"Are there people applying tests of whether you 'act' enough like a gender before they'll help you?"
Exactly that. Not dressing [gender stereotype] enough when showing up for an appointment. Not reporting having had a [stereotype] enough childhood. Not seeming attractive enough an example of your gender, in a therapist's eyes. Having the "wrong" sexual orientation. AFAIK all of these are much less common now than ten or twenty years ago, but still crop up. Trans people sometimes -- used to be usually -- have to present in very sterotypical ways to convince gatekeeping therapists they're really "trans enough" to receive treatment. (And then get dinged in other contexts for "perpetuating gender stereotypes". Can't win.) And of course this screws nonbinary people even worse, having had to claim to be binary-identified to pass gatekeepers. (Again, this has improved recently, with some professionals in gatekeeping roles having learned to see and understand nonbinary people. But it's a recent-ish change.)
Nowadays it might take a bit of asking around to find out which doctors are less like that. Not too long ago it was just taken for granted that they were all like that.
"I mean, lots of cis people don't exactly fall into stereotypes either... but then, logic, clear thinking, and absence of hypocrisy have never been marks of those seeking to control others. :-("
Yep. A classical example is a female therapist telling a trans woman patient she doesn't think she's "trying hard enough" or doesn't seem invested in being a woman because she showed up to her appointment in slacks, when the therapist herself is dressed exactly the same.
(no subject)
"Are there people applying tests of whether you 'act' enough like a gender before they'll help you?"
Exactly that. Not dressing [gender stereotype] enough when showing up for an appointment. Not reporting having had a [stereotype] enough childhood. Not seeming attractive enough an example of your gender, in a therapist's eyes. Having the "wrong" sexual orientation. AFAIK all of these are much less common now than ten or twenty years ago, but still crop up. Trans people sometimes -- used to be usually -- have to present in very sterotypical ways to convince gatekeeping therapists they're really "trans enough" to receive treatment. (And then get dinged in other contexts for "perpetuating gender stereotypes". Can't win.) And of course this screws nonbinary people even worse, having had to claim to be binary-identified to pass gatekeepers. (Again, this has improved recently, with some professionals in gatekeeping roles having learned to see and understand nonbinary people. But it's a recent-ish change.)
Nowadays it might take a bit of asking around to find out which doctors are less like that. Not too long ago it was just taken for granted that they were all like that.
"I mean, lots of cis people don't exactly fall into stereotypes either... but then, logic, clear thinking, and absence of hypocrisy have never been marks of those seeking to control others. :-("
Yep. A classical example is a female therapist telling a trans woman patient she doesn't think she's "trying hard enough" or doesn't seem invested in being a woman because she showed up to her appointment in slacks, when the therapist herself is dressed exactly the same.
(no subject)