Transgender people so often experience discrimination or incompetence when they go to the doctor

that many feel uncomfortable seeking the range of health care that we need. This includes check-ups for
cancer prevention such as pap tests for transgender men,Gender affirmative treatments for instance, or
prostate exams for transgender women. Insurance coding systems does not cover certain medical
treatments , create barriers to care. For example, carriers typically deny uterine fibroid treatment to
transmen who are enrolled as male. kerala government covers surgery cost of transition under
reimbursement schemes but it takes months to get it sanctioned after surgery, and there is continued
reluctance from government to fund other transition-related health care such as hormone therapy.
Forty-one percent of the 6,450 transgender and gender-nonconforming people in the National Survey
said they had attempted suicide. The rate of self-reported suicide attempts among transgender in kerala
has also increased during the pandemic due to medical negligence, physical assault, discrimination and
transphobic attacks.Recently, Anannyah Kumari Alex, a 28-year-old trans woman who committed suicide
had undergone gender affirmative surgeries last year, after which she experienced “excruciating” pain
that hampered her day-to-day life. The emotional trauma caused by the post-surgery complications
leaded to her death.The state needs to frame a protocol for conducting such surgeries and also put in
place an ethics committee to monitor and evaluate sex reassignment surgery. After these incidents We
end up feeling embarrassed about ourselves . Treatments are cursory, Sometimes doctors prescribe
medicines without even examining us. They’re afraid to even feel our pulse. We people are often asked
personal questions about their genitals or sexual lives, and medical staff, particularly in smaller clinics
and government hospitals, are judgmental about our behaviour. Most hospitals in kerala performing
such surgeries without following proper WPATH guidelines also by charging huge amount of money . A
study conducted in the year of 2019 found that government facilities for gender affirmative healthcare in
Kerala were “rare or non-existent” — leaving trans people at the behest of private hospitals that largely
evade accountability and are prohibitively expensive. The access barrier can also imply that gender-
affirming surgeries are a “luxury” rather than life-saving procedures, according to the study.

Personally I have also faced Medical negligence when I underwent medical examination for my training, I
went through a situation where I being forced to prove myself that I am not mentally ill, and that I don’t
suffer from any complications from my gender affirmative therapy. Apparently being transgender is
perennial affliction with no redemptionthat I should continuously forced to prove that I am capable as a
transperson, it is discriminatory when we trans people have to go through these invasive mental and
physical tests when Cis-het people don’t have to. Ofcourse, the fact that WHO declassifying gender
incongruence as a disorder few years ago, doesn’t matter to them. They say that I’m the first trans
person in Indian Aviation and they don’t have any guidelines (which is a half-truth and a whole lie) on
how to deal with me. Just because they pretend to be clueless, they cannot subject me to invasive
mental and physical procedures. All that, in spite of my impeccable medical reports with no clinical
indications that could endanger aviation safety. Where are my rights to dignity and bodily integrity? It is
completely unfair that a bunch of people who have no experience with trans people decide my fate. As
long as trans people are pathologized and subjected to unnecessary medical gatekeeping, they continue
to be stigmatized. In the end, all this leaves me alienated in aviation industry that treats me differently
because I’m transgende and they denied my medical certificate and grounded me from flying . In the
latest manuel by WHO ICD 11 gender incongruence is defined as a marked and persistent incongruence
between a person’s experienced gender and assigned sex. According WHO the gender incongruence is
not a mental illnessthe newly approved version instead placed the issues of gender incongruence under
the chapter on sexual health. Not only this, An year ago , the Medical Council of India (MCI) had
requested The Government of India (GoI) to include gender education in the medical curriculum, in an
attempt to avoid discrimination by doctors while providing healthcare facilities to the public.
Interestingly, the government had also recommended the same concept to the DMER a few years ago.
But till now it’s not added in our indian curriculum for medical students except Maharashtra to include
chapters on gender equality in the medical studies curriculum by DMER .Increasing provider education
on the psychosocial aspects of being transgender as well as on healthcare screening, diagnoses, and
treatments unique to trans population may reduce the barriers faced by transgender patients in
receiving quality care. Forming an anti-discrimination policy is crucial for ensuring more equitable
healthcare for the LGBTQ community.

Not only medical negligence in health sector but also corrective and conversion therapies are also being
performed in hospitals in kerala. According to the survey conducted in 2015 by the Social Justice
Department, the state has a population of 25,000 transgender and intersex people. LGBTQIA+ persons
reveal that there are many aged above 25 who haven’t yet opened up their sexual orientation with their
families or publicly. Forced to hide their identities, some are still facing domestic violence and pressures
to fit into the gender binary, sometimes on the pretext that they have crossed the ‘marital age’. In case
they do open up about their gender identities or sexual orientation, many are forced to undergo
conversion therapies in the guise ‘retreats’ and ‘counselling.There are a number of correction therapies
are going on in india even though it’s illegal, When I came out of the closet, my parents took me
through various correction and conversion therapies and to go through physical and mental torture
during the house arrest , One of my friends, Anjana, 21-year-old queer girl got killed herself after her
family rejected her sexual orientation and put her in a ‘conversion therapy’ institution where she was
isolated and tortured into changing her sexual orientation. Conversion therapy’ includes violent, invasive
and traumatic methods to suppress an individual’s non-heteronormative sexual orientation. These
practices often include religious indoctrination, hormonal treatments and electroconvulsive treatment.
These practices have been condemned worldwide by psychiatric and mental health institutions for
having no proven scientific basis to be able to change a person’s sexual orientation,physical abuse at
parental homes is not considered domestic violence, even when the victims try to get help from
police.When the persons open up their gender identities or sexuality, parents inflict harm by questioning
their skills and breaking their confidence. For example, parents of one community member, who is good
at sports, broke her leg. Some were even threatened with an acid attack. When Queer Activists and
Organizations get involved, the police and the family start emotionally blackmailing the survivors.
However, very few families are ready to even listen to their children when they come out, The rest treat
the children very badly by isolating them, discriminating against them and also abusing them verbally
and physically. This adds to the stress of those who are already struggling to understand their own
gender or sexual identity. The family should be the most comfortable and receptive space for children. It
has a strong influence in development of their physical, emotional and psychological wellbeing. When
things go wrong at homes, queer persons are more shattered and disillusioned . Most of the Young
Queer people are being disowned by their parents QUEER organisations who handle crisis of Queer
peole have A major concern was to find shelter homes for the rescued LGBTQIA+ persons as three out
of the five government-supported community short stay and safety homes were not functioning
currently. Kerala government had opened transgender safety homes in Kerala at Thiruvananthapuram,
Ernakulam, Kottayam and Kozhikode, which were run by community-based organisations (CBO). Prior to
lockdown, the proprietorship of the shelter homes was transferred to non-governmental organisations.
Now, there is a shelter home for trans men in Thiruvananthapuram, and trans women in Ernakulam, run
by non-governmental religious organizations. Most of the community members hesitate to go to the
shelter homes run by religious organisations as it spreads a lot of trans-phobia, bi-phobia and
homophobia as the proprietors aren’t gender sensitive.

Deeply-embedded homophobic and transphobic attitudes, often combined with a lack of adequate legal
protection against discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity. Here the only
solution is that creating safe spaces and Queer friendly shelter homes in kerala,and educating people in
educational,heath and employment system providing counselling and support from the government for
acceptance from natal families aswell as forming anti- discrimination policies may reduce barriers and
challenges faced by Queer people.