This is the first in a (hopefully long) series of interviews with transgender and gender non-conforming physicians, medical professionals, and scientists. Anonymous is a Senior House Officer in the UK (equivalent training level of a third year resident here) and answered questions about their experience being gender non-conforming in the UK medical system.

Name and pronouns?

Anon, pronoun indifferent. AFAB¹ cis² passing, so I get ‘she’ 100% of the time, but that’s fine. Pronouns are not something that’s important to me.

How do you identify, in terms of gender and sexuality?

I am increasingly strong in my identity as nonbinary. Sexuality I haven’t thought about as much because it seems less relevant, but I guess predominantly attracted to men would be accurate.

What is your current job or position?

I’m currently on a year out of full-time work, travelling and picking up locum shifts. In the UK I’m an SHO³, but I guess in the US I’d be a PGY-3⁴.

Tell us about your “gender journey.”

I was super into androgyny as a teenager. I remember wishing I could present in such a way that people couldn’t tell if I was male or female. I’m not someone who puts a lot of effort into appearance though, so I never really went through with that. But I liked being ‘misgendered’ online, and followed a whole bunch of relevant tumblrs like fuckyeahgenderqueer. I was also interested in a lot of LGBT topics and researched them a lot online, although I didn’t know many LGBT people personally. Trans/enby⁵-ness wasn’t a big part of the discourse back then though so I didn’t think about it much.

I then kinda stopped thinking about that kind of thing throughout the first 4 years of med school, although it remained an interest and I definitely remained more educated than the average cishet⁶ during that time. Then I joined a cooperative community and made a load of trans and enby friends and that kind of kickstarted the whole thought process again… and it’s kind of been developing since then.

I’m not sure I really have come out to myself. While recognising the validity of nonbinary identities on an intellectual level, I still feel on a visceral level that it’s not really ‘for me’ and I guess.. kinda bullshit? Like I don’t believe that, but I feel it. Feeling comfortable describing myself this way is definitely something I’m still growing into.

I have discussed my genderfeels with a few close friends who have all been supportive. But I’ve never framed it as a ‘coming out’ as nonbinary, but more a discussion about how I relate to gender… to me it’s most important to be treated like a human rather than in a gendered way. Pronouns aren’t important to me, I’m not terribly invested in my appearance, and my name is gender-neutral, so I don’t feel like I need to ‘come out’. All of my favourite people already treat me in the way I need to be treated naturally.

Are you “out” at school/work?

For the above reasons I don’t really feel any need to come out at work. I don’t have unmet needs that relate to being nonbinary, and I don’t feel the need to be acknowledged in a wider context. I would argue my problems at work all relate to patriarchy/misogyny, because that’s when I feel most unpleasantly gendered. Sometimes I make oblique references to ‘not being a woman’, but that’s about it.

Do you think the medical/scientific community as a whole is accepting to transgender physicians/scientists?

Although I know quite a few transgender doctors socially, I haven’t worked with them personally and don’t know much about their experiences with other healthcare professionals. I don’t feel like I’ve come across any doctors who were outright bigoted, but certainly plenty who didn’t really ‘get it’.

Do you ever feel like your gender and/or sexuality conflict with your role as a physician/scientist?

The only times I have felt real conflict is when treating transgender patients. I often felt like I wanted to treat them more like my friends, or give the advice that I would give as a friend but didn’t feel like I could give as a doctor.

Do you consider yourself to be a member of the broader transgender community? The LGBTQIA+ community? Why or why not?

I identify as ‘queer’, because that’s the only church that I feel is broad enough to definitely include me. I have always felt wary of taking on queer identities because I don’t want others to feel like I am imposing on queer spaces.

Do you feel that your identity can help you empathize with and treat sexual/gender minority patients?

Definitely empathise, and treat respectfully. I am not sure that it really helped me treat them medically, if anything when dealing with trans patients and referrals to the GIC⁷ etc. I felt I just didn’t have the experience and knowledge about services in the area I was working in, and my identity doesn’t affect that at all.

What is your message to upcoming generations of transgender or gender non-conforming physicians/scientists?

There are doctors like you. You may not see them, but we’re out there.

¹AFAB=Assigned Female At Birth

²Cis=Cisgender (Identifying with the gender you were assigned at birth)

³SHO=Senior House Officer

⁴PGY-3=Postgraduate Year 3 (3rd year of medical residency)

⁵Enby=Nonbinary (NB)

⁶Cishet=Cisgender, heterosexual

⁷GIC=Gender Identity Clinic

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Previous Trans Physician/Scientist Articles:

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