Why do people think transpeople have some mental issue, or worse some mental problem(s), simply because they've chosen to become who they know they are, to make the body match the mind, to be whole as a person in the gender they know they are?
It escapes me the stupidity of people who think transpeople have some comorbidity issues, otherwise, they wouldn't be "screwed up" and want to change the sex to match their gender. Many problems transpeople face aren't internal, within themselves, but external, from their family, friends and everything else in their life.
It escapes me they don't see transpeople as just normal people with normal problems with their own unique experience, which happens to be the unfortunate situation of their birth sex. And if they have any other mental conditions or issues it's not related and common to other people.
It escapes me they don't see the flaws in their view about transpeople on this and will just assume their view is reality, and all the arguments against them does nothing to change their mind. Go figure, maybe they're the one with the mental issues and problems.
Thursday, January 16, 2014
Finally
Finally the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is considering requiring, or at least prohibiting explicit exclusion (the current practice with all policies under the Federal Employees Health Benefit Plan (FEHB), coverage for transition care including Sex Reassignment Surgery (SRS).
This, noted here, follows the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) decision recently to include transition care in Medicare plans. Currently it's neither excluded or included, unlike the FEHB where it's excluded.
This means before (Medicare) or after (FEHB) January 1, 2015 patients undergoing transition with either Medicare or FEHB can have as much as 60-80% of their costs covered, especially the major costs of SRS, which can run $12-15,000 overseas or $20-25,000 in the US.
It's likely any coverage will be for US surgeons but there isn't a lack of them, only the waiting time varys from a few months to 6-9 months depending on the surgeon. But as with some health coverage, patients may still have to pay (always full payment up front with SRS) and get reimbursed.
Some surgeons are in some state or local government health plans because their clinic is in the state which makes coverage through the insurance company. Companies which cover it usually do so through riders with their employees health plans and pays direct for the employee minus other costs such as travel, lodging, etc.
This is good news for active or retired federal government employees and those on Medicare. Currently some coverage is defaulted in the health plans, such as drugs, therapy and etc because they're not sex/gender specific than specific to transitioning people.
But it took four years after President Obama endorsed a letter to OPM on LGBT issues which instructed OPM to act on the health insurance coverage. And a good number of patients under FEHB have either paid out of pocket or delayed finishing their transition because of the time for this decision.
At least OPM got there, and so in the 2015 policies people under the FEHB will not see the words, "Sex transformation services and surgery excluded" in the plan coverage brochure and an explanation of the coverage based on the status of the provider (preferred, general or other).
This, noted here, follows the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) decision recently to include transition care in Medicare plans. Currently it's neither excluded or included, unlike the FEHB where it's excluded.
This means before (Medicare) or after (FEHB) January 1, 2015 patients undergoing transition with either Medicare or FEHB can have as much as 60-80% of their costs covered, especially the major costs of SRS, which can run $12-15,000 overseas or $20-25,000 in the US.
It's likely any coverage will be for US surgeons but there isn't a lack of them, only the waiting time varys from a few months to 6-9 months depending on the surgeon. But as with some health coverage, patients may still have to pay (always full payment up front with SRS) and get reimbursed.
Some surgeons are in some state or local government health plans because their clinic is in the state which makes coverage through the insurance company. Companies which cover it usually do so through riders with their employees health plans and pays direct for the employee minus other costs such as travel, lodging, etc.
This is good news for active or retired federal government employees and those on Medicare. Currently some coverage is defaulted in the health plans, such as drugs, therapy and etc because they're not sex/gender specific than specific to transitioning people.
But it took four years after President Obama endorsed a letter to OPM on LGBT issues which instructed OPM to act on the health insurance coverage. And a good number of patients under FEHB have either paid out of pocket or delayed finishing their transition because of the time for this decision.
At least OPM got there, and so in the 2015 policies people under the FEHB will not see the words, "Sex transformation services and surgery excluded" in the plan coverage brochure and an explanation of the coverage based on the status of the provider (preferred, general or other).
