Un granito de arena: Exploring Trans health services in the Clínica Especializada Condesa of Mexico City, México Open Access
Mendoza, Isabeth (Spring 2018)
Abstract
Background Clínica Especializada Condesa is the only public medical facility that offers transgender-specific health services in Mexico City, Mexico. While the private sector offers surgical options to the estimated 26,700 transgender individuals in the capital of 8.9 million people, the public sector prioritizes HIV and STI treatment. The clinic began offering hormone replacement therapy in 2009 after the ministry of health acknowledged the treatments importance and since then a total of 1,600 transgender individuals have utilized the clinics services. Yet, it is common for the transgender population to self-prescribe and inject substances for body modification without medical intervention.
Methods The study took a qualitative approach and conducted 13 in-depth interviews with persons identifying as transgénero, travesti, transexual (TTT) who were patients of Clínica Especializada Condesa in Mexico City, as well as two key informant interviews with clinic providers. Research questions focused on knowledge, accessibility and utilization of available services by the transgender community in México City. A thematic analysis was used to identify key patterns in the data.
Results Learning about trans health services was tied to social networks that included virtual and physical spaces such as Facebook, YouTube, forums and friend or familial networks. Yet none reported learning about trans health services from the health sector itself. Four participants reported directly experiencing discrimination, transphobia or stigma, and all participants reported its pervasiveness in the health and employment sectors. These experiences affected the population’s willingness to seek, access and continue use of transgender health services. Barriers to health listed by Key Informants included: lack of HIV testing and information, high expectations for transition, and transphobia. Contrastingly, for participants they were a lack of information, high cost, lack of publicly funded surgeries, and trans competency.
Discussion There is a generational shift in how the trans population engages with healthcare including seeking formal medical care, family accompaniment and learning of services through virtual social networks. Although discrimination persists in various sectors, there is a positive impact on the interpersonal relationships of clinic trans patients. The clinic only existing in Mexico City has caused internal migration and residents to “stay put.”
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION..........................................................................................................1
BACKGROUND ...........................................................................................................6
METHODS...................................................................................................................27
RESULTS .....................................................................................................................33
DISCUSSION ..............................................................................................................56
APPENDICES .............................................................................................................65
REFERENCES ............................................................................................................77
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