Transpositions

10 Sep 2015

Dr Fintan Harte, Australia’s Long Transgender History

Community, Estrogen, FTM, Hormones, MTF, Testosterone, Trans-Man, Transgender, Transmen, Transwomen

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Dr Fintan Harte, Australia’s Long Transgender History

Kurt, Michelle and Andrea are joined by Dr Fintan Harte. Dr Fintan Harte discusses the changing medical protocols that govern transition.

In Australia, we have a surprisingly long history when it comes to providing comprehensive medical and surgical support to transgender people stretching back well over 40 years. Although this support was not terribly formal in the early days – transgender persons generally relied on sympathetic medical practitioners.

Right here in Victoria one of the first Gender reassignment surgeries took place around 40 years ago, at the Queen Victoria Hospital.

So much of the Gate Keeper stigma stretches way back to those days and for the most part is perpetuated through the internet. So much has changed since then. Rather than focusing on a stereotypical identity, the approach is to identify any contraindications that may be present, and working with our community to provide greater support.

From that moment you’ve finally decided to transition, you feel like you’ve been on the starting blocks for a whole lifetime and as then just as the start gun goes off,you find that you just can’t move forward because someone else said “Are You Sure, Is This Really Right For You”. All that soul searching, insecurity and anguish has just been bottled up for such a long time only to find that you have to get approval to proceed. And just after you have made up your mind that it is finally right for me. How frustrating!

Highlights of the discussion include:

The history of the Southern Health Gender Clinic and a few other similar institutions, and the support available for gender identity
The changing approach to treatment for what is commonly known as, gender dysphoria.
The evolution of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual commonly known as the DSM (currently we are at DSM5) and how it still effects the transgender community.
The current guidelines for starting hormones.
The requirements for Sex Reassignment Surgery (SRS)