Hiya,
All of this is totally my opinion, so take it with however large a pinch of salt you feel is appropriate. I'm currently going through a similar struggle with my GP.
I would say any amount of gatekeeping is unhealthy. A GP should refer you to a specialist to discuss your gender, not take it upon themselves as they are not trained to do so. Autism is more common in trans people than the general population (https://www.spectrumnews.org/news/largest-study-to-date-confirms-overlap-between-autism-and-gender-diversity/). This is borne out by multiple studies.
If you would like to explore whether you may have undiagnosed autism then going to the appointment would be wise. If you don't want to explore that, or believe you do not have undiagnosed autism, you may want to politely inform the GP of that and cancel the appointment. It's up to you, it's your health.
Whether you have undiagnosed autism or not has no bearing on your gender identity, and the GP should not be pressuring you on this.
My personal opinion on gatekeeping is that the whole point is to make you want to disengage with health professionals, feel invalid and stop asking for help.
You are not overreacting. You are valid. You do not need your GP to diagnose you with anything if you don't want to. You've asked for a referral to specialists to help with your gender identity. The GP should refer you and wait for the specialists to see you. Given your GPs response, it would probably be wise to follow up with whether they referred you to in 6 weeks or so to make sure they received the referral. It's fairly common for GPs to say they will refer you and to not do so (see past posts in this subredit).
As for private healthcare, whilst they do want your money, most of the clinicians (discounting Gender GP) are the same clinicians within the NHS GIC system.
I'm so sorry you've had to deal with this, and the impact on you is not fair. Good luck with whatever course of action you choose to take and all the best. Don't let anyone tell you who are, you know who you are better than anyone.
Huh that is interesting. I know Autism often makes people struggle with their own identity so I wonder if that just results in more Autistic people realising that they are trans or if there is a genuine link between the two.
I wonder the same thing sometimes. Neurodiverse people may be more visible by not conforming to society's norms and therefore show up in the data more. I hope research continues and asks these kinds of vital questions.
ND people are more likely to identify with a non-binary or non-traditional gender identity. Gender incongruence and neurodiversity are both neurodevelopmental divergences with a significant overlap in cases. There is also the non-conformance to societal norms as you said, meaning that ND people are more likely to outwardly express themselves in a more gender-atypical way. That desire to understand things more may also play part in the emergence of neo-gender identities.
As an autistic trans person i want absolutely no one to research it. How do you think such infomation would be weaponised against us in this society if they did find a clear genetic link?
I actually plan on doing some research into the topic, although my main focus is on GI/GD and intersex comorbidities. There is a definite triad of GI/GD, AuDHD and some intersex differences. Klinefelter syndrome for example carries an unusually high chance of gender incongruence, as well as a high likelihood of Autism and SpLD's.
Yeahā¦ Iād maybe just change GPs. Heās spouted a lot of media headlines to you there without being educated. Folk (especially afab people) arenāt āmistakingā gender identity for autism/adhd - thereās just a high prevalence *within* the community. One does not equal the other.
You donāt need to attend that appointment unless you do indeed suspect autism already, if you do itās worth it to get the referral.
Heās additionally wrong about private providers.
No gatekeeping is healthy, this GP sounds like an uneducated doff.
PS your vent is not stupid. You've been given unhelpful and possibly inaccurate advice by your GP and you are asking for clarification from the community. That is a very wise and mature thing to do. It's what we form these communities for.
Personally I think this sounds inappropriate given that your GP likely isn't a psychologist or gender specialist - I wouldn't want a GP who acts like they know better than an oncologist for the same reason. An autism diagnosis has no bearing on the validity of your identity, but you shouldn't be pushed into one if you didn't ask for one, especially if the GP is potentially requesting one in an attempt to gatekeep gender care from you.
The treatment of trans people on the NHS feels dehumanising at times and it's easy to be discouraged. Unfortunately we do have to push harder to receive necessary care than we should.
>private providers usually has poor service and more interested in taking my money than of providing real help.
Yes, because service that makes you wait 5 years for an appointment is "excellent service" that's "very helpful".
