#i'm angry that people see harassing trans people as a valuable use of their life but... it's sad. it's depressing

[uncanny-tranny]

The filter is for clarification and accessibility's sake - I know it can be hard to distinguish screenshots from post text.

I'm not platforming the blog who wrote this as their entire platform is dedicated solely to trans people... but seeing as I have seen others say this type of thing, I find it useful to address with the assumption that people who wonder this are actually doing so in good faith.

The thing about testing and medication is this: we don't (typically, there can be exceptions) test for potential, we test for the reality.

When my testosterone levels are tested, it is because the reality of my endocrine system is that it is testosterone-dominant. Yes, my endocrine system can (and has!) changed, but why would you test for a thing that isn't currently reality? What would that accomplish? You wouldn't be treating me as a patient, but your ideal of what my body ought to be. In the example, I highlighted that my hemoglobin changed by two grams or so, and that is literally because my endocrine system has changed - it is reality for my body that it has "male levels" because, again, my endocrine system has changed.

If you want a different way to see how this logic is flawed: why should I pay taxes when, without a job, I wouldn't have money, and therefore wouldn't pay taxes anyway? I have the potential not to have money, therefore, regardless of if I have money or not, I should be treated like I have none because of the potential to not have any.

That isn't a perfect comparison, mind you, but the point is to illustrate why it doesn't work. You don't treat people within your ideals. Your ideal might be that I don't take testosterone, but that isn't the case, and hasn't been for years - I haven't missed taking my medication in nearly three years, thank gd.

Again, I wanted to take this chance to actually push back against this because I've seen otherwise non-transphobic people do this, and it's odd to me. I can't emphasize how important it is to actually treat people with the reality they are living with and in.

The interesting thing about medically transitioning is how you might just be treated with the wrong framework.

When I get my hormone levels checked, for instance, they check it against the wrong type of person, so everything is flagged. Did you know that testosterone encourages hemoglobin production? Well, my hemoglobin is perfectly in line with male levels, but my levels are checked for the wrong endocrine system. Before I realized this, I was really confused as to why my hemoglobin was two grams over the range given, and was confused as to why that happened, and worried about if I should be worried about that. But it was a normal consequence of my testosterone levels, which are also flagged though they are well-within the range that is typical for my age and health categories.

The way we treat and measure for trans people and trans patients will affect the treatment and education they receive. There are ways in which hormones especially can influence how one's body operates, and with that in mind, you also have to change the way you interact with a trans person. With my testosterone levels, if you were to measure them against the incorrect endocrine system, you would fail to treat me in reality - that being the way my body has changed and maintained homeostasis since being on T.