Have I understood this correctly?

I commented on a thread elsewhere about my recent experience. I had to have a breast ultrasound, it was firstly done by a doctor (female) who was learning the ropes, and then double checked by the consultant (male). I was absolutely fine with this, I was informed and asked for specific consent.

I stand by my previous post, in that vulnerable place someone gaslighting me is the last person I'd want anywhere near me and I would question their motivation. (A decent TW just wouldn't do it)

consented to performing in his roleplay.

Thanks for this, @JellySaurus, I couldn't explain to myself why I would actively NOT want a trans person doing intimate examinations or care.

Tbh, I'd be uncomfortable with it in any but the most ordinary social situations, but feel revulsion at the thought of a TW examining my sex organs. That bothered me, so I was having debates with myself. This is it! I'm not a stage prop.

It's not a secret that the root of some transwomen's trans identity is autogynephilia. It's bad enough in a normal context being forced to be an unconsenting participant in another person's fetish, but in a medical setting with intimate exams you're getting into sexual assault territory.

Since we can't tell which transwomen are motivated by AGP* then any woman who's not ok with this is entirely within her rights to refuse consent to being used in this way in a medical setting.

It's frankly staggering that anyone would think this was ok.

*I know often it's actually fairly obvious when it's a fetish - generally they don't look like David Beckham in a skirt.

"The wording of this looks like deliberate and cynical attempt to mislead the public"

Yes. that is exactly what it is. Sheer contempt for women for whom they are supposed to show care and respect. Who do they think they are? This reminds me of the Edinburgh Rape Crisis person.

We know he's not dressing that way for the patient. That's the problem!

'If you have a preference of the gender identity of the person responsible for performing the examination please let us know in advance so that we may be able to accommodate your request'.

The wording of this looks like deliberate and cynical attempt to mislead the public.

Thank you that is a useful insight. I agree that a woman would need to be informed that the staff member was female. But I do recognise how that could be an invasion of the privacy of the staff member. However, if a staff member was openly transman-identified I think that would be fine for all parties. If not then she can simply choose not get involved in providing same sex care which would prevent the need to disclose anything.

I had a check of my right breast a few years ago. Female staff who were lovely for the ultrasound and mammogram. Then a male consultant who asked me to remove my upper clothes behind a screen and lie down so he could do a physical manipulation. As I disappeared behind the screen he shouted for a nurse to come and chaperone.

I lay there naked from the waist up looking at the ceiling to avoid uncomfortable eye contact. The consultant felt around the breast and armpit and eventually stood up telling me I could get dressed again. That was when I looked away from the ceiling and saw another man at the foot of the treatment bed. The chaperone. I was shocked. I felt violated.

Then I realised that the chaperone was the man the same height as me, 5’ 4” who had escorted me from the waiting room. I hadn’t clocked him as a transman but he could have been. I don’t know. I was preoccupied and it wasn’t significant for being guided to a waiting room. Either way, I was angry and upset and not in a good state to take in what the consultant was telling me.

So while in principle I might have been ok with a biological female as chaperone, I would have wanted to be warned and I doubt that would be acceptable to a trans member of staff.

There are two levels for me - I have had male medical pros do intimate stuff and been fine with that but on other days and other circumstances I have requested a woman. If I ask for woman I expect to get a woman, if I don't ask and would be happy for a man to treat me I suppose I would be OK with a TW. But there is the 'uncanny valley' aspect of men who try to present as female that is different to a man who isn't displaying his gender id.

Interesting responses that highlight that some women would settle for a male clinician for an internal procedure (including me) but would draw the line at one LARPing as a woman. This, I think reinforces how innately unsettling and uncomfortable it all is for many of us, and yet we are meant to just accept it as if it were perfectly natural and normal. Well it bloody well isn’t.

This.

Oh you'd know. A photo can be filtered, carefully posed, whatever, but movement, speech, Adam's apple, hand size, smell, they all give it away in real life when a man tries to disguise his sex.

Indeed. I would be more than happy to have a ‘transman’, I don’t care as long as they are female. And they can’t exactly accuse you of transphobia in that case.

And as professionals trained to understand that the dignity and comfort of the patient is paramount and second only to issues of patient safety.
Any professional who puts their own feelings above those of their patient is in the wrong job.

I had one of those last year and I was so grateful the sonographer and attending nurse were both female.
I'm generally quite robust was surprised to find that I felt it was an incredibly invasive process with a lot of very deep prodding at awkward angles, with me in odd positions ‐I felt quite vulnerable, despite the clinician saying all the right things, clearly referencing her own lived experience of female anatomy, to help me 'align' with the probe. I can't even imagine what it would have been like had the sonographer been male.

When I grew up in right-on Scandinavia in the 80s, all sexually active women were expected to have annual gynaecological check-ups with a gynaecologist, kind of the same vibe as going for a dental check-up. The age of consent was 15, but one could easily get prescribed oral contraceptives before that age (and be summoned for check-ups from then onwards) no questions asked pertaining to statutory rape, by visiting a gynaecologist, all of whom seemed to be male in my small town. No question of it being more appropriate for young women to be seen by female clinicians. Thinking about that now feels totally grim.

The adjective “professional” isn’t some magical charm against sexual assault, which, unfortunately, does happen in medical (as well as many other) settings.

In the short term while (collective) we try to sort this shit out I might play them at their own game and say you want a c*sgender woman (I know) or a transman. It’s absolute bollocks and not at all right but it is a solution for you to get the scan you need done by someone female.
After all, a male identifying as female is neither of the above are they?

@ManchesterLu is there was 1 woman who this caused distress to what do you propose we do? Do we sacrifice this one woman for the validation of the TW? Two women? Ten women? 100 women? 1000 women?

How many women is it acceptable to feel distressed, uncomfortable or avoid the procedure all together because of this?

It's not being a "goady fucker" to point out that literally thousands of medical professionals have some kind of mark against them for various things including assault and rape,yet still get to practice medicine.
Just have a quick look at the medical register.
My own dr has a court case coming up soon for alleged assault.

The clinic I went to for one was generalised for Xray, CT, MRI and ultrasound. As such there were male and female patients in the waiting room, and male and female staff. I started to get very worried I would get a male staff member.

However, my experience was like yours fortunately. A lovely female chaperone and female sonographer who went out of her way to make me comfortable and reassure me. So OP I really hope this will be your experience also.

Maybe you should play their stupid game and ask for a cis female.

I had exactly that experience when I had a breast biopsy and ultrasound.

Exactly

I would be very, very wary of any man who identifies as female wanting to be involved in any intimate procedures.

OP

I have had this procedure recently. I stated up front to the GP that I have past trauma from male violence (inc male HCP) and I NEED a female HCP. She wrote it on my referral.

The lady from the admin team rang me and said "do you want Saturday appointment or Sunday appointment. On Saturday it's a female team"
She sounded ordinary. Most ordinary people don't pretend sex is irrelevant, I trusted her.

I attended the procedure, there were two female HCP. They could not have been more reassuring. They had clearly read my notes and continually checked I was ok & engaged me in distracting chat. They also kept checking I was still consenting to the procedure continuing. They understood trauma.

I encourage you to clearly state what you need and what you consent to. You don't need to mention trans. If you worry that you won't be able to back out if faced with a male who is attempting to override your consent, you can say you need the toilet. In fact, they will likely ask you to empty your bladder first anyway.