The Remedy: Queer and Trans Voices on Health and Health Care

by Zena Sharman

Winner, Lambda Literary Award (LGBT Anthology) The Remedy invites writers and readers to imagine what we need to create healthy, resilient, and thriving LGBTQ communities. This anthology is a diverse collection of real-life stories from queer and trans people on their own health-care experiences and challenges, from gay men living with HIV who remember the systemic resistance to their health-care needs, to a lesbian couple dealing with the experience of cancer, to young trans people who struggle to find health-care providers who treat them with dignity and respect. The book also includes essays by health-care providers, activists and leaders with something to say about the challenges, politics, and opportunities surrounding LGBTQ health issues. Both exceptionally moving and an incendiary call-to-arms, The Remedy is a must-read for anyone—gay, straight, trans, and otherwise—passionately concerned about the right to proper health care for all. Contributors include Amber Dawn, Sinclair Sexsmith, Francisco Ibanez-Carrasco, Cooper Lee Bombardier, Kara Sievewright, and Kelli Dunham. Zena Sharman is a passionate advocate for queer and trans health. She has over a decade's experience in health research; currently she is Director of Strategy at the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research. Zena is also co-editor of All Ways Butch and Femme . She lives in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Genres: Nonfiction, Queer, LGBT, Disability, Health, Transgender, Essays

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2016

Reviews

[CaseyTheCanadianLesbrarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection held my attention despite the fact that it's about a topic I'm not especially interested in. There are some really great, informative pieces in here, especially on trans health, as well as a few knock out essays on being asexual, intersex, and bisexual. Nearly half of the entries are by POC (sadly this is rare in queer and trans anthologies so it deserves mentioning). Full review on my blog!

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid collection of essays spanning many health-related topics from many perspectives (ace, bi, queer, trans, intersex // mental illness, repro, and many other health issues // lots of POC authors) including both patients and providers, and many different writing modes, including poetry and personal writing alongside more analytical/academic essays. Canadian and Canada-centered. Very glad this exists.

[Kimberly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book certainly covers an important topic of which I am mainly ignorant. It provides a variety of view points from this community. I found it a useful reminder for people in health care to be conscious of how they interact with ALL patients. There is a chapter about a patient receiving cancer treatment that I could personally relate to and it wasn't a perception limited to only a trans-gendered person's perspective but could easily have been any type of person undergoing the humiliating process of fighting cancer. The middle chapters lacked the depth of story I needed to be drawn in to understand how the struggles of this community are different from the struggles of any other. Further, I found one chapter in particular confusing because up until this point the pretext was that there should be seamless inclusion of all people, yet when asked how they would benefit from a large donation to the Trans Buddy Program in TN, the response was to basically create a facility that employed only trans-sexual employees. To me this line of thinking is why SJW has a negative connotation; if you want to build a community of only one type of person to the exclusion and discomfort of others, then why are you complaining if that is what the (majority of) people around you have done? The later portion of the book improved by raising more specific examples that health care providers could benefit from exploring. I guess the title of the book raised my expectations of what I could glean from the text. This population is increasingly visible in my own practice and I was hoping to get better suggestions on how to offer appropriate communication and compassionate care, but I was left wanting. It will make me look for another reference or two. Overall I felt that this was a brief, easy read that gave a very shallow view of an area worth broader examination.

[Niaz · Rating 3 out of 5]

O Canada... Of course I knew Canada had its ups and downs with the LGBTQ community, but man was this an eye-opener. I chose this book on a whim and I never gave queer people's relationship with health care much thought, but now I can't believe I'd been blind for so long.

It's a powerful book because it's full of personal stories and essays by queer Canadians that chose to share their experiences with abuse, trauma, disease, mental health, etc. I'd recommend it.