Wednesday, January 8, 2014
Not Always
When people who have transitioned talk to those who are considering or in therapy to start their transition or who are in their transition, these people always tell you to go ahead, don't hesitate, come out, go public, be fulltime, and take charge of who you are and your life.
It's often the advice Nike gives, "Just do it", something you expect from the one minute manager expert. These people are usually the ones who often passed as women before or during their transition, who didn't need cosmetic facial surgery, who didn't need very much facial or body hair removal and for whom hormones had an extraordinary change to their face and body.
In short they easily and readily passed. Or if not, they found or had the money to get cosmetic facial surgery and/or breast augmentation surgery. In other words, once they decided they went full speed through their transition through their Sex Reassignment Surgery and got on with their life.
And so they can hand out that advice like candy, they did it so everyone else should do the same, or as some often say, "You're not a true transwoman.", meaning they're the ones who subvertly decide who's true and right or not.
They will always tell their story of hardships and challenges, and how they overcame them or got through them to transition. They'll will always talk about well they were seen and accepted as women, forgetting how easily they passed.
This is often true of those who become public figures or celebrities as transgender women, accepting that word as who they are, but then always arguing they're also just women, like other women, except their experience is different.
They argue they're trying to change the public perception and image of "transgender" women, meaning calling anyone who is transitioning or has transitioned is transgender by definition, theirs and the public's, even if the woman doesn't want the label.
They either forget or disregard those who don't follow their path and advice. And unfortunate for those who can't and have to live with the stereotype these women set and the stigma of how they fail. These women argue against stereotypes while being one themselves.
Not all women transition like they do, and in fact, most don't, taking longer because of work, family, money, health, fitness, time and other reasons or factors. Some take a long time to or don't even transition because they're more afraid they'll be worse off and not accepted if they do transition, and to them, life of quiet desparation is better than a life of public isolation.
We forget that at the heart of this is someone's own gender identity inside the physical body genetics, time, experience and circumstance gave them, and that along with the realities of the transition, especially the cost, overshadows everything anyone else can say about them.
To all those public transgender women, I say to your words and advice, not always. And don't speak for anyone else and especially all transwomen, just speak for yourself.
It's often the advice Nike gives, "Just do it", something you expect from the one minute manager expert. These people are usually the ones who often passed as women before or during their transition, who didn't need cosmetic facial surgery, who didn't need very much facial or body hair removal and for whom hormones had an extraordinary change to their face and body.
In short they easily and readily passed. Or if not, they found or had the money to get cosmetic facial surgery and/or breast augmentation surgery. In other words, once they decided they went full speed through their transition through their Sex Reassignment Surgery and got on with their life.
And so they can hand out that advice like candy, they did it so everyone else should do the same, or as some often say, "You're not a true transwoman.", meaning they're the ones who subvertly decide who's true and right or not.
They will always tell their story of hardships and challenges, and how they overcame them or got through them to transition. They'll will always talk about well they were seen and accepted as women, forgetting how easily they passed.
This is often true of those who become public figures or celebrities as transgender women, accepting that word as who they are, but then always arguing they're also just women, like other women, except their experience is different.
They argue they're trying to change the public perception and image of "transgender" women, meaning calling anyone who is transitioning or has transitioned is transgender by definition, theirs and the public's, even if the woman doesn't want the label.
They either forget or disregard those who don't follow their path and advice. And unfortunate for those who can't and have to live with the stereotype these women set and the stigma of how they fail. These women argue against stereotypes while being one themselves.
Not all women transition like they do, and in fact, most don't, taking longer because of work, family, money, health, fitness, time and other reasons or factors. Some take a long time to or don't even transition because they're more afraid they'll be worse off and not accepted if they do transition, and to them, life of quiet desparation is better than a life of public isolation.
We forget that at the heart of this is someone's own gender identity inside the physical body genetics, time, experience and circumstance gave them, and that along with the realities of the transition, especially the cost, overshadows everything anyone else can say about them.
