"Delay to self-ID puts trans people’s sexual health at risk, charities warn"

[Igneococcus]

Times Scotland today:

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/delay-to-self-id-puts-trans-people-s-sexual-health-at-risk-charities-warn-rxw9k7kf0?shareToken=7c1270ec050747101d90804f49f17056

Globally trans women are 49 times more likely to have HIV than the general population, the World Health Organisation has said.

A global figure is of no use, what are the rates in the UK?

Is this the same as using Brazillian figures for murder and applying them to the UK?

How about we use South African rape figures to get rape support for women?

The sexual health clinics here are drop in. I don't see how self ID will lead to misgendering being less of an issue.

What are the comparative rates for gay men for HIV worldwide?

Do they record the stats for STDs in trans people or is that disallowed because they are just recorded for men and women?

Of course everyone should have access to sexual health services, and any other medical treatment they need, but I don't see how this is the way to do it.

Sex A patient’s request to change the sex indicated on their medical records should be respected; they do not have to have been granted a Gender Recognition Certificate or have acquired an updated birth certificate for this to be changed.

from www.essexlmc.org.uk/recording-gender-medical-records/

So surely there is a unique problem here with transwomen having different risk factors to women.

Surely the solution is fuck all to do with self ID as such and simply about a lack of dedicated trans sexual health clinics and finding which could operate on a self id basis without the need for the law to be used at all.

This is a funding and resource issue rather than a specific self ID one.

Trans women should get the specialist skills they need. Not gatecrash a womans clinic nor get money out of the womans sexual health pot.

Trans women should get the specialist skills they need

They should. But until they stop trying to get drs fired , discredited, and piled on on Twitter should they dare to seek out any negative outcomes to surgeries and treatments it's not going to get better is it. Mistakes and negative outcomes are awful obviously, but looking at them and admitting them is important. They are what drive people to make things better. They are what help people make decisions as to what to do.

We wouldn't have keyhole surgery if no one.had looked at infection rates, complication rates and length of recovery and felt they werent good enough.

“The trans people we work with tell us that fear of misgendering and a lack of compassionate support prevents them from accessing basic sexual health services, including contraception and STI prevention,”

As a PP mentions, I'd think a number of women might be familiar with the experience of "a lack of compassionate support". However, the way that the letter is phrased, it's difficult to know if it's the fear of a lack etc. rather than actual experience of such a lack.

That aside, I think it might be helpful to see examples of guidance on how misgendering might be avoided when discussing the biological realities of contraception.

And, beyond that, diagnostic tests for STIs can influence patient choice. The good news is that urine tests and swabs are appropriate for some STIs: and, for gonorrhoea, a urine test can be offered for one group but not others.

www.nhs.uk/conditions/gonorrhoea/

I wonder if the discussion of prophylaxis for everyone would need to be introduced with "appropriate condom"?

There’s a Samuel R Delany short story in the 1960s Dangerous Visions anthology about sexual obsession with someone who has no genitals because he has been genetically adapted for life in space.

At the time I read it I just thought it was just surreal. Once I learnt Delany supported NAMBLA it all made sense

Wouldn't a really good step be robust counselling and strategies to develop the emotional skills to cope with misgendering? Learn to take responsibility for those feelings and reach the 'I am who I am and don't give a fuck what you think' resilience that LGB people and BAME people and disabled people and many other groups have proudly embraced over the past century or so?

Because if that's the barrier, that's the obvious, fastest and strongest solution.

I certainly think there’s a need for action on transgender health.

Unfortunately the organisation who’s name suggests that might be a priority for them thinks suitable medical intervention consists of punching women’s lights out.

I agree that stating worldwide HIV stats for trans people isn’t helpful. I follow this sort of stuff so went digging:

Firstly, here’s more info on why these rates are so high www.avert.org/professionals/hiv-social-issues/key-affected-populations/transgender

More locally, see here for the UK and why we don’t have the data: www.avert.org/professionals/hiv-around-world/western-central-europe-north-america/uk

This bit in particular:

There is a concerning lack of data on HIV prevalence and new diagnoses among transgender people in the UK. However, in 2017 Public Health England (PHE) changed its data policy: transgender people are now monitored as a separate population group to men who have sex with men.

As of June 2019, full findings on HIV and transgender people in the UK have yet to be reported. However, in April 2019, PHE reported that 123 trans people accessed HIV care in 2017, 88% of whom were transwomen. This data suggests that trans people have similar levels of late diagnosis, treatment retention and viral suppression as other people living with HIV, but are four times more likely to have mental health issues than other people living with HIV (with 16% being in active psychiatric care as compared with 4%).

As far as Scotland goes, I could only find this
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-42354884

Actual stats, when they come out, should show more. I do agree also with the PP who mentioned the serious need to address the rise in HIV cases amongst intravenous drug users in Scotland.