To the nurse in the ER,
Thank you for asking in my time of need about something that did not have anything to do with why I was in the hospital.
• What is Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome?
• What Are Common Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome Symptoms?
Thank you for making me uncomfortable.
Thank you for showing your bigotry.
Thank you for ignoring what was actually wrong with me, just because I said, “I am not answering that.”
Thank you for not just using your eyes to see the on the scars across my chest — which would have answerd your questions.
Thank you for making me feel so uncomfortable I considered leaving.
Thank you for assuming you have the right to to ask me that.
Why didn’t you ask me a question – like whether or not I could be pregnant could you be pregnant? That would have answered all you needed to know – regardless of what is “in my pants.”
Thank you for being the kind of person I fear would put their own feelings above my care.
From now on, I will be going to the hospital with the longer wait time, because it means I will have the doctor and nurses treating me like what I am: a person, a man, and someone who matters enough to be treated with care.
I deserve to be treated when I have a simple case of pneumonia, and deserve to know that if something happens, like having a reaction to medication, it’s worth their time, and my gender isn’t worth their judgment.
Sincerely,
A chronically ill trans man, but more than that — a human being.