The HSE is short of a lot of things. Of all the things the HSE is short of, training is probably the easiest and cheapest to provide.

Maybe thejournal.ie might do an article on neurologists?

No problem.

Does it really matter? Even if there was only one transgendered person surely they are entitled to proper healthcare.

Approximately 1:8 will be a member of the LGBTQ community. That covers those who identify as being lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning.
I’d echo what was said just above me though – its a health service that serves all of the people all of the time, not some of the people some of the time.

There will be no medical care if GP’s don’t paid outstanding claims, by the HSE. Some are a couple of months overdue.

James,can i ask where did you get 1:8 from ? Seems very a very high ratio.

Ian, there are 2 studies available, both carried out by renowned biologist Alfred Kinsey, (aptly called the Kinsey reports, one is based on male sexuality the other on female sexuality, carried out in 1948 and 1953 respectively).
The 2 studies conclude that 10% of the population identify as being LGB, (obviously neither the T or the Q didn’t exist at the time). To take into account the fact that people are generally more accepting of their sexuality, and the increase in entities (adding in of the T and Q), the generally accepted ratio is 1:8, (depending who you ask, some would say its closer to 1:9, but the figure hovers between 1:8->1:9).
Hope all that helps.

I think one in eight is low.

James,assuming your ratio is correct the LGBTQ community have sufficient numbers to employ professionals to deal with all aspects of their community,help each other along.

I fail to see what you mean. Are you suggesting that because the numbers have reached a certain size they should be segregated from the general health system?

Not at all david,but i do believe people should also be willing to help themselves, why wait on the HSE.

There are lots of supports available for lgbt people mostly counseling services but its more Dublin located. There is also the gay men’s health clinic but again not everyone is close to these services. I think it only right that all citizens should get sufficient health care country wide since they are tax payers after all. The state can’t exclude a section of society no matter how small.

The Gays should treat the gays so? Lesbians should only be able to treat lesbians? Transgendered treat transgendered? Sounds like the days before the Civil Rights Movement in the US!
This isn’t about treatment for specific, it’s about how the staff that work for the HSE deal with various people. As one commentator beautifully said below, if we have doctors who look sideways at you when you request contraception then what hope is there for transgendered folk?!

James,for a intelligent man that was a very immature response, that was not what i was proposing and damn well you know it,have a look at how other groups in society that help each other along and are very supportive and helpful,AA being a prime example, please stop with the “poor me’s”.

@ James Connolly, well said on all your comments.

Ian, I knew exactly what you meant and to an extent I agree with you, but to a greater extent, there are already many organisations available. My point was that you can’t segregate groups of patients, that’s wrong.
This article isn’t about providing care, it’s about making the care providers far more approachable for a whole segment of society (no matter how small that segment is, after all it is a health service that serves all if the people all of the time).
If we were to act as you describe above, it would be like employing people from the Irish Cancer Society to communicate with cancer patients – and don’t get me wrong, the ICS does Trojan work, but that’s not their job, it’s my job, it’s the doctor’s job, it’s the nurse’s job. We should be trained to deal with all patient groups, and that includes transgendered.

Absolutely agree with you james, but transgender people need help and support while waiting on the HSE to provide these services,so it could only be a good thing to try and organise the assistance of trained professionals in this area,i am sure the LGBTQ community would be only to happy to donate a small contribution to achieve this.

To a certain degree (in so far as their funding provides), LGBTQ organisations do Trojan work in their areas, the problem is that the little funding they do get is better spent providing direct services to the population rather than through training professionals who should be trained as part of their basic training to deal with their target audience.
I accept your points though, Ian.

I think it’s closer to 8%, studies are inflated quite a bit. Some are as low as 4, though you can bet in a society that doesn’t stigmatise it, it would probably be closer to 10 or more.

Not quite sure what the point of this question is though? I think trans is 1 in 10,000? Probably more?

