Irish cancer charity's bizarre campaign "it's not just men over 40 should be aware of prostate cancer"

[Fenlandia]

https://twitter.com/MarieKeating/status/1703695529245372416

No-one should begrudge a cancer charity making sure that trans people are fully aware of cancers that may affect them, regardless of how they identify.

This passage is utter genderwoo on steroids:

"Denise is no ordinary woman. She has a trans history. What that means is that when she was born, doctors thought she was male. They were wrong. After many years of depression and struggling, Denise began her social and medical transition in her late thirties. She made her legal transition when the Gender Recognition Act came into law in Ireland in 2015 and completed her medical transition a few years later.

Having been assigned male at birth and despite surgery to correct that error, Denise has a prostate. Most transgender women do, as do some intersex and non-binary people. That’s ok. Nature is weird and wonderful sometimes. It is infinite in its diversity and combinations."

(This isn't a case of doctors struggling with to diagnose a DSD, this is just a male person who chose to have some cosmetic surgeries.)

A fucking cancer charity stating that doctors correctly identifying a male baby made a "mistake" that needed "correcting". Terrifying.

reassignment surgery ' actually know they still have a prostate? They don't seem very well informed in general.

This is very difficult to standardise. My understanding is that this is covered in the pre-surgery consent process but it is thought distressing to highlight and repeat it, especially when the patient doesn't wish to discuss it. Afterwards, it may be an individual matter that governs how much people wish to receive or listen to dissonant information such as information about PSA levels and exams.

It’s a complete mind fu*k! If Denise had been “assigned” female at birth, he would still have a prostrate. Only males have them. Why is it even relevant. Message should just be, if you have a prostrate, get it checked. I thought health notices had to be in clear English now?

How many transmen will turn up with their partners demanding to have their PSA checked? None!

Some points.

How many people know what a prostate is?

How many female people know they don't have a prostate and therefore don't have to have it checked out?

How many transmen might turn up demanding to have their PSA checked, for validation? We can guess that it might be fewer than transwomen who demand smear tests for validation, but it may well not be none.

The message needs to be "if you're a man / biologically male, you'll have a prostate and need this checked out".

@Chersfrozenface Prostate Cancer UK did a study, would imagine the results would be similar in Ireland

"Our new survey of almost 2,000 men found a massive 92% of them had no idea that the prostate helps make the fluid sperm swims in and contains muscles for ejaculation, with more than half not knowing where it was in their body and 17% unaware of it altogether.
Most concerning of all, 88% of men from higher risk groups – those over 50, black or with a family history of the disease – were unaware of their increased danger. An alarming 11% of them believed they were actually at lower risk of developing prostate cancer, and 86% of black men didn't know they were twice as likely as any other racial group in the UK"

https://prostatecanceruk.org/about-us/news-and-views/2016/4/almost-1-in-5-men-lethally-ignorant-they-even-have-a-prostate-new-survey-finds

@miri1985 thank you for that, it confirms what I suspected.

Simply saying "if you have a prostate you need to do this" isn't enough.

Messages need to be clear and based on biological fact. Humans have sexed bodies and that affects what cancers they get (and many other aspects of health).

Charities and health authorities are putting people's health and lives at risk by muddying language in order to appease a minority who don't want to accept that reality.

Are non binary people with a penis so bloody thick that they don’t realise that while their heart says non binary their body says male?

Surely being non binary means fully recognising that your sex is one thing but choosing the label non binary ( for whatever reason, maybe you prefer the pronouns, maybe you are making a stand against the patriachy, maybe you think being woke never means having to think about consequences)

@Abhannmor perhaps prostate removal should be considered when these individuals consider themselves female?

@NonMiDispiace perhaps all XY cells should be removed when men consider themselves female?

Unfortunately that would mean death, so it's clearly completely unethical. Is it not unethical to remove a healthy body part, given that all surgery has risks? And the risks associated with prostate surgery are so high that in prostate cancer cases, oestrogen, testosterone blockers and radiotherapy are usually preferred as treatments.

Message should just be, if you have a prostrate, get it checked. I thought health notices had to be in clear English now?

Totally disagree with that message.

Sure, it's better than the wiffle waffle of "Denise was wrongly assigned a male person but still has a prostrate so blah blah..."

But that's how we end up with people formerly known as women, being referred to as "menstruators" and "cervix havers" and "ovary owners".

I say no.

Male people, however they identify in their head, will have a prostate and cock and balls so will be at increased risk of certain cancers (seeing as cocks and balls are rarely removed in mtf ...)

Female people however they identify in their head will be at increased risk of certain cancers (even if there's been a full hysterectomy which is very rare.)

Non binary people all know, they ALL know and we also all know just from having eyes and ears, whether they're male or female people. None of this "if you are a person with a cervix" clap trap.

