My boyfriend and I recently went to an evaluation for getting his wisdom teeth removed. We fill out the paperwork and get called back, everything is looking great until the nurse says she has to leave the room for a moment. We are left in there for a few minutes and then a new member of staff comes in to talk with us.
She goes on to introduce herself and clarifies that she works in a completely different part of the clinic, which was a little strange because patient intake wasn’t a part of her job. Well, the reason why she was sent in was to tell us that my boyfriend cannot be treated because he’s transgender.
The official reasoning was that he was “on such a high dose of steroids” so he cannot be seen there. The steroids in question was his testosterone prescription, legally obtained and regularly monitored by his medical team. He didn’t even put down the dosage by the way. And the reason why this new member of staff was sent in was because she was the only queer person who worked there.
This happened in Raleigh, by the way, which is one of the most liberal cities in NC (also the capital!!!). This is a city where you can’t go 5 minutes without passing a rainbow flag. This is a city that claims to be progressive. This is a city that prides itself on diversity and non-discrimination.
Yet one of their medical facilities, one that is said to be high end and accessible, mostly working with disabled patients, legally discriminated against my boyfriend because he is a transgender man.
But sure, trans men don’t face oppression.
