reading Leslie Feinberg, transrevolution

she is minnie bruce pratt's partner -- I taught one of MBP's books at Antioch LA -- WALKING BACK UP DEPOT STREET

http://minniebruce.blogspot.com/

http://mbpdailydrafts.blogspot.com/

While it is easy to read, and I have no transgender experience, I find myself having a strangely vehement response to LF's writing on healthcare. For example, mixed-sexed hospital wards and transgender people:

1) I know I wouldn't want to share a "semi-private" room with a heterosexual, biological man. I don't think I would have such a problem with a transman, honestly, or even a transgender man.

2) For a variety of reasons, biological men and women have different dosage levels and medications, etc. for various illnesses. I am familiar with this more as a women's issue: studies have NOT been done to safeguard women's health, and men's anatomy has been treated as if it were the default/generic instead of women's. I think it would be very important for my healthcare provider -- even for a bullet wound or tonsilectomy or something -- to know some general anatomy & biology info. about me before treating me. Especially were I on hormone therapy.

Knowing how much things get messed up in hospitals, I can only imagine what would happen if I got the wrong dosages for something.

3) I can see that there might be some rage against transSEXUAL people in public health, especially if they must rely on emergency health care in place of regular medical coverage BECAUSE the private expense of reassignment surgery and maintenance has sapped savings that could go to more generalized care.

My "zemanta" is going nuts in the right column; I guess Foucault and prison trumps Les and hospital!

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