Sex Survey: 'What Is Your Sex?' No Simple Question For Kaiser
By Joe Eskenazi, Thu., Mar. 24 2011 @ 3:14PM

http://blogs.sfweekly.com/thesnitch/2011/03/sex_survey.php

​For years, the biggest development in querying people's sex was changing the forms to read "What is your sex?" instead of "sex" -- to keep respondents from filling out "Yes."

It seems, however, there is once again latitude in this often straightforward question. An e-mail recently sent to participants in Kaiser Permanente health plans includes a link to a survey to "confirm [participants '] gender and date of birth, and to identify their race/ethnicity and level of education."

We don't know how broad the questions were about birthdays or ethnicity, but it's hard to imagine a more inclusive approach to sex.

This is really good. Best way to ask the question when it's medically relevant.

(When it's not medically relevant, the question shouldn't be asked at all, or if it is, it should just be male/female/other to be inclusive of those who identify outside the binary without making trans people feel like we have to reveal our medical history.)

or answers that are not 'male' or 'female' will be turned down.

I am a member of the Kaiser health plan, and I know several other TG people who are also members.  I have not seen this particular survey, but do know others who have a special marker on their identification cards instead of M or F already. The basic need for a gender marker I have been told is to help in the interpretation of lab results and keep technicians from doubting test accuracy.  I am my Primary Care physician's first Transsexual patient, but he is willing to learn, and since my chart name has not been changed yet, he has made it a note to just use my first name instead of a title, and is being professional about it.  I am getting hormones from them at my regular co-pay for everything else, and my surgery referral letter is sitting in their computer ready to be printed, and with the name of three therapists (two group therapy leaders) and a psychiatrist.