I have built in prejudices like everyone else.. . I, however, understand that like in people in general, doctors are not about what they look or sound like. So I take each one at face value, hope for the best and continue to use them if they show they are good at what they do. To this end, a young Spanish female doctor saved my life 15 years ago, a middle aged Iranian surgeon removed a huge brain tumour from my head without killing me, a young Asian guy proved to be the most amazing endocrinologist I have ever met and an Ethiopian refugee, was my overnight nurse in hospital recovering from surgery who just went above and beyond to ease my pain..

Stereotypes are best avoided when dealing with your health..

If you go to the source here:
https://busquedas.elperuano.pe/dispositivo/NL/2287398-1

you will see (if you translate it) that this is about national insurance for health care, and not allowing insurance to exclude any conditions.. It uses the ICD-10 diagnoses, that are used worldwide to classify disorders and states that anything in these classifications is legally covered.

For example one of the codes covered, F64.0 ( https://www.icd10data.com/ICD10CM/Codes/F01-F99/F60-F69/F64-/F64.0 ) transsexualism, is now covered under state law. It is a shame that the ICD.10 still indicates that these are mental disorders. A mental disorder is not a mental illness BTW, but it is biased reporting to state that this was something the Peruvian government has stated or some 'backwards step' as posted by the pink news.. This is a case of checking your facts before getting offended.. many people are too easily offended.. I think most people in Peru will welcome this move forward in what is a country with a lot of other issues.

As a side note, intersex is in the ICD-10 - The ICD-10-CM diagnosis code for indeterminate sex is Q56.4. The World Health Organization (WHO) lists this code under the range of congenital malformations, deformations, and chromosomal abnormalities. Again, bad reporting by Pink News stating that this was being listed as a mental disorder.. when it is clearly not, just a disorder also included in the new legislation.

The cataracts in my eyes were so bad that I did not see the parking brake light in the dash of my car. I drove it several times without releasing the parking brake until a half mile down the road. I burned up the rear brakes. I had planned to go to the St Cloud, MN VA., but my eyes were bad enough that I would not be able to read the street signs. Now my car needs to be repaired first. I used to do my own maintenance, and did not realize I needed an appointment to get my car repaired. My appointment is at the end of the month.
My eyes have already been repaired, and now they need to heal. With the cataracts gone, I can now see the computer monitor without glasses. I even had to turn down the brightness. I will need glasses for driving, but I found an old pair that now gives me 20/20 vision.
It got a bit depressing as I could not drive anywhere, and had to rely on the senior center for a driver to take me to the eye doctor.
It is a mile walk to the grocery store from home with the post office midway between. I try to do this walk daily, even when I don't get groceries.
I will need to take some papers with me to St Cloud, as the name on my dd214 does not match the name on my driver's license.
Michelle

I agree, Allie.

I think it has to do with honesty. Being honest with ourselves helps us be a better person, which improves the world... one person at a time.

It is quite confusing. Some of it is our own fault.

L=Lesbian
G=Gay
B=Bisexual
   are sexual orientations.

T=Transgender
Q=Queer
+=Everyone else who is non-binary
   are gender identities.

By lumping everyone together, we create confusion in those who don't understand what the terms mean.
They assume that every one that is not "straight" is automatically in the LGBTQ+ category. Of course, we accept everyone because, as a group, we are more inclusive than those who are hetero and/or binary.

Then we have all the possible combinations of gender identities coupled with sexual orientation, including heterosexual. How can we expect anyone to understand when we get confused ourselves?

How are intersex people included in this? I don't understand.

Quote from: Oldandcreaky on Yesterday at 08:20:42 PMLovely, Allie.

Thank you. Just honest, I think. I do think that is the kind of stuff I'm most looking forward to in all of this. It's not the trappings of "femininity" -- I mean, who defines that anyway? -- it's the way my relationship to the world at large, and more specifically my little corner of it, will be changed and enriched.

Happy birthday to each of you!

Chrissy

Lovely, Allie.

Quote from: LoriDee on Yesterday at 05:40:36 PMI never have a problem with questions like that. It is just small talk between friends and they ask because they are interested and truly want to understand. There's nothing wrong with that at all.

Oh I couldn't agree more. But I do know everyone doesn't feel that way.

And you know what? This just sort of dawned on me. I think back to just a few months ago, to my entire life before letting people know about the real me... I think I very much was less casual about being asked such personal questions.

I don't think people knew it (obviously), but I was always concerned I might inadvertently say something that would show my cards, so to speak. So it was always about what could I say, without really saying everything. And I think it probably led to a lot of flippant, sarcastic and humerous answers... and me using my ability to redirect a conversation away from anything potentially too probing.

The result is that I think I missed out on a level of closeness with people. I do have a number of close friends. But I wonder how much deeper those relationships would have been by now. Just by my friend's 20-questions and my open-book responses ... I think there's a lot to look forward to in the future.