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This anthology is a solidly curated collection of perspectives and stories. As I texted my girkfriend last week, "queers always do healthcare via gossip," and I love that femme powerhouse Zena has found a way to bring our longstanding traditions of gossip as life-saving knowledge-sharing into an accessible, educational read that should appear in every medicine and psychology curriculum. In particular, I appreciated the lens of power/authority located in the institution of health, and the recognition of the places medicine fails while spirit/ancestors/magic heal.

[Bogi Takács]

This was great, really outspoken, really intersectional; I wish it would have been twice as long. My only qualm was that the typography seemed sized for a different book. o.O?

Longer review hopefully soon IY"H!

Source of the book: Anonymous Benefactor purchased it for me from my wishlist!

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read for all health practitioners (and a recommenced read for all others). I learned a lot from reading this book including several ideas/concepts to reflect upon that will likely change my clinical practice. I am really excited about POCA and community models of care; how, if at all, can this concept be better translated to family medicine. I do feel that some CHCs are creating / trying to create similar spaces but as far as I’m aware the majority of interactions between patients and family physicians are individual vs collective or communal interactions. I obviously understand that privacy/confidentiality issues might be challenging to sort out, but very interesting ideas to think about.

I enjoyed the diversity of voices represented and the diversity of writing styles. A lot to self reflect upon and think critically about reading this book on a personal as well as professional level.

[Max Klaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

Many different perspectives and lived experiences of queen and trans people. A good read and an important read for those providing care weather it be medical,mental, or communal.

[Brook · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing collection of healthcare system tips, personal tales, healing, interviews, poetry, and a lot of love. This is a must-read if you're queer, trans, a healthcare professional, or love someone who is any or all of the three. This book deals with complex trauma, intersectional health, systemic barriers and generational pain. I loved reading this, and had trouble putting it down. Thanks again Zena.
(Many of my friends have work in this book, but that means I read it with the hope they had given their best to it, and I was blown away. Such powerful words.)

[Sinclair · Rating 4 out of 5]

Essential.

[alexander shay · Rating 3 out of 5]

While it was good to see that "health care" included aspects outside of doctors (acupuncture, chiro, psych, etc), I guess I was expecting either a more personal/'here's what happened to me' approach or a 'here's what I'd like to see change' approach. While some pieces in this book did take one or the other (or both) routes, many took a totally different one; some were even creative in form or straight up poetry. Each piece is educating in its own way, but you do have to treat each piece as its own for the most part, because of how differently each is written and what each piece focuses on. Several of them were, for me, a bit dense and didn't really touch on health care per se. But especially for allies, this is a great book to start your journey in self-education about the barriers and experiences of queer people and health care. There are many trans, gay, and lesbian narratives, but there is also intersex, asexual, genderqueer, non-binary, bisexual, and more. Several are health care workers themselves. There are Canadian and American voices, which is important given the very different health care systems, and many of these voices include QTBIPOC and immigrants, both required inclusions because factors other than being LGBT+ also influence how people are treated within the health care system.

[Corvus · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this anthology. I read an advanced review copy in PDF form, so there was one thing- a comic I believe- that I could not read because the graphic in the file froze my ereader. That's the only part I cannot review. The rest of the book was lovely.

Remedy is a collection of authors from diverse identities and backgrounds sharing healthcare tips for LGBTQ... folks and their providers, experiences with healthcare and healthcare systems, and interviews with people doing really cool healthcare and support projects for LGBTQ... people.

I am a disabled queer and trans person and I don't get out much, so I was pleasantly surprised to see some names in this book that I not only recognized and admired the work of, but also people I knew personally on top of that. I like when an anthology is able to include a variety of voices. A collection that is far-reaching and not only composed of those with the biggest names or price tags is on that is going to have the best representation- and I think this one does. It especially has a high representation of LGBTQ folks of color which is unfortunately unfamiliar in many anthologies.

Zena Sharman did well editing Persistence and she did well editing this as well.

[Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

"In discussing bodies, not identities, we can allow people to exist in the social world as they choose, while retaining our capacity to understand and address..."