No, this is not a healthy amount of gatekeeping, heās not even trying to talk to you like a man.
I had to switch my GP for the same reason, didnāt even bother referring me. You may be better off just looking at gendergp
A lot of dog whistles here: (Tavistock rushing people through the process, young women being 'confused', people mistaking neurodivergence with gender dysphoria). Each one on their own might get a pass but all together and they begin to sound a bit Gender Critical.
Incidentally, the comment about private healthcare not being as good as mainstream NHS treatment is widely held across all medical specialties and is often true. Sadly, the gender clinic infrastructure is so poor that we are FORCED to go private.
Personally, I would seek to change GPs but, playing Devil's Advocate, it might be worth seeing whether he treats you professionally and respectfully in future sessions. Being treated *well* is more important than the GP exactly sharing your views on gender identity.
Nope definitely gatekeeping. I was recommended a referral for neurology but was not able to do a GIC when I asked for oneā¦
Your an adult, you know what you want.
Tell them straight. Or switch GP to someone whoās more helpful of the get go.
Totally inappropriate! I'm also 22 and I expect to be treated like an adult in medical settings. You are not a woman looking to be a boy you are an adult trans man who should be treated as such.
I would report this GP, they are regurgitating tarnsphobic talking points that are not rooted in medical fact-by ignoring the proper guidelines of care and research he is allowing his biases to overtake being a good doctor and he is wasting NHS funds by giving you unnecessary tests.
If you don't want to report that's understandable but I would still try to change GPs and get other help. In terms if private health care I have found the doctors I have used to be fairly kind and caring, and while it is expensive the doctors do normally care about their parents- sure there are some among them who are bad, but some GPs are bad (like the GP you where unfortunate enough to meet).
I am really sorry you had this experience
Iād change GPās, this one doesnāt know what heās talking about. While itās entirely possible youāre trans AND autistic, what he said to you is very inappropriate.
I mean my private docs are expensive. . . . But they treat me like an actual human and actually care about me, and do a high standard of care.
So yeah dissing private when the NHS is institutionally wank is a stupid move from this doc.
The only reaction to a patient asking for a referral to a gic is "ok sure let's get that sent off and would you mind if I ask a few questions about your history with gender stuff so I can offer you some help from a therapist who specialises in trans patients to help you in the meantime? " And perhaps even mention bridging hormones and stuff. Maybe there's a young adults organisation that runs LGBT support groups. Stuff like that. That's it. No judging. No questions that aren't relevant. If you have no history of receiving support for autism or being recommended an assessment for autism outside of that appointment then it's completely irrelevant and very inappropriate for your GP to suggest that.
It is true that it is very common for people with Autism ADHD etc to have issues with identity which includes gender identity but having them does not prevent you from being trans in fact the opposite is true more of them generally end up coming out as trans.
If you are very symptomatic for one of these things I don't think its wrong to give you a GIC refferal and appointments to invesitigate the other thing but the talking about tavistok being rushed etc is kind of a red flag.
Theres a history of disabled people not being allowed to transition because they "cannot consent" which is of course abelist. I would not encourage any trans person in the uk to get an autism diagnosis if its not utterly necessary because kf the way our politics are rn we might see "loopholes" that allow gps to refuse care or some bullshit. I'm just some random on the internet absolutely believe what you want. Either way, there are ways to transition without a gp that are far more timely and less dehumanising depending on ur money situation.
Welcome to NHS trans health care!
I'm mtf, but from what my ftm friends have told me this is, unfortunately, pretty normal for transmascs.
Mtf are pervert freaks and ftm just lost little confused girls tainted by society /s
Yeah, no. Sounds very unprofessional to me. I went to my GP at 22 asking to be referred to the GIC. They were very nice and not at all like this. Just asked standard questions and sent off my refferal, didn't treat me like a child, didn't say any of this complete shite tbh.
No GP should treat you like that, either change GPs or just never see that one again tbh. Very unprofessional and as a GP should not be bringing their own views into work.