Good point. Perhaps people would have second thoughts !

I have been thinking about this all day, its just so so strange. And - I actually came to the conclusion its not aimed at us (boring no-prostate wimmin) at all. I think this charity is simply attempting to reach transwomen who would only engage with proctologist if reassured that being a woman and having a prostate is completely normal - this is just an attempt to make sure they don't die of treatable and preventable disease. I will not comment on the fact that grown up people have to be coerced like this to take care of their health; but I would say that the charity is probably acting with good intentions in mind.

This is just my take on it....

localnotail it is recognised as a womens breast cancer charity. It provides other "general" cancer support. However prostate cancer is a sex specific cancer that only men can get. The people running the organisation know this.

The management have partnered with an organisation which was actively involved in removing the word woman from the HSE's cervical cancer services. that was at a time when women were in court over the failings if the HSE screening process.
Women with GRC gave up the right to that sex specific healthcare as it is only for women. The legal fiction is blunt and ignores that some healthcare is only needed by one sex.
Prostate cancer is also a single sex cancer only men can get it so i suspect that the legalframe work is also for men not people or women.
There are about 400 males with GRC in Ireland and they do not have to change the sex marker on their medical file. Its a choice which is more likely to lead to medical error as the sex of the person matters.
If a male taking some of the hormone reduction meds, this should be flaged within the system not hidden as a odd female blood sample. Extra specialist screening should be encouraged as some meds may supress the prostate function and lead to a within range blood work result (false negative).

A generic public campaign on medical misinformation about women having prostates while using donations (or taxes) is not what I would class as good intentions.

And if this has been approved by the board they have choosen to fund a lie rather than provide good public health education.

Denise could have fronted a campaign to keep an accurate sex marker on health records and get tested appropriately. Now that would be stunning and brave.

Tbf if we're talking about 400 people a sit down with a box of postcards for a couple of evenings would do the job.

@AnSolas I agree with your points but I was just thinking that there is a group of people who are in such severe denial they probably convince themselves they don't have a prostate... Though of course this whole thing is insane.

I'd imagine TRAs will be up in as about the language too.
No ordinary woman?
Nature is weird?

Waiting for an essay on dehumanising language from some drama student.

This is a charity whos main aim is education.
They run corporte events and public adverts etc to educate the public on a public health issue.

The board have decided to educate the general public about prostate cancer. The board have decided to run with women have a prostate and can get prostate cancer.

If the aim was to save these men ( and it is a man issue not a people issue) who choose to change their sex markers lobby for a law to ensure/force medical testing applications to reflect biology. The GRA is deeply flawed as it ignored biology and allows men to opt out of state funded single sex healthcare.

Lobby the 160 TD's and educate them on the importance of biology.
And why "people with a prostate or people who had a prostate before it was removed by surgery or people who lost their prostate by other any other means" legislation would be a stupid idea.

Or run GP training in how to educate a man who insists on a female sex marker on his medical records. Then if all else fails training on how the GP should make sure that the blood draw vial has a Male ticked with a note on why the blood test is needed in the helpfull little instructiona sent to the lab.

But that is not what this ideology is looking for.

The cancer charity board has created a strategic aim to claim a woman has a prostate and is being harmed by the State run medical provision when clinical staff recognise that a protocal of testing a female blood sample for a male cancer is misuse of public funds.

The board want to claim the bloke has the capacity to get a GRC and/or instruct his HCP to change the sex marker on his medical file but lacks capacity to be educated about prostate cancer?

Is the State issuing GRC's in error?

Requirements on application for a gender recognition certificate
10. (1) A person who applies for a gender recognition certificate under section 8 shall furnish the following to the Minister:

(f) a statutory declaration declaring that he or she—

(i) ....

(ii) has a settled and solemn intention of living in the preferred gender for the rest of his or her life,

(iii) understands the consequences of the application, and

(iv) makes the application of his or her free will.

This is a political choice by the board to use funds for a niche group of men (with or without a GRC) who choose to change their sex markers and then complain when there are consequences.

The political ideology placed above the medical aims of the charity.

The charity run with this stupid message :

We will not respond to hate speech or discrimination. Cancer does not discriminate and we are here for EVERYONE and every step of a cancer journey. Early detection is key in every community and this can only be achieved by including a diverse range of experiences and journeys.

Dear Reader, Prostate cancer has a 100% discrimination rate against women.
And there is no obligation to change sex markers on medical records the GP or other HCP has no right to ask for a GRC.

And this :
Prostate cancer awareness is important to everyone born with a prostate. Men & those born male or assigned male at birth. A woman who was assigned male at birth has a prostate. We are highlighting that everyone with a prostate needs to get their PSA checked.

So board sign off for a stupid public health message but they get a clap for the inclusive lie.

The boards choice on Breast Cancer? still only a women's cancer