Vibrant Episode 1 - Gender Affirming Care and Transgender Day of Visibility with Lindsey Sipos
In observance of the upcoming transgender day of visibility on March 31st, we are excited to share the first episode of our brand new podcast series, Vibrant! In this series, we will be sitting down with folks across our agency to get the inside scoop on the work they do to provide compassionate, affirming care to all those in our community. On our first episode, we get the chance to talk to Lindsey Sipos, the RN Gender Care Coordinator at Prism Health. Give the full episode a listen below, and let us know what you think at comms@capnw.org!
Episode Transcript
Intro: Welcome to Vibrant, an affirming healthcare podcast from CAP, Our House, and Prism Health. I'm your host, Dustin Vance, and I'll be here sitting down with folks across our agency to get the inside scoop on the work they do to provide compassionate, affirming care to all those in our community. Let's get the show started!
Dustin: Today. We're excited to sit down with Lindsay Sipos, the RN Gender Care Coordinator at Prism Health. Hi, Lindsay; welcome to the show.
Lindsey: Hey, Dustin. How's it going?
Dustin: I'm doing great today, Lindsey. Thank you. Before we get started, do you mind giving us a little info about yourself and your role at Prism?
Lindsey: So my name is Lindsey. My pronouns are she/her, and I'm part of the team here at Prism. So in my role as our Gender Care Coordinator, my main goal is to support my coworkers and community by increasing access to comprehensive primary care for trans, nonbinary and gender diverse folks. Gender affirming care and access to medications like hormones and anti-androgens should be integrated into primary care. I think this helps to decrease barriers and to provide a more comprehensive and patient centered experience. Someone's gender identity isn't removed from the rest of theirself, so it shouldn't be removed from the rest of their health care either. Knowing someone's full story means that we're able to shift recommendations and better understand their risk for things like certain cancers. I think traditionally trans and nonbinary individuals, and really many folks in the larger LGBTQ+ community, have had to figure out healthcare for themselves. In many ways, lack of access has made folks really scrappy, tight knit and resourceful. And while these are characteristics that I love, I think more burden and responsibility should be placed on medical systems to do better. While the medical system is scientific, it is also greatly impacted by oppressive and those intersecting “isms”. I'm really lucky that in my role here I get to work one-on-one with clients and my coworkers, but I also have an opportunity to engage and try to shift larger systems through advocacy.
Dustin: Yeah, that makes sense. As gender care coordinator, it sounds like you often help put together resources that aren't necessarily “medical”. Could you maybe talk a bit about how non medical resources such as housing, transportation, etc. are all important determinants of health and impact the patients you serve?
Lindsey: Yeah, I think it's exciting because now, more and more folks are drawing attention to those social determinants of health like the ones you mentioned. Health does not exist apart from all the other pieces that make up someone's life, but it is a part of it. I think this also speaks to the reality that healthcare is not the only place that folks are made to be under-resourced. If folks don't have their basic needs like housing or food security met, it's hard to address larger healthcare issues. And so we really need to get back to the basics to focus on that. I think even in a place like Portland, where we have a ton of resources and social services, there's still a ton that's lacking. So I'm excited to work more with community members as we try to address some of these issues.
Dustin: And what are some of the typical roadblocks or barriers trans folks face within health care, and how are you helping break those down at both prison health and the broader community?
Lindsey: Yeah, in some ways, it can feel insurmountable. I think that the roadblocks that people face are as diverse as folks are themselves. For some people, it can be lack of access to transportation to get to an appointment. But for some folks, there's also just a ton of trauma that has been created by the healthcare system. And so folks can be very hesitant to come in for an appointment often for the first little bit. We're really just getting to know someone and working to break down those barriers and earning trust by showing that we are affirming of who they are. We're here to help them. And so a lot of it is the barrier that we ourselves have created through the healthcare system that we have.
Dustin: So it really sounds like the individualized approach to health care at Prism is key to breaking down some of the barriers our patients face. Can you tell us about an experience providing care to a patient seeking gender affirming care and what that experience meant to you?
