Trans Zorg Nu Nijmegen demonstrates for self-determination and better trans care
When: Sunday 18 September, from 2 pm.
Where: Grote Markt, Nijmegen

Accessibility:
– There will be a livestream available through instagram and vimeo.
– There’s a sign interpreter. He will also be featured on the livestream.
– The location is near bus stops and is wheelchair accessible. In the center there are some streets with uneven cobblestones. We will stay in 1 place, there will not be a march.
– There will be folding chairs at the stage.
– There is a quiet location nearby where one of our volunteers can take you if it gets too much. This is at cafe De Plak, Bloemerstraat 90, next to Plein ’44. You can go here yourself or someone from the safety team can walk you there.

Meeting safely together.
We would like to agree on a few things to take care of each other on September 18th:
– We get together with a lot of people. Are you coming to the demo? Please do a corona self-test in advance. Stay home if you test positive for Covid.
– There is an area with dots on the ground during the demo. This is for people who want to keep 1,5 meters distance from others. Respect that and don’t stand there if you don’t intend to keep your distance. There is also an area where you can determine your distance from each other yourself.
– We think it is very important that no photos or videos are taken of people who do not want that. So always ask anyone who is recognizable in the picture for permission. Also the people in the background of your photo. We would specifically like to emphasize this request to journalists and other media representatives. Unfortunately, it is still not safe for all trans people to be themselves. For some of us, it can really disrupt our lives to suddenly see our face in a newspaper or appear on TV. Please respect our need for safety and only photograph or film people with permission. We will repeat this request from the podium.
– There is a safety team, those are the people in the yellow vests. If you feel unsafe or see an unsafe situation you can go to them and they will try to help you. They will also address people who do not keep to our agreements.

Voor de demonstratie op 18 september in Nijmegen zijn tot nu toe de volgende sprekers aangekondigd:

Moss (die/hun) is een non-binaire neurodivergente chronisch zieke BIPOC migrant die actief is in mental health activisme, peer-to-peer supportgroepen en de Haagse queergemeenschap.

Eelke (die/hun) is een witte nonbinaire Nijmegenaar die zal spreken over waarom dit het moment is voor echte verandering in de transgenderzorg en over hoe de strijd voor zelfbeschikking ons verbindt met andere gemarginaliseerde groepen.

Zee (zij/haar) is een Egyptische transgender vluchteling die zal spreken over het zware leven van transgenders in de vluchtelingenkampen in Nederland, hoe moeilijk het is om goede hormoontherapie te krijgen en over het misbruik en de beledigingen jegens ons.

Larisa (zij/haar) identificeert haarzelf als crip. Ze wilt proberen intersectie van queer & handicap onder de aandacht te brengen en zoekt een gemeenschap waarmee dat kan.

Dinah (zij/haar) is directeur van de vanuit de gemeenschap gestuurde Trans United kliniek van Trans United Europe/BPOC trans netwerk en de GGD Amsterdam. Ze is een internationaal activiste voor trans- en sekswerkers rechten, en hiv&aids activisme, en is raadslid vanBij1 Amsterdam en bestuurder BIJ1 landelijk.

Principle 17 is een zeven jaar oud collectief dat als doel heeft de basis van de trans zorg verbeteren. Die zorg moet op basis van mensenrechten en op basis van zelfbeschikking. P17 heeft een rapport uitgegeven over de ervaringen met transgenderzorg in Nederland dat liet zien dat het de afgelopen jaren veel erger is geworden. Ze werken met TGEU samen en hebben bijeenkomsten gehouden met extra gemarginaliseerde groepen in de trans zorg Omdat de zorgstandaarden van nu achterhaald zijn, en er veel vragen zijn over hoe het wel moet, heeft P17 een nieuwe visie gemaakt voor en met de gemeenschap. Die presenteren ze tijdens onze demonstratie aan de gemeenschap

Trans in Eigen Hand
Yenny (zij/haar) is een student bio-pharmaceutische wetenschappen, co-oprichter van Trans in Eigen Hand en transgender vrouw. Zij heeft herhaaldelijk vervelende ervaringen bij de huisarts meegemaakt, maar ook een aantal hele positieve ervaringen. Om deze speurtocht naar de juiste huisarts te versoepelen, is Trans in Eigen Hand druk bezig met het in kaart brengen van bekwame en transvriendelijke huisartsen in Nederland. Daarnaast is in samenwerking met de Transgenderzorg Kwartiermaker een reeks Webinars voor huisartsen in ontwikelling, zodat deze beter snappen hoe hormoonzorg in de praktijk er uit ziet.
Zij staat hier vandaag met de vraag: Ben jij al in gesprek geweest met je huisarts?

For the demonstration on Sunday 18 september Trans Zorg Nu Nijmegen has announced the following speakers so far:

Moss (they/them) is a nonbinary neurodivergent chronically ill BIPOC migrant active in mental health activism, peer-to-peer support groups and the The Hague queer community.

Eelke (they/them) is a white non-binary Nijmegen resident who will speak about why now is the time for real change in transgender care and how the struggle for self-determination connects us with other marginalized groups.

Zee (she/her) is an Egyptian transgender refugee who will speak about the hard life of transgender people in the refugee camps in
the Netherlands, how it is so difficult to get the proper HRT, and the abuse and insults towards us.

