Since I’ve immigrated again, I need to have “the talk” with local people most likely to be able to advocate for me about what I need if I ever wind up unconscious and/or needing medical care but I’ve disassociated. Mostly, it consists of keeping medical doctors out of my underwear, unless absolutely, immediately necessary, and generally not disclose me or my hormone therapy.

Systemic transphobia has already traumatized me more than enough. The odds of my medical history having any relevance to whatever emergency medical care I might need is virtually nonexistent. I can’t damage or get pathology in organs I no longer have. My implants are MRI safe.

In defense of my extreme reluctance to disclose to health professionals despite being one myself, I’ve never had it go uneventfully, never mind well, for me to disclose outside of non-emergency primary care. When I have, suddenly trans must be the reason I’m unwell and/or I must stop T and/or they are no longer knowledgeable enough to provide care. To date not disclosing to specialists and emergency providers has yet to result in my getting harmed. So there’s that informing my choices. Do you have such talks? With your partner? A friend? A relative? Do you have a folder with instructions? Do you take your chances?