Lindsey: Yeah, I think to sort of speak broadly about it. The one thing I really value is getting to be a part of injection training for folks who are starting injectable hormones. I think for some folks, it can be a very scary and overwhelming experience, and I feel really honored that people trust me enough to work with them through that time. Also, some folks are just really excited, and they allow me to share in that joy with them, which I also really appreciate. I think sometimes during an injection training or afterwards, I'll kind of reflect back to experiences that I watched my friends or loved ones go through when they were trying to access hormones when I was coming up. And things just feel so different today. Folks really were largely left to figure out things on their own and sometimes have to engage with really damaging and problematic systems to gain access. Obviously, that's not to say that there aren't still damaging things that are happening today. And I don't think that everyone has equal access, but I think the injection trainings are a nice moment where I get to be present with someone and know that at least in that moment, I'm helping support them in their goals.
Dustin: So it's not only the personalized care approach, but also ensuring patients are seen and heard by their care team that's crucially important to really receiving care that is tailored to all of our patients, but especially our transgender patients. Visibility in particular is an issue our entire community often faces. Why is observing a day like Transgender Day of Visibility and other LGBTQ+ visibility days so important in breaking down stigma? And what message would you like to share with our community with regards to gender affirming care?
Lindsey: Yeah, I think like most things, Trans Day of Visibility means different things for different folks. I certainly can't speak for all of those thoughts and experiences, but I can share some about the history of the day and some of my thoughts around it. So a little bit about the history is that Trans Day of Visibility was founded by Rachel Crandall Crocker, a Michigan based psychotherapist and transgender advocate, in 2009. Her vision was to use March 31 as a day to recognize the accomplishments and resiliency of the transgender community. In some ways, it was also a response to Transgender Day of Remembrance, where folks gathered to mourn those lost to anti transgender bigotry and violence. Rachel, along with other members of the community, wanted a day to celebrate. I think similar sentiments are reflected by other folks as well. For example, we also have Trans Day of Resilience, which is an art project led by Forward Together that celebrates trans people of color globally. Several years ago, Rachel did a really thoughtful interview on the community platform “Them”, in which she reflected back on the holiday and was exploring some of the criticism that she's received about the day. One of the biggest themes is that visibility alone doesn't mean freedom. If individual visibility alone was enough to change systems of oppression, it would have already done so. For some folks, especially those that don't fit into a binary idea of gender, visibility can be dangerous. A term some folks use is hyper-visibility. This type of visibility isn't originated in consent and can cause increased violence and harassment. Trans-visibility and trans-liberation are not the same thing. Some folks have also challenged that it should really be allies who are called to be more visible right now. When I think about the attacks on youth and their families in Texas and the concern that trans and nonbinary folks in Ukraine must be experiencing, this does make me feel that allies need to do more to be visible. I do think all of these feelings and conversations are valid, and I think the day is big enough to hold space for all of it. I think the message that feels most important for me is that allies do need to step up and be more accountable on this day, not to be Saviors, but to hear what folks are saying, believe them, and support them in their goals. Gender affirming care isn't just about health, and I think gender affirming care is a community responsibility.
Dustin: Yeah, I couldn't agree more. Well, it's been such a pleasure to sit down with you today and learn more about the important work you do to coordinate Gender Affirming Care for our community at Prism. Thank you so much for your time!
Lindsey: Yeah. Thanks, Dustin!
Dustin: If you would like to learn more about Prism Health and our affirming, compassionate healthcare services, please contact us at info@prismhealth.org or by phone at 503-445-7699. You can also find out more about prism online at www.prismhealth.org.
Outro: Well, that's our show for today, folks. Thanks so much for tuning in, and we can't wait to share another with you soon. Until then, if you have ideas for future episodes, please don't hesitate to contact us at comms@capnw.org. Until then, Stay Vibrant!
About Cascade AIDS Project
CAP is a non-profit organization that was founded in 1985 as a grassroots response to the AIDS crisis. As the oldest and largest community-based HIV services provider in Oregon and southwest Washington, we seek to support and empower all people with or affected by HIV, reduce stigma, and provide the LGBTQ+ community with compassionate healthcare. We do so by helping to ensure the health and well-being of our program participants each year through health, housing, and other social services. When the need for affordable, accessible, and culturally affirming primary care services was identified as a community need, we responded by opening Prism Health in 2017. More information can be found at www.capnw.org.
About Prism Health
Prism Health provides high quality, affordable, and accessible health care for all, with a focus on serving individuals who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, plus all other gender and sexual minorities (LGBTQ+). All of Prism services aim to reach the most vulnerable – those living below the poverty line, communities of color, homeless or unstably housed individuals, and people experiencing mental health and/or addiction issues.
