Trans people still encounter numerous obstacles in their medical transition processes, despite the fact that the latest government law introduced measures to mitigate these difficulties. The first nationwide study in Spain on the health of trans and non-binary people conducted by the Carlos III Health Institute (ISCIII) reveals, in this regard, that two thirds of the people who underwent surgery to change their sex had to do so privately. The fear of being discriminated against, the health barriers and long waiting lists in the public health care system were the main reasons for this situation.
The research, dubbed Transaludes collects responses from 1,823 trans and non-binary people from the country’s 17 autonomous communities.35% of the participants were trans men; 23% were trans women; and 42% were non-binary people, with an average age of 26 years. The study thus aims to quantify the health status and the difficulties these groups face in receiving services appropriate to their health needs, and also includes information on their experience in relation to their social visibility and the situations of violence and discrimination they face.
“It is important to understand that health, and especially mental health, is greatly influenced by the situations of discrimination and other types of violence that trans people face,” stressed María José Belza, the ISCIII scientist who led the research. Situations that are not minimal, as shown by the study, which warns thatAlmost half of the participants have been physically assaulted at some point in their lives, something that affected the health of 80% of those who suffered it.
The study also shows that the collective encounters obstacles when it comes to accessing the necessary treatments for their hormonal transition. In fact, 17% of trans women claim that they inject hormones without a doctor’s prescription, and 13% have had to interrupt their hormonal transition due to lack of supply. in pharmacies.
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