Transgendered population have a whole host of conditions that are mainly specific to transgendered population and nobody else.
You can say your comment about any patient – oncological patients are just male and female, so are renal patients, geriatric, paediatric, whoever…
They all get a general level of care that is deemed acceptable by international standards. It’s not entirely true for transgendered population, where many surgeries to correct reproductive systems are not provided for publicly as they are not deemed life threatening, yet can have a huge effect on the mental health of the patient, more so than many conditions of lesser importance carried for other patient groups (freely), yet would have less of a negative impact upon the life of the patient were they not provided for.
Add to that, sex (identifying as male or female, not the act) is extremely important, and many transgendered people don’t feel comfortable identifying as either male or female – which is where the training more specifically comes into play, that is dealing with the psychological aspect of the condition. (Of course also the medical/surgical, but for the most part, we are trained here, it’s just a matter of making options available freely and publicly and removing the heir of mystery around it.
Transgender happens along with everything else, it always will, deal with it and move on. (That’s to the HSE and government).

You’ll note it doesn’t say we need to develop special treatments for transgender people, but facilitate pathways to care.

This involves educating doctors about transgender people, so they are prepared to deal professionally and compassionately with them when they present — whether that’s with a sore throat, a sexual health issue, or an issue relating to their gender.

Imagine for a moment you’re a transgender person, who may not feel 100% at home in their body… How keen would you be to undergo an hands-on examination by a doctor? Especially when that doctor may have no knowledge or education on transgender issues. Even more troublesome when a vast majority of doctors, particularly in rural areas, would look sideways at you for wanting contraception; never mind something as complex and taboo as being trans.

“They are entitled to the same poorly resourced health care as the rest of us – no more.”

That’s assuming they don’t have special “health issues” and that their status doesn’t complicate regular health issues.

As it would happen, you’re wrong on both counts.

#manlizardawareness2014 is now trending on Twitter.

Although I personally thought that your comment was sarcastic and demeaning, but you did effort into it and didn’t use crass language. It shouldn’t have been deleted, it should have been left to the mob to argue against your point. Thats what I like about this site. It is a platform for discussion. But I’m starting to think twice now the more i see this happening. We are Irish, we take the piss. If somebody is going to make an ignorant statement like Hippocrateeth did, then the worst that can happen is that people look at it and say “what a fool”. Censorship is lame.

Hi there,
Hippocrateeth, this article is a serious one about transgender issues and healthcare. As such, I did not feel that your comment about being a lizard trapped in a man’s body was appropriate in the context – not to mention the fact it was off topic and some may have found it offensive.

The spirit it was written in might not have been offensive but surely you can understand how it would have derailed the conversation.

The comment section isn’t a free-for-all, we simply ask that people stay on topic and play fair.

I’m sure if it was a subject that meant a lot to you, that you would appreciate us taking the same actions if someone posted such an off-topic comment.
Thanks
Aoife

Excuse me Aiofe, in case you haven’t been informed I was included in last week’s Top Comments so I’m pretty sure I am well aware of what constitutes a top-notch comment.

Down with censorship, free the conversation.

There have been no recorded instances of a human with lizard chromosomes. There are cases of biological women (i.e. people who naturally grow women’s genitals, breasts, bone structure etc) who have male (XY) chromosomes (the condition is called Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome). Similarly, there are XX people who naturally grow penises etc.

Of course, that doesn’t explain the transgender experience. One of the “sexed” organs of the body is the brain – there are subtle differences in the brain structures of men and women. It seems that a transgender person’s brain is one that corresponds to their gender identity, and not their assigned sex. And, since the brain is the source of one’s identity, of one’s sense of self, it is, therefore, according to the theory, impossible for a transgender person to identify with their birth sex.

In other words, I was born with a woman’s brain in a man’s body. Because of that, it is impossible for me to see myself as male – my brain won’t let me. And I tried very very very hard for many decades to identify as male – in the end, the effort nearly killed me. I don’t wear a dress because I want to be a woman – I want no such thing! I’d much prefer if I were able to identify as male – my life would have been so much easier and better – but it just wasn’t possible. I don’t take estrogen pills because I want breasts – I take estrogen pills because I need them in order to function properly.

Balls! That was supposed to be a reply to lizardmans reposting #technologyishard

Transphobic much?

What, the sight of a neglected portion of the population getting proper healthcare? How HORRIBLE.