Post #4309730

Holden will never forget the discomfort he felt on his second visit to a #Veterans Affairs’ endocrinologist for gender-affirming care. It was spring of 2020, and the COVID-19 pandemic was raging across the globe. The army vet was masked up in a tiny, stuffy exam room, when his endocrinologist asked if she could invite medical students to join them. At first he refused, but he said his medical provider “guilted” him into agreeing: “She closed the door, and (said) ‘this is kind of like for the benefit of future #trans people coming in, these students are going to become doctors here, etc.” Two medical students entered the room and began a hands-on examination of Holden, including asking him to remove his face mask so they could study the growth of facial hair, and requesting that he remove his shirt to show his scars from chest masculinization top surgery. (The Barbed Wire agreed to use only Holden’s last name to protect his privacy.) As illustrated by Holden’s experience, accessing healthcare has long been fraught with challenges for #transgender veterans, even before President Donald #Trump’s second administration when the VA used to offer a wide-array of gender-affirming care services. Supportive practitioners exist within the system, but so do numerous roadblocks. And today, newly transitioned veterans are excluded entirely. My latest at Big & Bright from The Barbed Wire: https://thebarbedwire.com/2026/06/23/healthcare-for-trans-veterans-was-already-bad/ #military #LGBTQ #LGBTQIA #pride #healthcare #news #Texas