Results

Results

Event

  • Opening
    Opening speech, which tells briefly about the origin of FREE PATHH.
  • Closing
    Closing, with the first four conclusions of FREE PATH.

Plenair

  • Lecture: You have the right to a better health!
    Good healthcare is a human right. The Dutch government has signed various declarations stating exactly what rights we have. Some participants of activistgroup Principle 17 talk about the situation of transgender healthcare in the Netherlands, how this care violates the human rights of transgender people, and what Principle 17 is doing to change this.
  • Interview: We are not alone
    The transgender community is not the only one fighting for more control over their own health care, this is a struggle fought by many. In this discussion, we are brought up to date on what is being done by people with an disability to gain more authority over their own health care. What can we learn from each other? Is there room for collaboration?
  • Lecture: Side-effects of hormones and blockers
    Many transgender people decide at some point to use hormones and/or (hormone) blockers. Many will use this medication for the rest of their lives, others will only use it temporarily. Like all medicines, hormones and blockers also have known and less known side effects. In this lecture Adrie talks about the side effects of both hormones and blockers.
  • Lecture: Informed consent
    Seeing a psychologist for months in order to get a diagnosis? Other options are available. The Callen-Lorde Community Health Centre in New York, USA works based on Informed Consent: the transgender person makes a well-informed choice for themselves and has the control in their own transition. A expert from the Callen-Lorde community Health Centre reports how this is working and what the experiences are with this system. The analysis of the results of this method showed that very few people quitted the medical treatment (for any reason).
  • Lecture: Children’s diagnosis
    The international health classification (ICD) is currently under review. Transgender is taken out of the corner of psychiatric disorders, and shifts to physical disorders. At the same time, there is strong support for maintaining a separate children’s diagnosis. This concerns children who are not yet in puberty, and therefore still do not need medication or medical treatment. Vreer explains why this is weird.
  • Panel: Here and there
    By 17:00, the first day of WPATH will have come to an end. Our correspondents who were present at WPATH throughout the day summarise what has been discussed over there. For those who have not attended FREE PATHH in its entirety, we summarise what we have discussed. What are the big differences? How do we ensure that what we have discusssed today will reach the healthcare professionals? How do we continue working on a future in which trans people have (more) authority over their own healthcare?

Workshops

  • Waiting List Blues
    The waitinglists at the gender teams in Amsterdam and Groningen are long, very long. In this workshop we will discuss what it does to you to not be in charge of your own care. Being on a waitinglist for months or sometimes more than a year, and then have to go through a long diagnosis, before you finally can start with medical treatment. In this workshop we not only analyse the obvious effects, but also the hidden and personal effects of waiting lists.
  • Adult tansgender care: as it should be
    The WPATH was held on June 17th. The theme was “Care as it should be”. One of the workshops was about “adult care”, with an emphasis on both mental and medical care. This workshop started with a brief report by Sabrina ter Horst on what was discussed at WPATH.
    After this introduction we will discuss this topic with one another. What do we consider good care for transgender adults? What are the prerequisites for quality care? We will also focus on the mental and physical wellbeing of transgender adults.
  • Gender Euphoria
    We often tend to focus on the bad things when we talk about our transgender experiences. Yet being transgender has many positive sides as well. In this workshop, we will explore those positive experiences and find out what gender euphoria might mean for various people. Using this discussion, we will try to develop a new, positive narrative about what it means to be transgender.
  • Trans* & Body
    Transgender people who have long since started their medical transition often say among themselves “your transition truly begins after your medical treatment”. Yet transgender health care pays no attention to this. Which is strange, because maintaining a good relationship with your body is essential for human beings, and therefore also for transgender people.
    During this workshop we will explore the importance of our physical wellbeing. Why should anyone settle for a “ceasefire” if it is also within your power to have a good relationship with your body? A brief introduction will be followed by a group discussion and the example of TBW.
  • The Minority Stress Model
    This workshop will introduce the Minority Stress Model, which has been used to explain why LGB people have more mental health problems than heterosexual people. Recently, it has been changed to include the needs of trans people. We will present the components of this model, and discuss how it can be used to help us understand our well-being. The model emphasises that most of our mental health problems stem from discrimination. It shows how we can work together to improve our mental health. The workshop is partly interactive and audience participation is strongly encouraged.
  • Transgender without the genderteam
    Not everyone chooses the beaten track. When the available health care is inadequate, some transgender people may choose to seek their own path. They share with us their choices and experiences. Not to tell us what we should do, but what we can do. Three speakers tell us about their experiences living without physical transition, about self-medication with hormones, and about finding health care options beyond the gender teams.

WPATH