According to the European Convention on Human Rights, everyone has the Right to control over their own body (art.8). Is this really reality for all Belgians ? As of today transgender and/or intersex people still do not have the freedom to enjoy this right.
Even though the Belgian law established that transgender people are allowed to change their identity card with regards to their name and/or their “registered sex” since 2018 on the basis of self-determination, access to healthcare that is specific for trans-people still has to be improved.
People who experience trouble with their birth-assigned sex and who want to transition by means of hormonal treatments and/or surgery and who have gathered enough facts from competent professionals to make an informed decision, should not have to justify themselves and to submit a required psychiatric follow-up.
An appropriate training for psychological, medical and social professionals would allow to depathologise trans-identity and intersex thematics, which are still too often pathologically connoted, stigmatised and assimilated to mental illness for trans-identities or a physical pathology for intersexuality.
In 2018, the partnership between various professional psycho-medico-social sectors from all over Belgium formed the Psycho-médico-social Trans* et Inter* belge network, which was ratified during a Symposium at CHU Saint-Pierre, followed by another Symposium at AZ Jan Palfijn in 2019.
The Psycho-médico-social Trans* et Inter* belge network’s targets :
- a respectful, appropriate and depathologising treatment of transgender and intersex people by psychological, medical and social workers that are educated on trans-identities and intersexuality ;
- a knowledge exchange between those professionals ;
- a chance for less secure people to receive trans-specific healthcare in low-demand facilities ;
- a decentralisation of the appropriate healthcare for transgender and intersex people by leaning on general practitioners, medical centres, mental health services, family planning clinics… that are closer to people, so they do not have to move far.
How to contact us ?
• as a transgender and/or intersex person asking for a medical reorientation :
You can receive psycho-social information by writing an email to support@genrespluriels.be. We will then redirect you towards the following professionals (non-exhaustive list) :
- general practitioners
- doctors capable of prescribing a masculinising or feminising hormonal treatment
- nurses
- gynaecologists / urologists
- surgeons trained for torsoplasty and other bust and face surgeries
- surgeons that practice genital surgeries
- speech therapists specialised in voice feminising/masculinising therapy
- lawyers
- social assistants
- …
• as a professional concerned about appropriate handling of trans*, inter* people or their relatives :
You can write us at support@genrespluriels.be to get in touch with us or to directly register for one of our professional trainings.