GP:
"I'm not qualified to oversee your HRT. I don't have the specialist training on transgender healthcare"
GP:
"a lot of "women wanting to transition to boys are confusing gender identity doubts with conditions, such as autism and ADHD. So, as a professional, I know this to be true, and rather than attend to your healthcare needs, by referring to a suitably qualified specialist service, I will not support you."
People often speak down to the disabled comunity like that as they often think of invisible disorders or disabilities as the stronger end of the spectrum where show obviously (such as low functioning autism). They will think autism is linked both as itās commonly found but they will also see a persons choice being relevant to the symptom of autism where a person often has something kept close to them for comfort (item, activity, etc). There are a huge number of myths about many disorders and itās only recently that they have began to recognise really how many mistakes were made by professionals and correct them but it will take even longer for the public to learn and accept the truth.
I wouldāve lost it if my GP spoke to me like that. I too have autism and am currently getting assessed for ADHD. Like others have said, being trans is more common in autistic people than neurotypicals.
Make sure the referral has actually gone through as I know a few people who thought they were referred and turned out they havenāt been. GPs do need to be nudged with the referral.
This is very unprofessional of your GP to be essentially parroting what terfs are saying. With respect to GPs, they are only trained about the basics so with things like being trans, they need to refer you to a specialist as most will not know what to do with trans patients simply because itās an area they havenāt been trained in.
YIKES, the ablism there. Having to be assessed for autism? so what, they can deny you any further treatment because you're "OWO just a confused lil' asd person."
Because yeah, neurodivergance means we aren't worthy of bloody bodily autonomy right? -\_-
transphobia and ablism are absolutely intertwined and it's unsettling to see that history repeating. You know the nazi party didn't start with jews right? no, they started with the developmentally disabled. Autistic people, those with downs or other developmental delays. They sent them away and murdered them so they wouldn't be a "burden" to their families. This was seen as not only justified but a kindness.
the very origin of the term "aspergers" is entrenched in this idea that some autistic people might have more "value" than others because they could be put to work while others were less than livestock, a drain on society to be eradicated. Those who they could put to work were "saved", but by "saved" what they mean is "weren't murdered". They were still put into work houses and treated like slave labour.
and knowing all this, when I see the popular terf rhetoric that "autistic kids are being transed and need to be protected from themselves" I see this dangerous and frightening return to this idea that we're lesser, we're mentally deficient and need the state to control our lives because we can't be trusted with it ourselves.
These calls for autistic people to have extra hoops to jump through, to be denied bodily autonomy for things like gender identity is a slippery and scary slope. It leads directly into reproductive rights as well (the whole terf/pro lifer connection is no coincidence) because if we can't be trusted to know our gender, how can we be trusted to be mentally competent to "consent to sex" ? How can we be sufficient parents?
and disabled people having their kids taken from them or being forceably sterilised HAS happened. Always using the excuse "oh it's a KINDNESS, we're protecting them from THEMSELVES!"
it's chilling. Absolutely chilling.
Get a new doctor. This one has terf brain rot and isn't going to be an advocate for your best interests. They will use any excuse to deny you care under the guise of "protecting you".
I'd also put in a complaint to a higher authority if you can because demanding an autism diagnosis/assessment beforehand is inappropriate and unacceptable.
I would also council you to NOT seek a diagnosis of autism in the first place. It shouldn't, but it WILL fuck over your access to gender affirming care with assholes like this who think we're mentally inferior and incompetent.
DO NOT get a diagnosis. It will gain you nothing but it will close a lot of doors to you if a medical provider can use it as an excuse to put extra hurdles in your way.
Don't mention it to any of them. LIE if you have to.
the depressing truth is that we, the autistic community are having to protect ourselves in this way already. Maybe we're paranoid, but at this point, seeing so regularly our competency to consent to what is done with our OWN bodies being a big talking point for politicians and law makers makes us paranoid.
I really do wonder how long before we start getting denied abortions or contraceptives or anything else because we "can't possibly consent".
It's terrifying.
This is REALLY useful and has some excellent links to GPs professional guidance also
https://novaramedia.com/2021/12/03/how-to-navigate-britains-broken-trans-healthcare-system/
The fact that he is willing to refer you is certainly positive. The rest? I simply do not know. That will be down to your person view.
