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Standing alone

“NO MATTER what, you’ll always be a woman”. Got you angry? Well then you’ll have an idea of how I felt when a so-called ‘Health Professional’ told me this.

It all started when I went to see a doctor about my skin condition. He wanted to know about what medications I was on, as I was about to start a course of Roaccutane, something that would change my life forever in many ways.

During the course of seeking treatment for my skin condition Dr. Dickhead (name I have given him due to confidentiality) requested a pregnancy test. I explained that it was not necessary because I have GID and it was absurd given that I have never heard of any man becoming pregnant. He in turn refused me treatment.

In response to this, Dr B. wrote to him outlining my condition and the extent of sensitivity required for someone with GID. I later found that he did this test anyway with blood given for other purposes.

After many consultations with Dr. Dickhead, I was vilified in ways you could not imagine. It started off as the occasional comment here and there. During the last appointment I attended I was told things like “it’s all fun and games while you’re young, think carefully before you go and mutilate your body, your psychiatrist is just feeding your fantasy, your partner will leave you when she wants to have children for someone who was born in a man’s body. No matter what you do you’ll always be a woman”. (Which is absurd because I wasn’t one in the first place)

The small room seemed to get smaller and smaller, my palms were dripping with sweat, my face burning with anger, I was shaking so badly with rage, the room was closing in on me. Was he right? Was this just a phase I was going through? Was all of those appointments with the psych just a fantasy? Was I being over sensitive? Hell no!

I sat there mortified and angry. So angry I wanted to jump over the desk and beat the living shit out of this person. Luckily for him there was another doctor present at the time. If there wasn’t, I would most likely be writing this from a jail cell.

I told him through gritted teeth that my situation had absolutely nothing to do with him and that he best leave it alone. This warning just fell on deaf ears because he just kept going, until the other doctor present told him he best leave the room. Which he finally did as I glared at him with such hatred and disgust.

After he left the room and I finally received my script, which was the sole reason for me to be there in the first place, I left red faced and angry. I walked out to the waiting room where my partner Dee was waiting for me. She took one look at me and said “what happened” with a great deal of concern. I don’t think she had seen me so angry in the years we had been together. It was then I verbalised the horrors of what had happened in that room.

I went to the Public Liaison Officer and made a complaint in regards to the way I was treated. She looked at me with pure disbelief but took my complaint just the same.

A week later I received a phone call from Dr. Dickhead telling me that I took what he said the wrong way during the course of my appointments. My response to this was, “someone’s with you aren’t they”. He confirmed this and it made it clear this was a forced effort.

This was by no means good enough for me, as I knew it would happen again – given that I had previously expressed concerns in regards to his behaviour when I was supposed to see him some months prior to commencing treatment.

I tried to get assistance from ATSAQ in regards to this situation but was openly rejected by them. They stated they were unable to assist me in any way telling me I was fighting a battle I would not win, but to let them know how I get on.

After discussing the phone calls with Dee, she clarified that this was not good enough and further action was required. She then contacted the Health Minister outlining the events that had taken place. The Minister was mortified to hear about the events and proceeded to contact all involved immediately.

The Minister then called us back advising that the situation that had occurred was outside of the guidelines of conduct and they would support us in any further action we were willing to take.

I then presented my case to the Discrimination Board who advised me that this was a form of discrimination and I was well within my rights to have the matter heard. A conciliation hearing then took place in attempt to resolve the matter.

At this hearing I was on my own and Dr. Dickhead came with his army of legal representatives (including government officials). Due to him denying allegations put forward against him, no agreement was able to be reached.

The Discrimination Board then advised me to seek legal representation, so I went to Legal Aid and outlined my case to them. They agreed I had just cause and were prepared to represent me in what turned out to be a landmark case.

Once Dr. Dickhead became aware that I had obtained legal representation, I was then offered an amount of $1500. I rejected this offer as I was looking for education for health professionals about GID to prevent this from happening again to anyone else regardless of being F to M or M to F.

After two more attempts at trying to buy me off, it was finally agreed that education would be mandatory in one particular public hospital and they would pay me $6000. I tried to get all of the hospitals to have the same requirement but was only successful in getting one to have this training.

I am hoping this will create a domino effect throughout all of the hospitals in Australia so that anyone with GID can receive the relevant health care without going through the hardship of being treated like a ‘freak of nature’. In attempt to do this I am looking for support to make this apply across the board. Please lobby for your public hospitals to put in place this training so we are no longer invisible.

My major success is that as of December 2006 (when my case was settled) it is now law that no one with GID can be vilified or discriminated against for any reason.

KD (2007). Standing alone, Torque, 7(2).