Stand up to cancer has a rubbish screening eligibility checker, particularly for trans/non-binary people

[DuchessofReality]

Here is the checker:

https://www.standuptocancer.org.uk/screening-checker

I heard about it on The Last Leg, and knowing their stance (and that of lots of cancer charities) on the lack of clear language around screening, I thought I would check it out.

Firstly - it asks for your gender before asking for your sex. It is compulsory. And if you put ‘other/prefer not to describe’ you get funnelled down the trans route described below. I suppose at least it does ask for your sex (with ‘assigned at birth’ language). If you put woman and then female, or man and then male, you get the correct screening you are eligible for.

But as far as I can tell, if you put ‘non-binary’, or if you put woman and then male, or man and then female, it then takes you to a page that doesn’t tell you what screening you need, it just explains that it will depend on your sex, and any surgery, and your should contact your GP.

I think that is a bit rubbish. It could be a lot more specific. For example, bowel cancer screening seems to be age and not sex specific. But a trans person is not told that, they get no information regardless if they are above the age at which either sex should be invited.

So cross that virtue signalling has got in the way of something that could actually be useful.

Yep, more of the same shit - and the ridiculous 'assigned at birth', like there's some sort of sorting hat in the delivery room. FFS.

Well that will be because you're either a male or a female. They are the only two sexes that exist.

Yes, you are correct, it is a waste of time and poor for trans people. Doesn’t tell females they are eligible for breast cancer screening if they put their “gender identity” as men. Doesn’t tell any trans people they are eligible for bowel cancer screening in the correct age bracket which is not even sex specific.

Another waste of time and money in order to avoid grounding people in reality.

This might be a rare genuine example of something that could put trans lives at risk.

And ironically it's probably happening because the organisation is scared of its staff receiving death threats from TRAs.

OMG you guys I'm trans!

I mean, it shouldn’t be difficult. Did no one test it?

Age: 56
“Gender”: (for the sake of playing along) man
Sex “assigned” at birth: female

You’re eligible for:
Bowel screening
Cervical screening
Breast screening
You may be also eligible for lung screening.

Then add: here’s our information for trans and NB people.

Simple.

Instead they’re telling trans and NB people they need to figure it out for themselves or talk to a GP.

I wonder if any trans lobby group will complain and do something that is actually in the best interests of their group for a change?

Of course it won’t help the small subset of (usually male) trans Redditors who are determined to claim they have always been female from birth, and won’t be forced to acknowledge they have ever been male, but that’s on them.

But as far as I can tell, if you put ‘non-binary’, or if you put woman and then male, or man and then female, it then takes you to a page that doesn’t tell you what screening you need, it just explains that it will depend on your sex, and any surgery, and your should contact your GP.

Definitely a feature, not a bug. TRA trans people don't want to be told which screening they should get according to their sex. They want to be affirmed in their gender. Which means that, for example, if they are transwomen, they loudly revel in receiving an invitation to a cervical cancer screening, but don't want to hear about a prostate cancer screening. They would very much protest if this site told them what they don't want to hear, so I can totally understand that this screener chose the weaselly way out of "Check with your GP."

‘Assigned at birth’ needs to be made an illegal description unless talking about some necessarily very rare case where a mistake was made.

I don't have a gender, so I can't use the tool. There isn't a "I have no gender" option and I won't lie. "Prefer not to say" isn't the same because I'm quite happy to tell people that I have no gender.

It would make far more sense for them to leave gender off completely because cancer doesn't care about your feelings.

I think most of us fall under the "trans umbrella" simply because "I don't have a gender" is classed as a kind of "trans", as opposed to being seen as the completely unremarkable and commonplace viewpoint that it is.

I wonder if it is because trans people often lie about their sex on things like this.

Have you read the whole OP?

If there’s one area in life where black-white clarity has to be a comms priority so that users of all backgrounds and reading levels can understand everything it’s within public healthcare. This “checker” on a potentially fatal disease that will affect more than one in three of us is not fit for purpose. FGS.

This is a Channel 4 initiative, I think. Did they ask the GCSE work experience student to write this?

I dont see the trans lobby groups campaigning for anything that doesn't involve shitting on natal females, so Id be surprised to see them bother with something like that.