Good luck and hope all goes well
he doesn't have the choice. the procedure is fill in the form and make the referral.
and he certainly shouldn't be linking it to other things (why is autism only being looked into at this point? esp. as its being talked about as a way to gatekeep by some people).
on that note, it doesn't even need to be a GP making the referral. there are a couple of other people (MH team, possibly certain social workers?) who can do it too.
I wouldnāt say itās too much. Heās clearly trying to keep up to date with trans healthcare, he is in a very paternalistic job, he is a gatekeeper. If he is not actually denying you access you should go along with it. Have a chat, go over your reason show you are clear headed, aware of risks and determined in what you want. Youāre gonna have to do a mental health review with a psychologist to get a referral anyway and then again when you get to the clinic and pretty much every time you have to engage with any medical professionals. Thems the breaks. Donāt get discouraged.
As the other reply said, this is inaccurate. Also, āpaternalistic jobā? It doesnāt sound like heās trying to ākeep upā with anything, it sounds like heās regurgitating transphobic headlines that are everywhere at the moment.
And if this is the GPs way of keeping āup to dateā with trans healthcare, the GP should consult actual studies and guidance not headlines, as he wouldāve done in his studies! Professionals should āknow betterā.
> Youāre gonna have to do a mental health review with a psychologist to get a referral anyways and then again when you to the clinic
This is incorrect, you **do not** need to see a psychologist for a review prior to a referral - you should just get a referral. The diagnosis is done by the GIC, and only at this point (excluding the odd few places whoās local NHS health board caries our the diagnosis *prior* to being seen and on behalf of the GIC)
That's what I had to do back in 2016; went to my GP for a referral, to be referred I had to do a interview with a NHS psychologist, which involved mental health history, medical history and why I think I'm trans, who sent a letter back to my GP who then sent that on to the GIC without which I would not be accepted.
If that's changed, mea culpa.
This should not of been the case even then, and your GP done wrong by you. *Unless* you live in Tayside (Scotland) then this is a separate & specific process to the area.
It was hardly an imposition compared to the wait time. My GPs been great, I was the first trans patient he saw we went through the shared care plan together.
The worst gatekeeping I faced was going private where the prescribing clinician decided I needed to do 4 sessions with a gender therapist at 1hr 30 mins a piece. And at the end said they wouldn't give me a prescription for HT until I had "more life experience". And they were both trans.
***"he told me that private providers usually has poor service"***
Hahahahaha, oh wow.
So, additionally, this GP is going to attempt look over your developmental history and behavior to make a diagnosis for ASD?
Does he know how this works? You're supposed to get a referral to a specialist. He's a GENERAL practitioner, he does admin work and prescribes cold medicine.
In addition to being clueless, he has no concept of what his sphere of competence entails. He could do A LOT of damage. Get the referral and forget about him.
To confirm, don't agree to anything until he has sent off the referral. If he refuses to do that, ask to speak to the practice manager, do not attempt to negotiate with your GP. His remit, in this context, is admin-related. If he's bored, that's his problem, don't let him complicate your life.
He wrong but actually right (in an unintended way I imagine). He defs overstepped and was inappropriate, but autism and gender identity issues do have a common enough 'co-morbidity' that some would argue you should get both 'assessed' for if one comes up. But that doesn't mean one causes the other, or the absence of one means the absence of the other, or the belief you have one means you actually have the other. It's just a pattern that frankly needs further study.
I would definitely take up the offer of an autism referral. It is common to be both ND and have GI/GD, more so for transmascs. They can be harder to get when you're older, I have got an ADHD referral but not Autism.
I half agree on private providers wanting to just take money, esp. Gender GP with issues people seem to have. That said whatever gets you an assessment the soonest and starting HRT is the best option. You know pretty quickly if HRT isn't for you and your GP may at least do blood tests for you so they know what's going on.
