Susan's Place Transgender Resources

Two years ago, my ex-doctor changed my sex marker in the medical group I use. I didn't even ask, so I was pretty happy when I was perusing my clinic paperwork and saw "male" in the appropriate place. One less thing for me to worry about.

Except...he apparently didn't change it at the administrative level for the entire system, so I found myself staring at the wrong marker one day when I visited another facility. It hit me pretty hard. After a lot of stewing, I talked to someone about it and supposedly had it taken care of. I had to deal with the issue twice before it was resolved.

This week, I was at the original facility where my old doc had changed my marker back in 2013. I didn't pay much attention to my paperwork until I was sorting through it to get my prescriptions filled at the pharmacy. Out of the blue, the printout said "female" again.

Um.

It was quite a jolt, and I was out in public and short on sleep--fighting my emotions, calling myself a girl and a freak, not thinking too clearly. But I had to go back to the facility to get blood drawn, so I went to reception and pointed out the error. The receptionist's supervisor assured me that she would get in touch with the computer genies and try to have the situation corrected. I was afraid I was outing myself, but maybe not. The first woman had a disgusted look on her face when she realized the error, and the second woman was incredibly solicitous. I certainly don't look like a woman.

I had the blood drawn, went out and ran more errands, and picked up my mail at the UPS Store. I was pulling out all of my mail and found myself staring at an envelope from the very same clinic. Probably another charitable giving request. Anyway, the envelope read "Ms. Malename Lastname." I just about blew a gasket a second time.

When I talked to the supervisor on the phone later, she said that the marker had been changed and that I shouldn't be getting any more mail addressed to "Ms." All the same, I am keeping her business card in case I need her help again.

But after a long nap, I am thinking much more clearly. I am absolutely positive that my usual facility had me down as male for at least a year and a half; I even noted the event in my journal. And I know that an administrator assured me that my marker had been updated throughout the system. I also know that the last charity plea was addressed to "Mr." Yet today, the receptionist told me that I was male in the main system but female for just this facility. Someone at that facility had to have intentionally changed me back.

Who the hell would do such a thing, and why? And why not talk to me about it first? What the hell is going on?

At least the distress lasted for only a couple of hours this time, but now I'm downright paranoid.

I feel your pain.

I was stopped for speeding and the very nice policeman ran my licence and came to me and said. "you realise your gender marker is male?" I told him I was TG female and had changed it. He just looked disgusted and said "There are hate people everywhere" He gave me a ticket with no fine and told me to go and change it again and if I had  trouble to call him and he would put in a report for discrimination.

Never doubt there are people who hate us, but also never doubt there are supporters.

Wow. That could have been very unpleasant. I finally stopped feeling paranoid about the police, but I remind myself to be extra careful because one wrong move (such as hitting a pedestrian who is crossing against the signal) could land me in a female jail. I don't think I would take that too well.

The more I think about today's experience, the more disturbed I am. WHO is out to get me?

I keep telling myself that it was a tech glitch, but I don't see how that could be.

As a matter of fact, I have uncovered a bunch of paperwork from the last half of 2014 and have established that the change was made in the past six months. For my last visit to the usual facility--in late September--I am listed as male. I went in for something completely unrelated to my transition, and the doctor didn't seem to realize I am trans. Still, maybe he had something to do with it.

I feel like taking this printout to the supervisor to see if she can track down the culprit, but I'm wary of calling further attention to myself. I'll probably feel better tomorrow, but I don't think I'll ever be able to visit any of these facilities again without double-checking my gender marker and wondering who has been messing with me.

I know we are in different countries and I am in the health system, when I looked up my medical records that were in my male name. Since I had supervisor privilege I will not say what I did but my records are now all female.

I do not have any idea why.

I do think however that we are far more sensitive than cis people to simple things like gender markers. One of my labs run an FMH test for women who have given birth to a Rhesus opposite child, we need to give them anti-D factor for future protection, the number of times we have had an 80 year old (read 18 year old) or a male (read female) giving birth, or a combination of the two is countless. From my lab : "Hi Cindy, we have an 80 year old man who has just given birth, do I do the FMH, or reject for a correction, she wants to leave today BTW?"
Lots of laughter from my lab and usually; her baby is so cute, she doesn't look 80 and her hubby hasn't realised he is with an 80 yr old man.

Lab people are use to this crap.

Mine are! :laugh:

I know that weird little glitches occur, but it's hard for a lot of trans people to not feel persecuted when the mistakes happen to us. On the other hand, this could not have been a mistake. I keep thinking that the doctor I saw in September must have changed the marker, but who knows?

I'll be checking that paperwork automatically at least until my bottom surgery is completed. Stuff like this just makes me feel unsafe. Not just that but also betrayed.

I understand very well. 1.5 years as male, never as female for my endo and the whole system she works in. Suddenly all changed to female. I had a bird of course and was told it was automatic because social security wasn't changed. Social security was changed though so that excuse don't fly. They did change it back but it caused me some grief for a few months.

Flimsy excuse. Someone was messing with you, too? Did you ever find out?

I'm still mulling over whether to pursue this. I didn't like the doctor I saw last September--he really annoyed me--so I am glad I made a switch. Maybe he was annoying in other ways as well.

That is a distinct possibility for it to be changed, a nasty and rude thing to do. I'm my GP's only TG patient and he has been wonderful but it wasn't until a year into my change that he said, 'Oh your gender is down on my records as male, do you want it changed?' I was a little shocked that he needed to ask!

In my case, I think it was a certain nurse when I had to go for a dreaded mammogram.  I wasn't given any reasonable excuse.

Notwithstanding malicious intent, in Australia mammograms are free to females, and not to men. Most clinics will automatically claim the government fee so they list the client as female.

I realise the USA system is different but not sure of the specifics.

Insurance was listed as male already. The clinic saying female could be enough to refuse payment.   Under the new laws, I'm unsure if that is still true.

Technology. Bureaucracy. Bah! Humbug!!!

Quote from: LordKAT on March 15, 2015, 01:47:17 AM
Insurance was listed as male already. The clinic saying female could be enough to refuse payment.   Under the new laws, I'm unsure if that is still true.

I don't think anyone knows, and I certainly wouldn't want to be a test case.