Gender of patients

[Anonymous]

It’s a really good sign of progress Julie, thanks for posting it. It goes to show however that the government is still behind the “eight ball” because Medicare can’t even change my title to “Ms” because I am pre-op. As a result, my endo. can’t change my title because it conflicts with Medicare, the only result at the endo. office was to not have a title at all. It’s really stupid I feel, there is no reason why we still can’t be listed as male but have a title of “Ms” and to my knowledge it’s not even illegal. If people can verify that for me (in another thread if req.) I’m sending off a letter to my local parliamentarians in 2011, I’ve been thinking about it for a while now in any case.

Peta A.

[Anonymous]

Hi

I just thought I would throw in some personal observations.

With regards to Medicare and the Tax Office, you have every right to remove any title from your name and leave off the Mr/Mrs/Miss or Ms. I also opted to leave the “gender” selection blank which was what I was told I was permitted to do. However, you can state whatever sex you wish on claim forms or tax returns. I have not had any fallout as yet and have not heard of any problems in this regard. Whether or not I can do this legally has not been an issue to this point. They still take my money. However, if they do want to take issue, I will quite happily take back any monies they feel are due to them. I am sure I could find a good use for them.

When I changed my name earlier this year, for Electoral purposes, they listed me as female and using the title Ms. I had a look at the Electoral Roll at the last election and was very happy to see the real me listed after all these years. “Ms” and “F”. The Tax Office refused to change my gender but allowed me to leave the title blank, however, when submitting my tax return, I found I could not leave “Gender” blank and I could only use “Ms” when I ticked “female”. Medicare and the Licensing Office both changed my name and did not require a gender specific title. On all occasions I stated that I was pre-op and had not provided any certification that I had changed my gender – apart from appearing as myself and my Name Change documentation.

When I attended my doctors surgery, I merely asked that they change my name to match my documentation. I then found that it still had “Mr” and asked for that to be altered as well. I recently had some tests run and sneakily looked to see if the “F” OR “M” box were ticked and was chuffed that the box was ticked “F”. I have frequently checked and found that “F” has been ticked every time since then. I have had fears though, whether or not the ticking of the respective boxes may have some leaning on the outcome of the tests being run. I was reassured however, that all my body chemistry results were perfectly normal – for a woman my age.

As far as any documentation anywhere is concerned, I am listed as “F” with the title “Ms”. Or both are blank.

I don’t know if any of this has been tested in any courts, but for as long as people are prepared to accept me at face value, I am happy. I am the happiest I have probably been in my entire life. The more of us who are out there testing the waters, the better. Maybe, eventually, there will be enough of us “out there” to make our situation just another variation to the norm and we will be accepted completely as such.

P/S You have to keep a sense of humour with you when going through the whole process. What you are allowed to do and the reactions you can get are priceless. You stop being nervous about the whole situation VERY quickly. And determination to achieve the goal helps immensely.

[Anonymous]

Hi Portia,

Be careful with Medicare. In 1997 Medicare told me my gender had been corrected on their data base. This was an unabashed lie. In 2008 I received a package from the National Bowel Screening programme and found a very large capital M – all data had been provided by Medicare

On investigation I found that on each and every occasion I make a claim through Medicare
my name – Christina, was included with my (incorrect) gender, my home address, telephone – home & work, contact.
and the M was very prominent, so some sicko pervert with legal access to the database was being shown prominently the contradiction between my name, (presentation at the counter) and also all of my contact details – they routinely ask you to confirm your current contact details.

I kicked up a big fuss with my Federal MP, and refused to accept the fob offs from Medicare. Finally received a letter from the big boss in Canberra who agreed (after a big management pow-wow) to change my recorded gender – because of my “special circumstance”. i.e., I’ve had “the operation”.

ASK TO LOOK AT THE COMPUTER SCREEN next time you’re asked to confirm your contact details

Never believe these petty bureaucrats.

Same with the Rad Cross Blood Bank service – some person had decided to emblazon my computer database homepage with the trans word. Fortunately I’d worked with several of the nurses and one ‘accidently’ told me

Keep fighting the good fight until we’re seen as just another good citizen getting on with living our lives. There are still many hurdles to jump and barriers to break down

Blessings

[Anonymous]

I’ve had a very similar experience to both Portia and Peta.

