We're ripping the bandaid off and jumping straight into the process of the medical transition in Aotearoa.
Joe gets expert Dr Rachel Johnson on the line Photo: Supplied
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Dr Rachel Johnson, an adolescent physician at Auckland's Centre for Youth Health, works on the front lines of medical transition, helping young people and their families navigate the process and making informed decisions.
Medical transition covers the drugs or hormones that can be prescribed to help a young person with their body dysphoria through to surgery.
Ren Kishine (he/him) Photo: Ren Kishine (he/him) https://www.instagram.com/moss.ren/
The medical stage of transition holds challenges for both parents and the young people who are transitioning. For those transitioning, there are expectations and hopes that might not be met. For parents there are new concepts, terms and acronyms they might never have heard of, let alone understand. She said one big fear is that everything is going to happen too quickly.
Dr Johnson said the absolute first port of call is your General Practitioner (GP).
"There is a lot of focus on providing information to GPs so they can provide information before families even get to our service," she said.
Once you do get there though, Dr Johnson said her qualified staff will begin by hearing that young person's gender story.
“We are really clear that the young person is an expert on themselves and everyone's gender journey and story is different,” said Dr Johnson.
“There is anticipation and hopes of, I might get my hormones, on that first clinic appointment," said Dr Johnson, “But in reality we have to do things safely and carefully, and that does take a number of appointments to get to that place.”
The New Zealand system works with both the young person transitioning and their whanau to take everyone on the journey together. Pauline, like many parents early in their child's transition, had concerns.
“I was very much [thinking] this is a phase. Every parent thinks it is a phase!” said Pauline.
"What really settled everything for me was the comment about the fact that you know your body better than anyone else."
Lyndon Moore counselled Joe and Pauline through Joe's transition. She helped Pauline understand this wasn't "just a phase". Photo: Supplied
Lyndon Moore is an Auckland based counsellor who works with transgender youths and their families. He was the counsellor who worked with Joseph and Pauline. He helped them both get to the place where Joe was able to undergo his medical transition.
“Support is key, through the whole process. Whether it is about beginning hormones, whether it is about surgeries, whether it is about getting on with life,” said Moore, “It’s about making sure that individual has good supports around them.”
"I needed to go to an expert who worked in this space to tell me what the next step was," said Pauline.
Useful Links
Hauora Tāhine (Auckland): Pathways to Transgender Healthcare Services is the collective name for a number of secondary services that provide gender affirming healthcare for transgender, non-binary and gender diverse people.
Gender Minorities Aotearoa Healthcare Guide: This comprehensive guide put together by Gender Minorities Aotearoa provides accurate and up to date information for both health care providers and their patients.
Im Local: A directory that allows queer and gender diverse people to find support resources and services in their local area. No matter where you live you will find your whanau.
Rainbow Mental Health: A resource for support providers to the transgender and wider rainbow community. It provides skills and resources to help meet the specific needs.
TransAdvocate Heath Facebook Group: A closed Facebook group that allows its members to share their experiences in the Aotearoa transgender healthcare space.
The Professional Association for Transgender Health Aotearoa (PATHA): A group of professionals who have experience working for transgender health in clinical, academic, community, legal and other settings to promote the health, wellbeing, and rights of transgender people.
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Let's Be TRANSparent was made by Motuihe Group for RNZ
Photo: Supplied