Larisa (she/her) identifies as crip. She wants to try to highlight the intersections of queerness and disability and is looking for a community to do that with.

Dinah (she/her) is director of the communityled Trans United clinic. She is an international trans rights and sexwork and hiv/aids activist and city council member for Amsterdam Bij1. She is member of the board of BIJ1 national.

Principle 17 is a seven-year-old collective that aims to improve the basis of trans care. This care must be based on human rights and self-determination. P17 released a report on the experiences with transgender care in the Netherlands that showed that it has gotten much worse in recent years. They have partnered with TGEU and have held meetings with additional marginalized groups in trans care. Because the standards of care of today are outdated, and there are many questions about how to do it, P17 has created a new vision for and with the community. They present this to the community during our demonstration

Trans in Eigen Hand (Trans in Our Own Hands)
Yenny (she/her) is a bio-pharmaceutical sciences student, co-founder of Trans in Eigen Hand and transgender woman. She has repeatedly had unpleasant experiences at the general practitioner, but also a number of very positive experiences. To ease this search for the right doctor, Trans in Eigen Hand is busy mapping out competent and trans-friendly general practitioners in the Netherlands.
In addition, a series of webinars for general practitioners is being developed in collaboration with the Transgenderzorg Kwartiermaker, so that they can better understand what hormone care looks like in practice. She is here today with the question: have you already had a conversation with your doctor?

On Sunday September 18, Trans Zorg Nu Nijmegen will organize a demonstration in Nijmegen.
Trans Zorg Nu Nijmegen demonstrates for self-determination. People who need transition care in the Netherlands have to deal with a waiting list of 3 years, patronizing treatment protocols and gatekeepers. One solution lies at the root of all these problems: self-determination.

Being transgender is beautiful, and transition a positive step that brings joy for trans people. It is part of being yourself and taking control of your own life. This makes it even more painful and unfair that trans people currently do not have control over their own care and have to wait for years before they can continue their transition. Trans Zorg Nu Nijmegen wants to address the importance of self-determination and propose concrete improvements.

We do this from intersectionality – the awareness that trans people who also have other minority experiences experience even greater barriers. We keep a broad view, because self-determination is important in all branches of care and the struggle for self-determination is one that we share with many marginalized people. As a community we want to celebrate our existence, show our strength and share our dream of the care we deserve.

With our statement, we present a list of concrete steps that gender teams can take right now to improve care for trans people and get closer to the goal of full self-determination:

1. Transition without diagnosis and with full reimbursement is the goal. A good first step in that direction: replace the psychiatric diagnosis ‘gender dysphoria’ from the DSM5 with the somatic-physical diagnosis ‘gender incongruence’ from ICD11. This diagnosis has no pathological focus on suffering or stigmatizing psychiatric status. Instead, it focuses on the enduring belief of gender identity. Make clear agreements with health insurers to maintain full coverage. The National Health Care Institute, the advisory body of VWS, already advised in 2021 that health insurers should reimburse the same care for both diagnoses.

2. Ensure that the steps people take outside the gender teams are safe. Provide information to GPs who wish to prescribe hormones or puberty blockers, whether their patients are on the waiting list or not. Provide people who feel they have no other option than to self-medicate during the waiting list with access to blood tests and any other physical examination to ensure their safety.

3. Take non-binary identities seriously and let people determine their own transition trajectory, including options such as choosing for surgery only, without taking hormones. Make sure that a non-binary transition wish does not lead to a delay in treatment.

4. Give young people the opportunity to start taking puberty inhibitors as soon as possible after registration. During the time that young people are on the waiting list and are in the diagnosis process, irreversible changes to their bodies and voices can take place, which can be safely and reversibly prevented with puberty inhibitors.

5. Do not limit access to surgery based on other factors that correlate with health, such as BMI or smoking. The use of BMI is not scientifically substantiated. In addition, this is necessary care, for which no barriers should be raised that we do not see in other life-saving operations. If there are really demonstrable health problems, discuss the risks with the care recipient and give them control in the decision whether the quality of life added by surgery outweighs the risks.

6. Do not create additional barriers to care for neuroatypical people (autism, add, etc) or people who struggle with their mental health. Do not demand that care recipients first work on their depression or first enter a counseling program for autism. Transition is often needed for other personal development. Let the care recipient decide for themself which care question is most urgent.

Op zondag 18 september organiseert Trans Zorg Nu Nijmegen demonstratie in Nijmegen voor betere transzorg. Zij zullen eisen voor betere transzorg presenteren, diverse trans en non-binaire sprekers aan het woord laten, en de community vieren met kunst, muziek en dans. Zet ‘m in je agenda – meer info en het dagprogramma volgt snel! Volg Trans Zorg Nu Nijmegen op Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/transzorgnunijmegen/
~
SAVE THE DATE! On Sunday September 18, Trans Zorg Nu Nijmegen will organize a demonstration in Nijmegen for better trans health care. They will present demands for better trans care, give the stage to trans and non-binary speakers, and celebrate the community with art, music and dance. Put it in your calendar – more info and the day program will follow soon! Follow Trans Zorg Nu Nijmegen on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/transzorgnunijmegen/