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THREAD: Transgender Day of Remembrance.
We're all posting about solidarity. Great. But this isn’t enough. So, let me quickly talk about something directly impacting our trans students which sabbatical officers can work on.
We're all posting about solidarity. Great. But this isn’t enough. So, let me quickly talk about something directly impacting our trans students which sabbatical officers can work on.
Background: GenderGP is a private, affordable healthcare for transgender people. It does not discriminate on the basis of age, gender or geographical location. Considering the long, arduous, invasive and extremely gate-keeping processes based on a postcode lottery system,
trans teenagers must go through to secure gender affirmation treatment on the NHS, it makes sense that many of their parents turn to GenderGP for private hormone prescriptions. Clear Chemist is the pharmacy that up till last month filled these prescriptions!
However, after media attacks and pressure, last month Clear Chemist stated they could no longer fill prescriptions from GenderGP for trans patients under 18. This means trans teenagers will no longer receive the healthcare they need.
So, what’s this got to do with Unis?
So, what’s this got to do with Unis?
Well, it means that many trans students who would have transitioned before 18 will now be transitioning in their first year of Uni. This means we have to considerably step up in the support we are providing to our trans students.
We also need to radically improve their
We also need to radically improve their
experience of seeking frontline healthcare for the first time whilst at Uni instead of when living at home & could be supported (*caveat that not all people will have supportive parents).
This is because seeking treatment without the support of home is gonna be pretty traumatic.
This is because seeking treatment without the support of home is gonna be pretty traumatic.
In 2016, the Women & Equalities Commission found “The NHS is failing in its legal duty under the Equality Act in this regard. There is a lack of continuing professional development (CPD) and training in this area amongst GPs. There is also a lack of clarity about referral
pathways for Gender Identity Services. And the NHS as an employer and commissioner is failing to ensure zero tolerance of transphobic behaviour amongst staff and contractors.”
In 2020 we STILL have no agreed standards of care for NHS trusts and clinical commissioning groups.
In 2020 we STILL have no agreed standards of care for NHS trusts and clinical commissioning groups.
So, yeah, we REALLY need to up our support.
So what can we do? Officers:
1) Form a good working relationship with the lead GP, encourage them to take into account the views of service users, not the gender critics and open up discussions around evidence-based, published.
So what can we do? Officers:
1) Form a good working relationship with the lead GP, encourage them to take into account the views of service users, not the gender critics and open up discussions around evidence-based, published.
guidance & up-to-date training. Transgender care is not a specialist area of medicine – hormones are an area of medicine that every GP has a command of, and one in which our cisgender women students regularly receive treatment for (contraception).
2) Encourage your student health centre to adopt a Bridge Prescription Policy. This can considerably lower the harm risks to trans students who are waiting for treatment.
You can find more information here:
You can find more information here:
It's really important SUs and Unis take note and are PROACTIVE in light of these recent changes from dispensing bodies & to the negative impact they'll have on students. This is life-threatening stuff.
Follow @TransThruTime and @UoE_LGBTQ for other ways you can be an ally.
Follow @TransThruTime and @UoE_LGBTQ for other ways you can be an ally.
Most importantly, stand with transgender students and staff, learn from them, and love them. Being loved and accepted for who we are is the very baseline. Let's be sector-leading in radical inclusion on campus. Let transgender staff and students excel and thrive here.
*realised a typo - it should say 1) form a good working relationship with the lead GP at your student health centre! - not just any GP! Apologies - 8/10 on the fibro pain scale today so brain power depleted!
Bridging Policies are life-saving and are advocated by the Royal College of Psychiatrist's for the harm reductive impacts.
