#gynecologists

The five-night music festival in May 1978 at the legendary gallery and performance venue Artists Space, at 105 Hudson Street in Tribeca, had no title. The flyers on the fences around vacant lots in Lower Manhattan said only “BANDS” with a lineup: Terminal, Gynecologists, Theoretical Girls, Daily Life, Tone Death, Contortions, DNA, Mars, Teenage Jesus and the Jerks. In the audience were The Village Voice’s Robert Christgau, John Rockwell from The New York Times and Brian Eno, in town to produce the Talking Heads’ second album. The Contortions’ set on Friday night was halted when James Chance, the group’s singer, and Mr. Christgau got into a fistfight. Tickets cost $3.

Unfortunately I knew what your situation was as soon as I read “my gynecologist is a man”. It is all too common for gyno men to be either creeps or insensitive with their patients.

Please remember this: you always have the right to have a woman perform your pelvic exam. I know doctors are busy and it’s difficult to get a word in, but it is absolutely in your power to request a man not do it. If there is no woman nurse or gyno in the building available to do it, it should not get done. In fact you’re supposed to be explicitly offered the option every time.

You’ve obviously been traumatized and some help from a therapist or support group would be prudent. Fear of future encounters is a very normal response to trauma. I’m sure you know intellectually that 99% of lady gynos will be understanding and gentle, but getting the brain to process the trauma and accept that fact is not so easily done. It takes time and effort but you can do it!

Thank you for trusting us with this traumatic experience of yours. I hope telling it was cathartic. Personally I hate when people are like “chop chop feel better already”, but please do try to get some help processing this so you can get your ovary issues checked out sometime relatively soon. That’s nothing to mess around with.