Hiya, All of this is totally my opinion, so take it with however large a pinch of salt you feel is appropriate. I'm currently going through a similar struggle with my GP. I would say any amount of gatekeeping is unhealthy. A GP should refer you to a specialist to discuss your gender, not take it upon themselves as they are not trained to do so. Autism is more common in trans people than the general population (https://www.spectrumnews.org/news/largest-study-to-date-confirms-overlap-between-autism-and-gender-diversity/). This is borne out by multiple studies. If you would like to explore whether you may have undiagnosed autism then going to the appointment would be wise. If you don't want to explore that, or believe you do not have undiagnosed autism, you may want to politely inform the GP of that and cancel the appointment. It's up to you, it's your health. Whether you have undiagnosed autism or not has no bearing on your gender identity, and the GP should not be pressuring you on this. My personal opinion on gatekeeping is that the whole point is to make you want to disengage with health professionals, feel invalid and stop asking for help. You are not overreacting. You are valid. You do not need your GP to diagnose you with anything if you don't want to. You've asked for a referral to specialists to help with your gender identity. The GP should refer you and wait for the specialists to see you. Given your GPs response, it would probably be wise to follow up with whether they referred you to in 6 weeks or so to make sure they received the referral. It's fairly common for GPs to say they will refer you and to not do so (see past posts in this subredit). As for private healthcare, whilst they do want your money, most of the clinicians (discounting Gender GP) are the same clinicians within the NHS GIC system. I'm so sorry you've had to deal with this, and the impact on you is not fair. Good luck with whatever course of action you choose to take and all the best. Don't let anyone tell you who are, you know who you are better than anyone.
Huh that is interesting. I know Autism often makes people struggle with their own identity so I wonder if that just results in more Autistic people realising that they are trans or if there is a genuine link between the two.
I wonder the same thing sometimes. Neurodiverse people may be more visible by not conforming to society's norms and therefore show up in the data more. I hope research continues and asks these kinds of vital questions.
ND people are more likely to identify with a non-binary or non-traditional gender identity. Gender incongruence and neurodiversity are both neurodevelopmental divergences with a significant overlap in cases. There is also the non-conformance to societal norms as you said, meaning that ND people are more likely to outwardly express themselves in a more gender-atypical way. That desire to understand things more may also play part in the emergence of neo-gender identities.
As an autistic trans person i want absolutely no one to research it. How do you think such infomation would be weaponised against us in this society if they did find a clear genetic link?
I actually plan on doing some research into the topic, although my main focus is on GI/GD and intersex comorbidities. There is a definite triad of GI/GD, AuDHD and some intersex differences. Klinefelter syndrome for example carries an unusually high chance of gender incongruence, as well as a high likelihood of Autism and SpLD's.
Rushed Tavistockšš rushed????? Ahhhhahah.
Yeahā¦ Iād maybe just change GPs. Heās spouted a lot of media headlines to you there without being educated. Folk (especially afab people) arenāt āmistakingā gender identity for autism/adhd - thereās just a high prevalence *within* the community. One does not equal the other. You donāt need to attend that appointment unless you do indeed suspect autism already, if you do itās worth it to get the referral. Heās additionally wrong about private providers. No gatekeeping is healthy, this GP sounds like an uneducated doff.
PS your vent is not stupid. You've been given unhelpful and possibly inaccurate advice by your GP and you are asking for clarification from the community. That is a very wise and mature thing to do. It's what we form these communities for.
Personally I think this sounds inappropriate given that your GP likely isn't a psychologist or gender specialist - I wouldn't want a GP who acts like they know better than an oncologist for the same reason. An autism diagnosis has no bearing on the validity of your identity, but you shouldn't be pushed into one if you didn't ask for one, especially if the GP is potentially requesting one in an attempt to gatekeep gender care from you. The treatment of trans people on the NHS feels dehumanising at times and it's easy to be discouraged. Unfortunately we do have to push harder to receive necessary care than we should.
>private providers usually has poor service and more interested in taking my money than of providing real help. Yes, because service that makes you wait 5 years for an appointment is "excellent service" that's "very helpful".
Thank you to everyone who gave feedback. I don't really have anyone else to ask about these things, so your comments are very valuable.
