WIXLIB

a little tiny guide to accessing healthcareespecially for queer/trans folks and all of us whohave had complicated relationships with our bodies.even if you’ve been traumatized,stigmatized or generally fuckedover BY the health care systemIF?!by kelli dunham rn bsnwith suggestions fromtons o tons of queers.

why this zine?many of us in the LGBT community haVE been ignored, misunderstood,mischaracterized and treated like poo during interactions with the healthcare system. Now we’re angry, sad, disgusted, scared and-- most of all-traumatized and want to avoid situations that make us re-experience allthose feelings.it makes senseto be scared.sometimes we’re told theanswer is oh i get it.that’s simple. ijust need tolove my body.oh inever eventhought ofthat!Oh sure. i’ll just ignoreevery bit of cumulative traumaand everything that me and mybody haVE been through andeverything that i’ve been toldabout my body since i was bornand just love my body!loving your body is agreat goal but it mightnot be attainable todayor tomorrow or nextweek and in themeantime .

it’s basically a highstakes fucked upobstacle course.the more you’resubject e more obstaclesyou have to overcometo get good healthcare.NOTE: your obstacle course probably won’thave such biblically named obstacles; thisphoto is from Teen missions boot camp thatkelli went through for two summerS. badsummers, but great photo.So to put it all togethER:you will probably need healthcarebefore you can achieve this100 percent body love business.it makes sense to turn to yourcommunity to help you along the way!(that’s the brainstorming business)and what follows are tips, tricks andcreative techniques to help you make thathappen.(that’s the workaround business)got it? movin’right alongthen .

repeat after me .youdeservehealthcareif you have achronicproblem thatyou’ve beenignoring if you’ve beengetting hormonesfrom a friend,lover or enemyrather than ahealth careprovider if you haven’thad a pelvicexam in tenyears psst orever youdeservehealth careyoudeservehealthcareyoudeservehealthcareif you’ve letthat simpleproblem go untilyou’re shootinggreen pus outof an orifice.it doesn’t matter whether you love your body, or hate it,whether you eat only kale and protein drinks or live oncheetos and mountain dew. it doesn’t matter if you justinjected crystal meth directly into your neck orperformed your own top surgery with things you foundaround the house

DO YOU BELIEVE IT?OHMYGOD I NEED HEALTHCARE AND I CAN’T GETHEALTHCARE AND I DON’T DESERVE HEALTHCARE AND I CAN’TBELIEVE I DESERVE HEALTHCARE. AND I’MJUST GOING TO KEEP GETTINGSICKER AND I WON’T BE ABLE TO WORK AND I WILL HAVE TO MOVE IN WITH AHOMOPHOBIC UNCLE AND AND NO ONE WILL LOVE ME AND I’M GOING TO DIEALONE AND POOR IN THE GUTTER OR WORSE YET IN MY HOMOPHOBICUNCLE’S HOUSE AND THEY’LL HAVE A PARADE THROUGH MY HOME TOWNCELEBRATING THE FACT THAT I HAVE CEASED TO EXIST LOTS OF PEOPLE HAVE THOUGHTSLIKE THAT BUT MAYBE YOU DON’THAVE TO BELIEVEIT YOURSELFRIGHT NOWTHINK OFEVERYONEWHO LOVESYOUTHINK OF THAT EXWHO PROBABLYSTILL HAS ALITTLE BIT OF ATHING FOR YOUMAYBE YOU CAN BORROW THE BELIEF!THINK ABOUT ALL OUR QUEERFOREPEOPLE WHO LIVED LIMITEDLIVES WHILE FIGHTING FOR RIGHTSTHAT WE NOW ENJOYTHINK OF WHOEVER WAS THE REALLIFE VERSION OF MS.DRYSDALE FROMTHE BEVERLY HILLBILLIES IN YOURCHILDHOODTHINK OF EVERY PERSON WHO HASEVER SHOUTEDTHINK OF ALL THE QUEERSWHO YOU DON’T KNOWWELL BUT WHO CAREABOUT SOCIAL JUSTICEAND ACCESS TOHEALTHCARE

