Well I think I figured it out. It has everything to do with the T being part of GLBT or more accurately Gay Male Inc. Anyway, the doctor there was extremely nice and professional and I'd say better than some other doctors I had a long time ago (I don't generally go to doctors at all unless it is serious). I think the main thing was "location, location, location." I told the therapist I didn't want to wait forever to get HRT. I was envisioning spending two months getting an apointment followed by weeks just waiting on lab results followed by another two months for a follow-up appointment before getting HRT. True, I could have gone to any doctor. It makes little sense for me to drive from Scottsdale to central Phoenix for something that can be provided close to home except for the fact that things might just get done faster. At least I don't have a four hour drive like someone here mentioned.
Anyway, anyone familiar with Phoenix, AZ knows that the Gay Male Inc. community is fairly clustered between McDowell and Camelback, 16th St to 19th Ave. So it was a location issue. I don't think there is a doctor's office or even dentist's office in that area that isn't "GLBT."
Anyway, they never pushed HIV stuff on me. I've already shared on this forum my views on that subject. Again, the doctor and staff were extremely nice. They ran some lab tests (I won't hear the results for a few days) and already gave me prescriptions for three hormonal medications. He is going to start me out on a lower dose to make sure I can tolerate the drugs. I don't generally take drugs and consider this a necessary evil to get my body where it needs to be.
Something I found odd was on the forms I had to fill out, there was a section where you could list your sexual orientation. I left that blank. Then there was a section titled "Sex" with a box for "Male," "Female," and "Transgender." I found this extremely odd. If it simply said "Gender" then I would have checked "female" and "transgender." Since it said "Sex" I checked "male" and "transgender." This is because gender refers to a person's identity whereas sex refers to their anatomy. So as much as I hate admitting it, in terms of sex I am male. It even confuses me because while my gender identity is female to some degree there will always be male parts to my biological makeup that will have to be explained to doctors even post-SRS. For instance, I believe they leave the prostate in tact after SRS and then the lack of testes or ovaries post-SRS/orchie will make me biologically "neuter." I'd rather they just have "male" or "female" and state "gender." Then I could simply state "female" (and this goes with any doctor's office) and then bring up the subject when it is relevant to medical care.
Something disturbing was as I was chatting with the Dr. he told me he sees tons of MTF TS clients and many of them are sex workers (again location, location, location). He specifically asked me what my goals were (i.e. SRS yes or no). He said that a number of MTF people coming in there who are sex workers don't want SRS, orchi, or any significant chemical castration because it would interfere with their "business." I know he is telling the truth because I've met dozens of them or more. He seemed surprised that I didn't demonstrate much knowledge about HRT and was interested in simply going with the flow as many people come into his office demanding certain dosages. I think the Dr. and me got along really well. It is sad to think this could be because I'm probably the first trans person who came into his office without an attitude or otherwise giving TG people a bad name. I won't assume such arrogance on my part but based on what he said, it sounds like a significant portion of TG people coming in his office aren't what I would consider (nor he likely) the best example of what humanity has to offer. He then even referenced that he was aware of a number of people coming into his office who have had illegal silicone injections and seemed glad that I was committed to doing things the right way.
That aside, I got my prescriptions so I'm pretty happy. I doubt I will even have time to fill them until this weekend. My insurance only covers mail-ordered drugs. I don't like waiting so I think I'm going to go to a regular pharamcy and just pay for them outright and then mail order the refills. I hate to sound arrogant but I'm sick of seeing examples of transgender people living bankrupt lives (i.e. hooking, illegal HRT, illegal silicone, etc.). I'm not responsible for their behavior nor am I required to be a part of the "community" but I personally like to see people who have trans in common with me succeed in life. I also hate to be stereotyped in with such a crowd. I know that being trans is a lot harder on many other people than it has been on me but the dozens or more of these TG people I've known who fit any or all of the categories above in parentheses for the most part have brought those troubles on themselves and chosen those issues and still have an option of turning things around yet fail to do so. Anyway, enough ranting. Thanks for everyone's support. Once I pop the first pill, I'll be sure to update my signature, blog, etc. with the next milestone.
