With the UK’s assorted plans for gender recognition act reform largely being dealt with; the media and politicians are quickly turning their attention to demonising trans healthcare instead.

A recent piece published in the Daily Mail claims that the NHS is “seriously compromised by gender ideology” which will “harm women’s rights”. The piece wrongly cites Nimco Ali as the author as she only provided a foreword for the report which was actually authored by Policy Exchange’s Lottie Moore.

The report is rather baffling, never once defining what it means by “gender ideology” and misusing statistics to still stumble over it’s own point. Specifically it references reports of sexual violence made by people on hospital grounds – not necessarily reports of sexual violence that happened on hospital grounds. Statistics which still don’t show any correlation between trans inclusion and women’s safety in healthcare.

A rather baffling report given that it was less than a month ago that news broke about UK healthcare professionals refusing to give cisgender women pelvic exams if they were virgins.

It’s the usual fanfare of weaponising the sexual assault of women to oppose trans people’s humanity. Sexual assault which statistics consistently show is predominately carried out by a cisgender man the woman knows personally – not a random trans healthcare professional or patient receiving healthcare.

It isn’t just this report either with comments echoing trans exclusion even coming from Sajid Javid when he was health secretary and other politicians too. Though notably, none of them seem to address trans healthcare itself or rather the lack of it. Instead choosing to focus on the vocal minority of bigots making a fuss about the fact some trans people are healthcare professionals or patients.

This is why this idea that the NHS is “seriously compromised by gender ideology” so hilarious. It’s so extremely funny to me as someone who has been fighting the NHS for over 10 years in order to get healthcare. Healthcare which I am still not adequately receiving.

This is a theme which is exceedingly common in the trans community. Even some of the UK’s most prominent trans people such as Philosophy Tube’s Abigail Thorn can’t escape it. Her recent video covered her own fight for healthcare extensively. Talking about the over 133 emails she has sent in pursuit of what many trans people in many countries can simply walk into a doctor’s office or even pharmacy and ask for.

That’s why in 2023, as co-founder of Trans Writes and with a budget provided by LGBT+ Futures Equity Fund I am going to be making a huge push towards healthcare related content on this site.

Trans healthcare in the UK is horrific, harmful and is even resulting in the loss of trans lives. I want this truth to be known and inescapable every time one of these politicians dares open their mouth to say something as dogmatically vapid as “The NHS is seriously compromised by gender ideology.”

To do that I’m going to need your help, and I hope that you will reach out to me with your stories of healthcare while transgender. Not just specifically accessing trans healthcare – as I know all too well about how when a GP is unsupportive of your trans healthcare it affects your access to other healthcare too.

Our flat rate of £100 is not enough to repay the financial burdens of healthcare while trans in the UK, nor can it ever make a dent in the emotional and mental burden that fight places on all of us. But it is my hope that if we work to make this site a repository of trans experiences, it can all add up to make a huge impact. I can’t think of a more important place to start than healthcare.

I look forward to seeing you in the inbox soon. 🙂

 

 

 

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