IMAGINE US ALL HANGING OUT TOGETHER IN SOME BIG HUGE QUEERMESSY GROUP, SCRAPPING AND FIGHTING ABOUT LANGUAGE ANDTRIGGER WARNINGS AND ALCOHOL SPONSORS AT PRIDE AND WHETHERMULLETS ARE FASHIONABLE OR IRONICALLY FASHIONABLE AND EXACTLYWHAT KIND OF BEAST CAN ACTUALLY BE CALLED AN EMOTIONAL SUPPORTANIMAL, BUT STOPPING IT FOR A MOMENT TO LOOK IN YOUR EYES AND SAYWITH ALL OF OUR RAINBOW TINTED HEARTS .veeseryou d carethhealveer esercaudyo althheuyo verresede thcaalheyourvedeseethcarhealyou deservehealthcareyouvedeserhcarehealtyou deservehealthcareveeseryou d carethhealveeseryou d carethhealveeseryou d carethhealWhy all the fuss about believing you deserve healthcare?Well .the healthcare system (at least in the US) is designedwith certain priorities: PROFIT or RESEARCH or TRAININGHEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS or PROVIDER CONVENIENCE orKEEPING THE INSURANCE SYSTEM GOINGSo while there are many decent folks working in healthcare,the system is not actually designed to give up good carewithout some self advocacy on the consumer side.So if you’re going to have to fight it’s easier if you believe inwhat you’re fighting for, yknow?

SO IF YOU NEED HEALTHCARE AND ARE STRUGGLING TO GETIT, HERE ARE SOME THINGS THAT HAVE WORKED FOR OTHERFOLKS WHO ARE STRUGGLING IN SIMILAR WAYS .uncle kelli says all these suggestions were made byqueer/ trans/ lgbt identified peoplebecause the tip/tactic worked forthem or someone they lovewhat have L G B T or Queer folksdone to help trick themselvesnot every tip/tacticinto getting care will work for everyperson, but hopefullyyou will find somethingthat might help you.and these tips no one is saying itwiLL make gettingheaLth care easy.we know it’s afight! We justwant you to havemore weapons inyour arsenal!

use the least intensehealthcare spot that worksfor your health care needinrhetowor ds.avoid using the emergency roomunless it’s an emergencypeople use the erbecause they don’t haveany other choiceitno shoneevery hats tknowwell true, but .urgent care centerscan often handlesituations like somesimple fractures,stitches and randomstomach/respiratorybugstherus morepro hed(lik vider aeier) in a b s,u syt heli kel lesare y the sytab l o b elis e t oyou ten tor needsalso, treatment in an er usually errs onthe side of ass covering. And not, youknow, in the sexy way.this means moreinvasive tests, more poking and proddingwhich for some of us means more traumaeven better than anurgent care is arelationship with aprimary care providerwho can see you on asame day basis ordirect you towards ahigher level of care .EMERGENCY ROOMS Do have a legal obligation to see you .Because of the 1986 Emergency Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA), anyhospital that takes Medicare reimbursement (which is almost everyhospital) is required to screen, stabilize and/or transfer any patientwho arrives at the EMERGENCY ROOM with a POTENTIALLY EMERGENCY-ishsituation.but again, sometimes there really are other options .

it might not seem like thereare alternatives to the er,but sometimes there areicsclin caleeifrmedyb,run hools ctescs,cheruchhlthea icesrvse ered btflgofgh surothr enteccheck out so if you don’t have an emergency medical situation but you do have anemergency ation whatcan you do? what other options you might have depends on yourgeographical location but here are some possibilities:sliding scale nursepractitioner staffedclinics called Nurserun health centers—often affiliated withschools of sas thosu c hse in CVS RiteAID etchave to . you willpayusuall but theyy haveprettyadecentpervisit fee and tprovidheer canspendmore time with you

plan for asuccessful first attemptif you haven’t been able to access healthcare in a while you may have a bunch ofdifference issues that need to be taken care ofbut you can’t take care of everything atonce, right?make a list of what youneed.what I needhow hard will it be?-get my teeth checked5-pap exam9-see a dermatologist3-get anvil removed from the topof my head10then assign each actiona number from 1-10 onhow hard you thinkgetting that care willbe for you.don’t start with thetens!!!do a few thingsthat are easierto build upsome successexperiences!pro tip: if something is more urgentor more dangerous it might need tobe booted up the priority listsometimes it’s hard to know what isdangerous and/or urgent. you mightneed to talk it through with atrusted friend or your primary careprovider (if you have one)