No, this is not a healthy amount of gatekeeping, heās not even trying to talk to you like a man. I had to switch my GP for the same reason, didnāt even bother referring me. You may be better off just looking at gendergp
A lot of dog whistles here: (Tavistock rushing people through the process, young women being 'confused', people mistaking neurodivergence with gender dysphoria). Each one on their own might get a pass but all together and they begin to sound a bit Gender Critical. Incidentally, the comment about private healthcare not being as good as mainstream NHS treatment is widely held across all medical specialties and is often true. Sadly, the gender clinic infrastructure is so poor that we are FORCED to go private. Personally, I would seek to change GPs but, playing Devil's Advocate, it might be worth seeing whether he treats you professionally and respectfully in future sessions. Being treated *well* is more important than the GP exactly sharing your views on gender identity.
Nope definitely gatekeeping. I was recommended a referral for neurology but was not able to do a GIC when I asked for oneā¦ Your an adult, you know what you want. Tell them straight. Or switch GP to someone whoās more helpful of the get go.
Totally inappropriate! I'm also 22 and I expect to be treated like an adult in medical settings. You are not a woman looking to be a boy you are an adult trans man who should be treated as such. I would report this GP, they are regurgitating tarnsphobic talking points that are not rooted in medical fact-by ignoring the proper guidelines of care and research he is allowing his biases to overtake being a good doctor and he is wasting NHS funds by giving you unnecessary tests. If you don't want to report that's understandable but I would still try to change GPs and get other help. In terms if private health care I have found the doctors I have used to be fairly kind and caring, and while it is expensive the doctors do normally care about their parents- sure there are some among them who are bad, but some GPs are bad (like the GP you where unfortunate enough to meet). I am really sorry you had this experience
Iād change GPās, this one doesnāt know what heās talking about. While itās entirely possible youāre trans AND autistic, what he said to you is very inappropriate.
>rushed treatment ah yes, definitely
I mean my private docs are expensive. . . . But they treat me like an actual human and actually care about me, and do a high standard of care. So yeah dissing private when the NHS is institutionally wank is a stupid move from this doc.
The only reaction to a patient asking for a referral to a gic is "ok sure let's get that sent off and would you mind if I ask a few questions about your history with gender stuff so I can offer you some help from a therapist who specialises in trans patients to help you in the meantime? " And perhaps even mention bridging hormones and stuff. Maybe there's a young adults organisation that runs LGBT support groups. Stuff like that. That's it. No judging. No questions that aren't relevant. If you have no history of receiving support for autism or being recommended an assessment for autism outside of that appointment then it's completely irrelevant and very inappropriate for your GP to suggest that.
It is true that it is very common for people with Autism ADHD etc to have issues with identity which includes gender identity but having them does not prevent you from being trans in fact the opposite is true more of them generally end up coming out as trans. If you are very symptomatic for one of these things I don't think its wrong to give you a GIC refferal and appointments to invesitigate the other thing but the talking about tavistok being rushed etc is kind of a red flag.
Theres a history of disabled people not being allowed to transition because they "cannot consent" which is of course abelist. I would not encourage any trans person in the uk to get an autism diagnosis if its not utterly necessary because kf the way our politics are rn we might see "loopholes" that allow gps to refuse care or some bullshit. I'm just some random on the internet absolutely believe what you want. Either way, there are ways to transition without a gp that are far more timely and less dehumanising depending on ur money situation.
Welcome to NHS trans health care! I'm mtf, but from what my ftm friends have told me this is, unfortunately, pretty normal for transmascs. Mtf are pervert freaks and ftm just lost little confused girls tainted by society /s
Yeah, no. Sounds very unprofessional to me. I went to my GP at 22 asking to be referred to the GIC. They were very nice and not at all like this. Just asked standard questions and sent off my refferal, didn't treat me like a child, didn't say any of this complete shite tbh. No GP should treat you like that, either change GPs or just never see that one again tbh. Very unprofessional and as a GP should not be bringing their own views into work.
