I add the full value of subscriptions to the tally at the time they’re made.
On of the hardest things about quitting my gig with New York State was losing health insurance for surgery. As I’ve said before, this was kind of a tease, given that I don’t know of any surgeons that accept insurance.
Given the low rates at which many insurance companies reimburse providers and the massive number of folks desperate for surgery, I don’t necessarily blame surgeons for being cautious with their finances.
In any case, I no longer have Blue Cross covering my hospital expenses, which means the cost (to me) of surgery is back in the much more typical range of $20-$25k (plus travel, pre-operative care, and unpaid time off work). Still, I stand by my decision to leave the academy (I’m sure I’ll be writing plenty about that at Shakesville or my other blog).
I’m cautiously optimistic that my new career in IT (coupled with the improving economy) will eventually make it possible for me to pay off past loans for medical expenses, or even save on my own. In the meantime, that’s the reason for the new goal on the right.
Needless to say, I’m pretty blown away that I’ve been able to raise what I already have. I wasn’t really expecting to raise the full amount I need (let alone doing so while taking an extended break), so I’ll see how it goes.
I’m hoping to be back to posting soon. In the meantime, here’s what’s up:
I’ve been back in Wisconsin since Christmas. I’m slowly adjusting to life working in the private sector. Things are good, although I’m still dealing with anxiety issues. It’ll take me a while to get into enough of a rhythm to make time for regular writing. I look forward to it, just as I look forward to dealing with teh trans without having panic attacks.
I think I’m previously on record as really, really not being a fan of the Human Rights Campaign. I’m also not a fan of their Corporate Equality Index (CEI). It’s not that I have a problem with all corporations– I’m starting a job with one in a few weeks. It’s just that it’s going to take a lot more than acceptable policies on LGBT equality to give me a boner about Dow Chemical.
Despite both of these facts, the latest CEI contains some good news.
The number of companies (out of 636 surveyed) that provide insurance coverage for trans* people’s medical care has more than doubled in the past year, to just under a third.
Unlike previous years, HRC’s criterion was fairly realistic. Here’s what it took to get the 10 points (out of 100 overall) for trans* medical coverage, companies needed to…
extend to transgender individuals [the following benefits] including… services related to transgender transition (e.g., medically necessary services related to sex reassignment):
* Short term medical leave
* Mental health benefits
* Pharmaceutical coverage (e.g., for hormone replacement therapies)
* Coverage for medical visits or laboratory services
* Coverage for reconstructive surgical procedures related to sex reassignment
* Coverage of routine, chronic, or urgent non-transition services (e.g., for a transgender individual based on their sex or gender. For example, prostate exams for women with a transgender history and pelvic/gynaecological exams for men with a transgender history must be covered.)
*Plan language ensuring “adequacy of network” or access to specialists should extend to transition-related care (including provisions for travel or other expense reimbursements)
The dollar maximums on this area of coverage must meet or exceed $75,000. [Emphasis original]
I’m skeptical of HRC, but that strikes me as a pretty fair criterion. Read more…
[Trigger warning for suicide, homophobia, and transphobia]
Note: I wrote this in October 2010. I’ve been sitting on it since then. With the Transgender Day of Remembrance coming up this Sunday, I feel like this is a good time to share it.
I’m a survivor. I’m also not a therapist. It’s not in my interest (or yours) for me to counsel you on mental health. Thus, I’m keeping the comments closed.
xox
Kate
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An acquaintance took her life this past weekend.
This post isn’t about me (or her), but for the record, I’m doing alright. Members of this particular social circle are in various stage of processing, doing what they need to do.
I trust many readers will not be surprised to find out that my acquaintance was a young, queer and gender non-conforming woman (who I’ll refer to as Sam). The last person I knew to commit suicide, back in 2008, was a trans woman named Sarah.
It’s important to not erase the many straight people who wrestle with depression and self-harm. However, I want to take this moment to give folks yet another reminder of the shortcomings of the media’s newfound (and, I suspect, fading) interest in homophobic bullying and suicide. Read more…