When I went into the Medicare office they were lovely and changed all my name no problem. A Fortnight later I received my new Medicare Card with MR Anthea….. on the envelope (the card itself is genderless) I called them to complain and the girl on the phone was very pleasant and said to me the system wont allow me to put a Ms on your title because your sex is listed as male. I asked her to leave off the title and she was able to do that for future correspondence. Will wait and see.

I am also registered with the Child Support Agency as I am a single supporting parent. I contacted them with my name change. I was pleasantly surprised to receive a letter from them this week addressed to Ms Anthea …..

As far as my Dr, I am and have always been addressed as Ms Anthea … But I know when my Bloods were taken last time the male box was ticked on the form. I questioned that and she replied that they must until I am post op.

I had a number of minor battles to be recognised as female with some places with my name change and I eventually got there with the exception of BDM, Medicare and the Tax dept.

I’m pleased its now recommended that GPs should address us correctly

[Anonymous]

Changed my my gender status with medicare straight over the phone and then advised my local hospital that i am post op so they followed suite for me along with the tax office and i have just had two doctors sign my paper work for my passport to say female with no examination needed. It is only a matter of bluffing every one that you have other then that you will have the only other two options “the op” or leave it how it is

[Anonymous]

Hi,

I take a slightly different view and focus on changing my sex. This is the key marker rather than Gender. So far I have had no problem with Medicare, ATO, Private Health Insurance etc although I am suspecting that my underlying birth sex is still used. All my pathology tests show up as male. My issue here is that some results are actual sex dependent not to mention that some tests and also medical procedures are only available to males or females.

Now that I am post op it will be interesting to see how far I can push the sex change. Unfortunately, as I am married I am unable to have my Birth Certificate changed so it will be interesting to see the discrimination that I will find.

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Its a crazy world we find ourselves in

Jade

[Anonymous]

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GP clinics have been the nicest they’ve all changed the info without me asking. My endo also took ages to accept the name/title change I don’t know if that was stubbornness or stupidity. Them along with my psychiatrist are both ok with providing Miss and Ms titles to medicare.

[Anonymous]

How do you actually find out what your medibank gender status is ?

And yes there can be gender specific issues with medibank…e.g. prostate test for female….

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[Anonymous]

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[Anonymous]

I’ve heard of these issues with mediacare and the prostate and first up I’m called BS. This just proves that some corporations don’t want to stay abreast with new information.. they’re stuck in the past and also ignorant of what really goes on.
Yes mtf do have prostates to begin with but under the effects of HRT they shrink and morph to become the same size, shape and carry the same function of the female prostate. Yes females have prostates they’re referred to as the Skene’s gland but now also as the female prostate. Also as far as I know during SRS the surgeons reposition it so that it ends up in the exact same position as the Skene’s gland (though I’m not 100% on that – it really shouldn’t matter anyway). They become virtually identical. As far as health risks and complications go, with it’s changes it’s risks also change, largely due to it’s shrinking and decrease in testosterone.

It seems to me that they are either deliberately being ignorant because they don’t want us to be seen completely as female due to some judgement thing or just from pure ignorance.
Maybe there hasn’t been anything officially done about this problem with medicare but it needs to be addressed and appropriate changes need to be made.

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[Anonymous]

Amanda, I think you are overediting here. Yes, phrases not on topic, yes get the point, but there were important issues there and issues we collectively care about. Just deleting them sends the message that it doesn’t matter that we cared about them…off topic….gone….not important.
Well it’s your site, your rules, I get that, but really………

Yes off topic I know, delete this too.

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I understand your issue – but the conversations that were made under the context of gender and patients already exist in other threads.
In a forum with close on 12000 articles I owe it to those who write about issues of substance that what they write can be found by others who are interested.
Since the forum search is only marginally useful (and even less known about), the only tool I have to ensure that good content is accessible, is to review that the content of threads is reflected accurately by the title.
This means i regularly have to change the meaningless title that people give new threads, and I have to moderate which content goes where.

I went away off-line for a day or so – and i came back and had to waste 15min of my precious time editing out serious stuff in this thread that was, I presume, quite knowingly posted in the wrong thread.

It makes me frustrated – and I guess it shows.
If you think what you write is important then surely it is important enough to put it in a place where others can find it in a month’s time?

As you say… them’s the rules round here!

Any subsequent discussion belongs in a forum like “Improving TR” – if a change would actually be an improvement that is!