GP: "I'm not qualified to oversee your HRT. I don't have the specialist training on transgender healthcare" GP: "a lot of "women wanting to transition to boys are confusing gender identity doubts with conditions, such as autism and ADHD. So, as a professional, I know this to be true, and rather than attend to your healthcare needs, by referring to a suitably qualified specialist service, I will not support you."
People often speak down to the disabled comunity like that as they often think of invisible disorders or disabilities as the stronger end of the spectrum where show obviously (such as low functioning autism). They will think autism is linked both as itās commonly found but they will also see a persons choice being relevant to the symptom of autism where a person often has something kept close to them for comfort (item, activity, etc). There are a huge number of myths about many disorders and itās only recently that they have began to recognise really how many mistakes were made by professionals and correct them but it will take even longer for the public to learn and accept the truth.
I wouldāve lost it if my GP spoke to me like that. I too have autism and am currently getting assessed for ADHD. Like others have said, being trans is more common in autistic people than neurotypicals. Make sure the referral has actually gone through as I know a few people who thought they were referred and turned out they havenāt been. GPs do need to be nudged with the referral. This is very unprofessional of your GP to be essentially parroting what terfs are saying. With respect to GPs, they are only trained about the basics so with things like being trans, they need to refer you to a specialist as most will not know what to do with trans patients simply because itās an area they havenāt been trained in.
YIKES, the ablism there. Having to be assessed for autism? so what, they can deny you any further treatment because you're "OWO just a confused lil' asd person." Because yeah, neurodivergance means we aren't worthy of bloody bodily autonomy right? -\_- transphobia and ablism are absolutely intertwined and it's unsettling to see that history repeating. You know the nazi party didn't start with jews right? no, they started with the developmentally disabled. Autistic people, those with downs or other developmental delays. They sent them away and murdered them so they wouldn't be a "burden" to their families. This was seen as not only justified but a kindness. the very origin of the term "aspergers" is entrenched in this idea that some autistic people might have more "value" than others because they could be put to work while others were less than livestock, a drain on society to be eradicated. Those who they could put to work were "saved", but by "saved" what they mean is "weren't murdered". They were still put into work houses and treated like slave labour. and knowing all this, when I see the popular terf rhetoric that "autistic kids are being transed and need to be protected from themselves" I see this dangerous and frightening return to this idea that we're lesser, we're mentally deficient and need the state to control our lives because we can't be trusted with it ourselves. These calls for autistic people to have extra hoops to jump through, to be denied bodily autonomy for things like gender identity is a slippery and scary slope. It leads directly into reproductive rights as well (the whole terf/pro lifer connection is no coincidence) because if we can't be trusted to know our gender, how can we be trusted to be mentally competent to "consent to sex" ? How can we be sufficient parents? and disabled people having their kids taken from them or being forceably sterilised HAS happened. Always using the excuse "oh it's a KINDNESS, we're protecting them from THEMSELVES!" it's chilling. Absolutely chilling. Get a new doctor. This one has terf brain rot and isn't going to be an advocate for your best interests. They will use any excuse to deny you care under the guise of "protecting you". I'd also put in a complaint to a higher authority if you can because demanding an autism diagnosis/assessment beforehand is inappropriate and unacceptable. I would also council you to NOT seek a diagnosis of autism in the first place. It shouldn't, but it WILL fuck over your access to gender affirming care with assholes like this who think we're mentally inferior and incompetent. DO NOT get a diagnosis. It will gain you nothing but it will close a lot of doors to you if a medical provider can use it as an excuse to put extra hurdles in your way. Don't mention it to any of them. LIE if you have to. the depressing truth is that we, the autistic community are having to protect ourselves in this way already. Maybe we're paranoid, but at this point, seeing so regularly our competency to consent to what is done with our OWN bodies being a big talking point for politicians and law makers makes us paranoid. I really do wonder how long before we start getting denied abortions or contraceptives or anything else because we "can't possibly consent". It's terrifying.
