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reflecting on the vulnerability of seeking medical care while being misgendered: it& #39;s a common experience for me because I have a chronic illness. it forces me to navigate other ppl& #39;s transphobia while in pain and needing their support to access to life sustaining treatment.
I have very few defenses in these circumstances and no power to advocate for myself. complaints/human rights processes are time consuming, cost prohibitive, and too slow to actually help in these situations, so I have to rely on my face, voice, and body to "prove" gender.
I use extreme politeness and deference to navigate outward trans hostility and misgendering but it often doesn& #39;t change the fundamental dynamic. It& #39;s one of the major reasons why I& #39;ve sought facial feminization surgery because I have to rely to my face to help me access care.
I think people dramatically underestimate how common these experiences are and how much bodily danger that transphobia creates in situations like this: your percieved humanity and trust worthiness is central to the care that you get from medical staff.
being trans, particularly a trans woman where your gendered presentation is read against your medical documentation in hostile ways, means that you rarely are seen as an honest relayer of your experiences/symptoms or considered worth medical care.
there& #39;s an entire power structure and hierarchy of medical care that directly correlates to whether or not you are seen to be a "worthy patient" and transphobia often endangers your life by making your life suspect, less worthy, and untrustworthy.
