I (NB, 28, lesbian) am a med school student. Every second day there is an out of pocket, often hateful, comment about the queer community. Mostly focused on trans patients. But there’s been comments all around.
The majority of these come from lecturers and doctors, in the most irrelevant, inappropriate situations. Things like scrutinizing language like “assigned gender at birth”, acting as if benign DSD manifestations need surgery at birth, saying everyone is transgender these days, saying that transgender people get gender reassignment surgery then want to switch back all the time, that lesbians are just aggressive because they have excess testosterone, that gay men are sexually deviant and that’s why they get HIV more commonly. I used to call it out, but I can’t do it anymore. It’s lead to me getting ostracized by classmates. I feel so lonely and hopeless. This degree was my passion and my dream and my purpose. Not to mention the medical racism and misogyny and general inhumanity I see day to day from doctors and nurses alike.
I am so tired, they are spreading misinformation and hate to the next generation of doctors.
Is anyone here a doctor or other medical professional? Anyone had this experience. It’s really impacting my mental health. Any words of encouragement or advice would be so appreciated.