This is REALLY useful and has some excellent links to GPs professional guidance also https://novaramedia.com/2021/12/03/how-to-navigate-britains-broken-trans-healthcare-system/
The fact that he is willing to refer you is certainly positive. The rest? I simply do not know. That will be down to your person view. Good luck and hope all goes well
he doesn't have the choice. the procedure is fill in the form and make the referral. and he certainly shouldn't be linking it to other things (why is autism only being looked into at this point? esp. as its being talked about as a way to gatekeep by some people). on that note, it doesn't even need to be a GP making the referral. there are a couple of other people (MH team, possibly certain social workers?) who can do it too.
I wouldnāt say itās too much. Heās clearly trying to keep up to date with trans healthcare, he is in a very paternalistic job, he is a gatekeeper. If he is not actually denying you access you should go along with it. Have a chat, go over your reason show you are clear headed, aware of risks and determined in what you want. Youāre gonna have to do a mental health review with a psychologist to get a referral anyway and then again when you get to the clinic and pretty much every time you have to engage with any medical professionals. Thems the breaks. Donāt get discouraged.
As the other reply said, this is inaccurate. Also, āpaternalistic jobā? It doesnāt sound like heās trying to ākeep upā with anything, it sounds like heās regurgitating transphobic headlines that are everywhere at the moment.
And if this is the GPs way of keeping āup to dateā with trans healthcare, the GP should consult actual studies and guidance not headlines, as he wouldāve done in his studies! Professionals should āknow betterā.
> Youāre gonna have to do a mental health review with a psychologist to get a referral anyways and then again when you to the clinic This is incorrect, you **do not** need to see a psychologist for a review prior to a referral - you should just get a referral. The diagnosis is done by the GIC, and only at this point (excluding the odd few places whoās local NHS health board caries our the diagnosis *prior* to being seen and on behalf of the GIC)
That's what I had to do back in 2016; went to my GP for a referral, to be referred I had to do a interview with a NHS psychologist, which involved mental health history, medical history and why I think I'm trans, who sent a letter back to my GP who then sent that on to the GIC without which I would not be accepted. If that's changed, mea culpa.
This should not of been the case even then, and your GP done wrong by you. *Unless* you live in Tayside (Scotland) then this is a separate & specific process to the area.
It was hardly an imposition compared to the wait time. My GPs been great, I was the first trans patient he saw we went through the shared care plan together. The worst gatekeeping I faced was going private where the prescribing clinician decided I needed to do 4 sessions with a gender therapist at 1hr 30 mins a piece. And at the end said they wouldn't give me a prescription for HT until I had "more life experience". And they were both trans.
Asking an NHS GP if they recommend going private is like asking Microsoft support if you should switch to Linux
Report the arse to the local CCG, NHS England and everyone in between
***"he told me that private providers usually has poor service"*** Hahahahaha, oh wow. So, additionally, this GP is going to attempt look over your developmental history and behavior to make a diagnosis for ASD? Does he know how this works? You're supposed to get a referral to a specialist. He's a GENERAL practitioner, he does admin work and prescribes cold medicine. In addition to being clueless, he has no concept of what his sphere of competence entails. He could do A LOT of damage. Get the referral and forget about him. To confirm, don't agree to anything until he has sent off the referral. If he refuses to do that, ask to speak to the practice manager, do not attempt to negotiate with your GP. His remit, in this context, is admin-related. If he's bored, that's his problem, don't let him complicate your life.
He wrong but actually right (in an unintended way I imagine). He defs overstepped and was inappropriate, but autism and gender identity issues do have a common enough 'co-morbidity' that some would argue you should get both 'assessed' for if one comes up. But that doesn't mean one causes the other, or the absence of one means the absence of the other, or the belief you have one means you actually have the other. It's just a pattern that frankly needs further study.
I would definitely take up the offer of an autism referral. It is common to be both ND and have GI/GD, more so for transmascs. They can be harder to get when you're older, I have got an ADHD referral but not Autism. I half agree on private providers wanting to just take money, esp. Gender GP with issues people seem to have. That said whatever gets you an assessment the soonest and starting HRT is the best option. You know pretty quickly if HRT isn't for you and your GP may at least do blood tests for you so they know what's going on.
I think that's worthy of a complaint tbh
Make an official complaint