Kit spent the last year squirreling away their money.
They’d done this by cutting out any sort of social activities. For Kit, 2023’s cost of living crisis had been all about paying bills and choosing whether to save up for hormone replacement therapy (HRT) or see their friends once a month.
They needed to save at least £1,100 to be absolutely sure they’d manage to afford one year of healthcare. Considering that Kit’s monthly earnings were in the vicinity of £70 a week as a carer to their sibling, this was no mean feat.
They had to save a third of their earnings for that year.
Months into seeking HRT with GenderGP with no response, they felt they’d poured it all down the drain. Stress has their dysphoria at an all-time high.
They don’t know if they can spend another year raising the same funds for another private practice, or if it’s even worth it. They can’t travel to the clinics that are hours away, and the NHS fumbled their application for the closest GIC in 2022 – so help to alleviate their dysphoria is projected to be achieved in 2035.
And GenderGP’s response is that ‘change makes everyone upset.’
Kit’s story is anonymous.
If your name is Kit and you’ve had this experience, I’m very sorry that (1) you read through that, and (2) that you’re going through that. You’re not alone.
Countless numbers of us trans folks have been attempting to deal with GenderGP’s (GGP’s) ‘fumbling’ of our healthcare. To varying extents, we’ve either managed to achieve a costly and uncertain response or no response at all. Considering that GGP recently implemented a ‘pay £8 to speak to someone’ fee, on top of your £30 monthly subscription to access services, getting no response at all is a slap in the face – or rather a slap in the wallet.
“I’m trying to leave GenderGP having run out of T completely, with no help at all. Zero response.”
In our seemingly never-ending struggle for trans rights and healthcare equality, as the cost of living crisis continues to become less of a crisis and more of a norm, as transphobic study, policy, and guidance is funded by a government headed by a man who makes jokes about trans women – GGP appears eager to jump into the ‘cis maths’ equation.
Precarious healthcare is nothing new with GGP however, as one person had to say about their experiences in 2023:
GGP’s services “were genuinely a lifesaver for me until I was able to get to doctors in my country. I had issues with them regarding prescriptions (they stopped delivering T gel via their partner pharmacy in Ireland sometime last year […]
but their digital prescriptions mean fuck all in a lot of countries. I was so frustrated trying to get a proper prescription out of them, and eventually [a month later of arguing over emails] they did send it to me.”
The fact that GGP’s prescriptions aren’t respected by most healthcare professionals is nothing secret. In fact, it’s quite a staple of their available services. Most people under GGP’s wing buy their prescriptions online, as local pharmacies won’t accept their paperwork – which is not necessarily GGP’s fault, but must be taken into account for the rise in costs upon already costly healthcare.
“For me, they now use a different online pharmacy which makes T more expensive.”
GGP has publicly stated that contact will now cost £8, via a 15-minute session using their online chat. In that same statement, they responded to the countless stories of peoples’ wasted money that:
“We know there’s been a little upset and unrest, but we also have to stay honest about it and say change does that to everyone.”
It should go without saying that not providing the services people pay for you to provide is not ‘change’ but a form of financial and emotional exploitation. Did GGP just try to gaslight us? The answer is yes. Yes, they did.
With boundless irony in their ending sentence:
“Let’s make sure [that we have a] strong and supportive GenderGP community […] where we can ask them [trans people] ‘how are you?’ and we can deal with the answers.”
Only if you’ve got £8 to spare in a precarious quest for the services you’re already paying for. But unfortunately it doesn’t stop there.
‘GenderGPT’, says Jackikins on Reddit, in response to a post confirming suspicions on GGP’s use of AI. [2]
“I requested my hormones 2 weeks ago & they sent me an AI generated email that I don’t understand.”
As written in their Healthy Hormones statement, GGP believe that “embracing AI-generated content is a positive step towards creating a more inclusive, supportive, and informed world.”
They clarify that AI will be used in combination with “medically qualified professionals and rigorous research,” but exactly how AI is useful in this area is not shown. That is, aside from cutting back on GGP’s workloads. As if the exorbitant fees asked for by GGP cannot pay for a trans writer.
In response to this new-found, liberatory technology please expect Inclusion and Diversity Officers, Human Resources, and Transmuted’s team to be promptly replaced by chatbots and AI generated community projects.
In all seriousness, AI has one obvious flaw: that it is built upon a system of other work, likely by a database comprising of cisnormative writing. Another flaw is its ‘corporate speech’, a language fundamental to maintaining distance between reader and writer – or in this case, patient and doctor.
GGP are contradicting themselves: searching for new ways to gaslight and exploit the very community they assume to help. It’s giving ‘anyone can afford $5 for previously free content’.
“The new form you’re forced to fill in is so frustrating. The extra £15 fee added to private prescriptions with no explanation or reasoning finished me off.”
There is, unfortunately, a great deal more to speak about on GenderGP’s recent (and past) misconduct that I won’t be able to cover in this article. However, I would like to end here in response to their most recent message in response to community upset. Which you can read here.
Dear GenderGP,
I hope this letter finds you well, albeit with a sense of urgency and responsibility towards the community you serve. As advocates for trans rights and healthcare equality, we feel compelled to address the growing concerns surrounding GenderGP's practices, which have raised significant ethical and moral questions.
At the heart of our concerns is the issue of accessibility and affordability. It has come to our attention that GenderGP's pricing structure has become increasingly burdensome for many within the transgender community, particularly those already facing financial hardships. The escalating fees not only place essential healthcare services out of reach for many but also perpetuate systemic inequalities, further marginalizing an already marginalized group.
Equally troubling is the decision to place essential forms of communication behind a paywall. Effective healthcare relies on open and consistent dialogue between patients and providers, yet GenderGP's pay-to-talk model erects barriers to access, hindering communication and support for those in need.
Furthermore, reports of delayed responses, overlooked medical concerns, and a general lack of urgency in addressing trans healthcare needs have raised serious doubts about GenderGP's commitment to the well-being of the individuals it serves. The systemic failures in managing vital healthcare services not only jeopardize the physical and mental health of transgender individuals but also erode trust and confidence in the organization's ability to fulfil its mission.
Despite repeated calls for accountability and transparency, GenderGP's response has been lacking, further exacerbating the concerns and frustrations of the community. Ignoring these issues only serves to perpetuate harm and injustice.
We urge GenderGP to take immediate action to address these concerns, including but not limited to:
Revising the pricing structure to help affordability and accessibility for all individuals, regardless of financial status.
Removing barriers to communication by eliminating the paywall for essential forms of contact.
Implementing measures to improve response times and prioritize the healthcare needs of transgender individuals.
Issuing refunds to all who have paid for unprovided services - including subscriptions for the wait period resulting in no service, and especially for the period in which cancellation was not available.
Apologising for misconduct detailed within and outside of this article and promising transparency appropriate to GenderGP’s services, fees, and audience from here on.
Demonstrating a genuine commitment to accountability and transparency by addressing concerns in a timely and meaningful manner.
As advocates for trans rights and healthcare equity, we stand ready to work collaboratively with GenderGP to address these issues and ensure that all transgender individuals have access to the healthcare they need and deserve, free from discrimination and exploitation.
We eagerly await your response and action on these critical matters.
Sincerely, Dorian Rose.
Transmuted CIC contactus(at)transmuted(dot)co(dot)uk
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