Zander's Place

I started gender therapy at Fenway Community Health on August 9, 2006. I was assigned to work with Dr Emily Berman - who was forced to practice elsewhere in March, 2007. I told her my coming out stories (I came out as a lesbian. a butch lesbian, a boy, a non-heterosexual boy, etc), my family, my upbringing, my job - everything. And I want to say, right now, that it is okay to bring up stuff that doesn't pretain to gender. I told her almost every detail of the emotional and physical abuse I'd endured, and general inability to really get along with anyone related to me - and it didn't make me any less deserving to medically transition. We talked about my desire to start T, how I would feel if I couldn't start, the dream of getting top surgery, how my family feels about me being a Transsexual, how I feel about them going completely out of their way to let me know that they are not okay with it (during a phone conversation with my twin, he informed me that he and his friends that know, or come to know when they ask about me, speak of me in hushed tones). I think what sucks the most is that my aunt on my mother's side, with whom I used to be very close, told me pointe blank that she hated me transitioning and taking hormones. I am also not allowed contact with her three children - my cousins - whom I helped raise. I'm hurt, it's painful. I can't help but think about it every day. But unfortunately, some people honestly cannot be okay with someone close to them transitioning. And I was relieved to be able to talk about that with my therapist. And despite my issues with my family, I still got my letter :-)

On December 14, 2006 Emily, as soon as our session started, said something like,

"I spoke to the Trans Team this morning... and I brought up your case and told them how you were doing... and we all agreed that there was nothing wrong with you starting hormones."

I can't explain the rush in my body when she said that. I don't think I even really paid attention during the rest of our time, but I know it was the first time I wished the clock would just hurry the fuck up so I could go downstairs and make an appointment.

An appointment was scheduled with my Nurse Practitioner for the 18th of that month.

Because I have free care, and because my first few injections were done by a really awesome nurse, I didn't have to pay for T or needles or anything. But once approved to inject at home, needles and syringes were covered by free care, and testosterone only cost $51 because my insurance denied both mine and my doctor's requests to cover it (bastards). My graduation present from my nurse who taught me how to inject, was a handful of Snoopy band-aids :-D

As soon as I find it, I will type out my letter so y'all can read it and see what it should generally look like, in the instance that some of you may have therapists who never worked with Trans people, much less, write a letter approving hormone therapy before.

If you're in the Boston area, and you'd like to seek medical and mental health services at a GLBTQIA-friendly clinic, here's two options that I know of!
Fenway Community Health Center
7 Haviland Street
Boston, MA 02115
617-267-0900

Sidney Borum Jr. Health Center
130 Boylston Street
Boston, MA 02116
617-457-8140