VIEWS

8August 19, 2021 Views

ZACKARY DRUCKER | THE GENDER SPECTRUM COLLECTION A doctor showing a patient a syringe used to inject testosterone and pointing at the recommended injection site.

Healthcare lacks trans education

Many face discrimination when seeking medical help

LEO CABRAL EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

A trip to the hospital can induce anxiety in some and total horror in others.

I’m not talking about the fear of needles. I’m talking about being queer in the healthcare system.

There are many reasons why transgender people express trepidation when the time comes to see a doctor — this can include misgendering, dead-naming, anti-LGBTQ+ legislation and transphobia.

Trans and nonbinary people have to convince their doctors of their trans identity, endure uncomfortable questions unrelated to health care about their genitals, educate medical professionals about basic terms and more.

They feel the necessity to choose between their mental health and their transition. There have been cases where sharing a history of mental illness while being trans has led to doctors withholding gender-affirming care because they deem that our transness is the source.

The 2015 report of the U.S. Transgender Survey revealed one-third of survey respondents had at least one bad experience related to being transgender when seeking treatment. Another 23% of respondents did not seek any health care due to fear of being mistreated.

Our gender identity is not the source of our distress. It is navigating one’s queerness in a world that often violently rejects our authenticity and pleas for equal healthcare that creates the mental illnesses.

According to the American Psychiatric Association, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) didn’t mention gender identity before 1980. Additionally, the manual only recently replaced the outdated term “gender identity disorder (GID)” with “gender dysphoria” in the 2013 DSM-5.

As a trans-masculine nonbinary person, I loathe the entire healthcare experience. Every aspect flls me with dread, from fnding new providers to mental health.

I have had hormone treatment delayed by my endocrinologist because he didn’t believe my lived experience as a nonbinary person. I have been told to exaggerate my case so I would be more likely to receive care.

I have educated several therapists and nurses about my identity and sexuality. And I have avoided getting help out of fear of discrimination.

On the other hand, a cisgender man can have testosterone prescribed if he is experiencing sexual dysfunction. A cisgender woman can receive breast augmentation without letters of recommendation from mental health professionals.

The lack of knowledge on the LGBTQ+ community across medical felds is preposterous. Many queer people are left with the burden of fnding inclusive, unbiased and affordable care themselves, frequently having to create the spaces they desperately need.

Due to lack of representation and proper education, I have had to self-educate and unlearn toxic narratives that have been instilled throughout my youth.

So when a healthcare professional doubts my gender identity, gate-keeps or needs me to educate them on LGBTQ+ experiences outside of inaccurate media portrayals, I feel exhausted, angry and let down.

The picture I have painted isn’t every trans person’s experience with health care because the trans experience isn’t a monolithic one. Trans people have friends, family, jobs and complex lives outside of their gender identity.

Transgender people deserve the same respect and access to care as our cisgender counterparts. We are human and are deserving of dignity and autonomy.

Actions need to go further than a simple recommendation from the American Medical Association to remove the sex

” “ Transgender people deserve the same respect and access to care as our cisgender counterparts.

marker from the public side of birth certifcates.

It must go further than a brief educational chapter inserted in a care manual.

If medical professionals listened to queer folk, viewed it as an educational experience, and saw us as human, we would have fewer premature trans deaths in the community.

Hospitals, providers and mental health institutions must do better. There’s no lack of information, resources, educational workshops and reading material.

What I ask is to be met halfway. Do not burden an already marginalized and oppressed group to hold you accountable.

Refusing to listen and make an effort is perpetuating violence against the trans community.

ditorial E

JULIANNA HERNANDEZ | VIEWPOINTS

District mandates a good start

The Riverside Community College District campuses will fnally be open to the students, staff and faculty after three semesters of distance education.

However, this return does not come without its restrictions. The RCCD Board of Trustees have passed a resolution that mandates vaccinations and face-coverings in order to step foot on the campuses.

The Viewpoints Editorial Board supports these mandates that will be in effect throughout the three campuses.

Though the mandates are a good start, we urge the district to improve their communications with everyone enrolled and employed across campuses. Enforcing mandates a couple weeks before the term begins has caused a frenzy and panic amongst students, staff, employees and the community alike.

We also implore that all in-person classes and indoor spaces be properly socially-distanced and sanitized often.

Like many others, we are concerned about the health and safety of the student body and community, which is why we believe this is the best solution to ensure that goal.

This pandemic has taken its toll on our entire college community, including our newsroom, both mentally and physically.

The newsroom has a strong familiarity with the struggles that virtual learning has brought, and quickly operating under the safest guidelines possible has not been easy for any staff involved. The severe damage this virus has caused only makes us more motivated to follow the guidelines to stop the spread the fastest way we can.

However, we do understand that many students disagree with the idea of mandating vaccinations for a myriad of reasons. It is understandable that many distrust vaccines due incidents of medical racism and discrimination in the American healthcare system.

In a global state of emergency where over 620,000 Americans have died, though, we must consider if there is a plausible motive for scientists or the government to maliciously experiment on the global population rather than make it healthier against a new deadly virus.

According to the California State of Public Health about 63% of Californians age 12 and older are fully vaccinated with 10% partially vaccinated, and “most current hospitalizations and deaths are among unvaccinated persons.”

Many are skeptical of how quickly the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) was processed.

In a state of global emergency it should be a top priority to fnd a viable and effcacious solution immediately, and EUAs are rigorous in that aspect, not nefarious.

Yes, the EUA is not a full FDA approval, but Pfzer and Moderna have applied for full approval of their vaccines. Still, it is a timely process.

Every individual has had a different experience with COVID due to a plethora of reasons that are not limited to race, class, mental health, gender and sexuality.

The weight of the pandemic’s impact on everyone has taken its toll physically and mentally, including the Viewpoints staff.

If you can fnd no reason to care about curbing the virus, do it for those who you know will be disproportionately impacted by your actions.

We encourage anyone who desires to get COVID-19 under control to stay informed and follow public health guidance so everyone can return to in-person livelihoods sooner rather than later.

Viewpoints’ editorials represent the majority opinion of and are written by the Viewpoints’ student editorial board.

STAFF

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Leo Cabral (951) 222-8488 viewpoints@rcc.edu

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JOURNALISM SPECIALIST Matt Schoenmann matthew.schoenmann@rcc.edu

FACULTY ADVISERS Matt Schoenmann Angela Burrell

INTERIM NEWS EDITOR Elaina Kleven

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INTERIM ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR Liv Pearson

INTERIM SPORTS EDITOR Jesus Coronel

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INTERIM PHOTO EDITOR Raehdojhn Rice

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INTERIM ONLINE EDITOR

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INTERIM OPINIONS EDITOR Alondra Alarcon

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INTERIM ASSISTANT OPINIONS EDITOR Jennipher Vasquez

INTERIM LIFE EDITOR Cheetara Piry

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INTERIM MULTIMEDIA EDITOR Tim Nacey

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INTERIM SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER Alondra Alarcon

Brian Calderon John Guerrero Julianna Hernandez

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