[Image ID: A drawing of a fat person pulling up a sweater to show off top surgery scars. The sweater has a trans flag on it. He has short spiked hair, and stretch marks on his stomach and thighs. He wears boxers. There are wavy trans flags surrounding him, and the text to his right reads "Fat people deserve trans healthcare." His facial expression is enthusiastic and happy. /.End ID]
Please remember that fat trans folks experience increased medical discrimination and decreased access to life-saving medical transition.
It's very common for surgeons to have upper weight limits measured by BMI (body mass index), an outdated and bigoted system that many healthcare professionals have spoken out against as flawed and medically inaccurate.
Doctors often cite potential weight gain as a reason to deny trans people HRT (hormone replacement therapy.)
It is also common for trans people to be asked to lose weight prior to surgery. This is dehumanizing and abusive to the patients.
Fat trans people are often silenced in discussions of their own health. They are exposed to higher rates of medical abuse, inappropriate medical conduct, and bigoted medicine practices.
Fat trans people are often unsafe and unable to advocate for themselves in medical settings.
Furthermore, finding medical professionals who will work with you instead of on you is time-consuming, draining, and costly, on top of the preexisting difficulties of transition.
Advocate for and protect your fat trans friends, particularly your fat trans friends of color, and help prevent medical abuse. Having an ally in a doctor's appointment can be the difference between access to life-saving healthcare and a note to lose weight.
In short, remember to help fat queers where you can, and especially those in the medical field, challenge your colleagues when they reinforce fatphobia. It can be the difference between life and death for a patient.
Parents with fat children, speak up for them. You might not remember it, but your kids can recall each and every time their doctor noted their BMI and you didn't say anything.