To all those public transgender women, I say to your words and advice, not always. And don't speak for anyone else and especially all transwomen, just speak for yourself.
Goal
Who can argue against something even genetic (cis)gender people know about themselves? So, what's all the fuss, and even the anger, about transpeople wanting to know the same about themselves? Don't we all want that goal?
Photo credit
Saturday, January 4, 2014
FWIW
For what it's worth, a post-transition, legally recongized female woman is not a transgender woman. She can be considered to have been a transgender woman, past tense, but once she is post-op and legally female, the word (adjective) transgender can not and should not be used to describe her as a woman. She is just female and a woman.
Now if only the media would learn to get their facts right, but then just calling her just a woman doesn't sell stories. And to me, any post-transition woman who still calls herself a transgender woman needs to rethink why she transitioned, unless of course it's not about that but being noticed.
It's one thing to call yourself a transgender woman because it helps other similar women or the transgender community, but does it really, selling a sexual stereotype isn't what other transitioning women need or want to be accepted and live their life as women, to always be thought of and compared to media stereotypes.
Or do all the stereotype "transgender" women simply want the attention? Maybe it's why so many women transition and live after their transition out of the media and stealth. Who wants to always be called a transgender woman? Who want to always reminded of their past? Who wants to always be asked why they're not like those in the media?
If you have to think about it, then you don't understand.
Now if only the media would learn to get their facts right, but then just calling her just a woman doesn't sell stories. And to me, any post-transition woman who still calls herself a transgender woman needs to rethink why she transitioned, unless of course it's not about that but being noticed.
It's one thing to call yourself a transgender woman because it helps other similar women or the transgender community, but does it really, selling a sexual stereotype isn't what other transitioning women need or want to be accepted and live their life as women, to always be thought of and compared to media stereotypes.
Or do all the stereotype "transgender" women simply want the attention? Maybe it's why so many women transition and live after their transition out of the media and stealth. Who wants to always be called a transgender woman? Who want to always reminded of their past? Who wants to always be asked why they're not like those in the media?
If you have to think about it, then you don't understand.
Wednesday, January 1, 2014
Do Not Confuse the Two
The transgender community is praising the Health and Human Service (HHS) agency for extending the ban on discrimination against transgender people under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), but don't confuse it with banning discrimination for health insurance coverage.
The HHS agency did not ban exclusions for transgender health care, especially medically approved and required surgery, aka Sex Reassignment Surgery (SRS), only that the companies can't reject a transgender person or deny claims under the plans.
The health insurance plans overseen and/or managed by the federal government under the ACA, under Medicare and under the Federal Employees Health Benefit (FEHB) plans still exclude coverage for "sex transformation", including and explicitly SRS.
While top 500 companies, some small companies and business, universities, organization and states cover transition healthcare including SRS, the federal government does not under all their health insurance programs.
Banning discrimination of people isn't banning discrimination of coverage. It's time the HHS and Office of Personel Management (OPM) fix the latter and add appropriate coverage for insurers under their programs.
HHS is doing a review for Medicare but not the ACA or is OPM doing it for the FEHB. Those need to be challenged since the President has directed them to change the policy for inclusion of people and healthcare.
The HHS agency did not ban exclusions for transgender health care, especially medically approved and required surgery, aka Sex Reassignment Surgery (SRS), only that the companies can't reject a transgender person or deny claims under the plans.
The health insurance plans overseen and/or managed by the federal government under the ACA, under Medicare and under the Federal Employees Health Benefit (FEHB) plans still exclude coverage for "sex transformation", including and explicitly SRS.
While top 500 companies, some small companies and business, universities, organization and states cover transition healthcare including SRS, the federal government does not under all their health insurance programs.
Banning discrimination of people isn't banning discrimination of coverage. It's time the HHS and Office of Personel Management (OPM) fix the latter and add appropriate coverage for insurers under their programs.
HHS is doing a review for Medicare but not the ACA or is OPM doing it for the FEHB. Those need to be challenged since the President has directed them to change the policy for inclusion of people and healthcare.
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