run the drillsIN ALMOST ALL OF OUR DEALINGS WITH THE HEALTHCARESYSTEM, WE’RE DEALING IN SITUATIONS IN WHICHit canbe UNEARNEDreciprocalPROVIDERS HAVE A TONOFPOWER.doesn’t have to beoryoucanrecirpiralPHRASES THAT YOU CAN USE TOyourPRACTICEbest friend. orin another way .SLOWDOWNWHATEVER IS HAPPENING AND GIVE YOU TIME TO EXPRESSyour friend at all.a guide within a guide to find ahealth care buddy YOUR NEEDS. YOU WILL HAVE SOME OF YOUR OWN TO ADD,BUT SOME POSSIBLY HELPFUL PHRASES MIGHT INCLUDE local PFLAGtrue story FOESUAAMCUBE T R A , IMY TORYSHI EED Ni need you to use thisword .for that bodypart .can you explain that to mein other words? i don’treally follow what youjust saidYOU TO TELLYOU TO GOthere maybeMEMUCH SLOWERshouldn’t beTHAN YOUEVERYTHINGsomeonewhois asBEFOREYOUNORMALLYas youDO feverousITWOULDalthough we’ve allhad that situationwherelessTO KEEPMY we’reANTI-ANXIETYnervousbecauseweCLOTHES ONMEDICATIONneedtokeepitEVERY MINUTEBEFORE Atogether PHYSICALforI CANEXAMsomeone else YOUR HELP FIGURING OUT HOW TOGET THROUGH THIS HEALTHCAREEXPERIENCEcan youplease slowdown?i refuse“psst usethis as alastresort ifthings aregoingwrong andyou can’tget them toSLOW downthroughother ways.

make it a team sportunclejessie’stopsurgeryteamhaving a health care buddycan make a huge difference!what can a healthcare buddy do?help you craft a “taking care of body business” plango with you to appointmentshelp you speak to the providertalk with your insurancecompany if you are havingtrouble getting something paidforencourage you with somefriendly competition to seewho can (for example) go tothe dentist first, etc.troubleshoot with you when anencounter is going poorlybe your health care proxyhelp you find a provider who meetsyour needsdistract you while you are waitingyour healthcare buddy doesn’tneed to be your best friend oryour partner.sometimes addingemotional intimacy and worry tothe healthcare situation makes thehealthcare encounter harder.some folks find mutualhealthcare buddies to workreally well. you can go with themto their appointments, THEY can gowith you to YOURS

give yourselfpermission to count every step as a successnete aybtomethtg en’ whil toaevha in a ing ic istuet lin u yo rei f hc a t g e c y ortus thal n j of s foeheev oor cescdsuAND MAYBETOMORROWYOU WILLMAKE IT ALLTHE WAYINSIDE!DR ILUVAQUEER, MDHOWDYCOM !EINUSE WHATEVER SELF TALK GETS YOU CLOSER TO CAREIF THEBABY QUEERS SEEME IGNORING MYBODY’S NEEDS, THEYWILL DO THE SAME. IHAVE TO BE A GOODEXAMPLE.I LIKEHAVING SEXAND I NEED MYBODY FOR THAT SO IGUESS I BETTERTAKE CARE OFIT!IF IT WASEASY I WOULDHAVE ALREADY DONETHIS. IT’S OKAY FORTHIS TO BE REALLYHARD FOR ME.I CANCOMPLAIN ASMUCH AS I WANT ABOUTTHIS STUPIDAPPOINTMENT ASLONG AS I GONEVERTHOUGHT I’D LIVE TOSEE 30 BUT SINCE I HAVELIVED TO 30, I MIGHT KEEPON LIVING. SO I SHOULDTAKE CARE OF THEPLACE I LIVE!RIGHT NOW A TRUMPSUPPORTER IS GOING TO THE DENTIST,GETTING A PAP EXAM AND GETTING A MOLE CHECKEDOUT. WE CAN’T DIE WHILE THEY LIVE, IT’S ASOCIAL JUSTICE ISSUE!I REALLYDON’T LIKE MYBODY BUT MAN,IT’S GONNA BEEVEN MORE OF APAIN IN THE ASSIF IT BREAKSDOWN SO IGUESS I SHOULDTAKE CARE OFIT

work through yourcatastrophic thoughtsSO HERE’S SOMETHING WEIRD ABOUT THIS PROCESS:GETTING HEALTHCARE CANNEGLECTINGHEALTHCARE CAN BEEVEN THOUGH IT MIGHT SAVE US SOMEPAIN AND SUFFERING OVER TIMEEVEN THOUGH IT MIGHT FEELLESS SCARY IN THE MOMENTWANT TO MOVE SOME OF THAT BLOB-LIKE ALL ENCOMPASSING FEAR INTO SOMETHINGMORE SPECIFIC YOU CAN DEAL WITH?ANDLOOK AWHIMSICALPENCIL ICON TOPERSUADE YOU TOWRITE DOWN YOURBIGGESTFEARS!how likely is thIS TERRIBLETHING to happen?what is the very worst that couldhappen if you DO get this health careyou need?WHAT INNER AND OUTER RESOURCESDO YOU HAVE TO COPE WITH EITHEROF THESE SITUATIONS? IF THEWORST HAPPENED, HOW WOULD YOUGET THROUGH IT?what is the very worst that couldhappen if you DO NOT get this healthcare you need? HOW LIKELY IS THAT?