"If there is a collective noun for my people, it could be a stubborn. Never mess with a stubborn of queers."

"This might not be 'the remedy,' but your ability to communicate your story, to relate to the stranger(s) in front of you is probably the one most immediate tool you have. And you have a small window of opportunity."

"We see you.
We see a lot of our people struggling under pretty lights.
We see your resourceful sparkle.
You can act with intention, stay with surprise, and find joy in solitude.
You can feel the hard stuff.
Let it pass through you as you head toward you next iteration."

"We make do and we re-make. We crowdsource our health in a community with a long history of caring for one another outside and often in spite of dominant systems and structures. We document and gather and share information, filling the gaps in the evidence where our lives, needs, and identities are increasingly but still insufficiently visible. We tell stores, and we take care of each other."

[Kelsey Powers · Rating 4 out of 5]

i thought this was quite the interesting book. it’s a very solid collection of essays related to LGBT+ healthcare - i read this at the same time as a book on disability justice, so they echoed and compounded quite nicely.

there were aspects of healthcare and trauma related to healthcare that i had never considered in terms of lgbt folks, and it definitely made me thoughtful. there’s a solid mix of healthcare varieties, from hospital related issues to natural forms of healthcare to mental, and the people writing were an excellent mix as well. some essays were harder to read than others, whether bc of writing style or content, but it was overall a very good read.

i quite liked the occasional comic in the mix, as well as the frequent chapters interviewing specific organizations, some of which i’ll have to look up later. def rec if you work even SLIGHTLY related to healthcare, or if you’re in the lgbt community.

[Kat · Rating 5 out of 5]

"I don't mean to single out medical students or doctors. The entire health care system is implicated in creating a persistent, negative culture towards sexual and gender minority populations that manifests as stigma and discrimination and exerts a powerful influence on health disparities." - The Remedy: Queer and Trans Voices on Health and Healthcare, Editor @zenasharman

Thank you to the queer, trans and medical authors of this book for sharing your poems, short stories, essays and experiences.

All people, no matter their gender and/or sexual orientation, deserve access to safe and quality healthcare by and from medical professionals that validate their experiences.

"Remember: story often trumps data..."

P.S. Happy Pride Month 🏳️‍🌈

[Alexia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a really powerful anthology exploring queer and trans’ peoples experiences with health, healthcare, and healing both inside and outside of institutions. There are of course plenty of examples of how people have been harmed by medicine, doctors, and institutions but I was very moved in all the ways people are caring for themselves and others despite these insufficient structures. There were lots of stories of healing, and a powerful refusal to see healing as individualized and apolitical. All healthcare workers should be required to read this!

Content warnings: There’s a lot for this one — many shared experiences of institutional violence, medical neglect, homo/transphobia, racism, gaslighting, abuse, and trauma

[Joan Conte · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book didn't teach me new things but it did make me feel good. It tells stories of Queer and Trans folks in medical settings. It includes good experiences. It also points out the rarity of good medical practices. It focuses on intersectionality. It is the voices of so many diverse people. It shows us how community is the keystone for queers. I felt solidarity in this anthology. I felt like someone "got it" and suddenly I could find room to express my own frustrations. I hope more medical practices learn about the queer and trans community and adapt practices to be more inclusive and equitable.

[J · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazing and amazingly written ! Very practical and with a really far ranging set of perspectives. I enjoyed the sections on how healing can heal you (did you know the Black panthers briefly ran a community acupuncture clinic?) And observations from a GNC psychologist on the difficulties on being a gate keeper and a gate opener for other trans folks; but all of them were excellent !

While obviously recommended for those working in health care, I also think it's useful in trying to articulate a holistically Queer and Trans politics and healing based on care and anti-capitalist solidarity work. Lots to think about!

[Sarah 1/2K · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great read for broadening my perspective on challenges faced by gender-diverse people in the health care system. As a queer person in a queer relationship, some of these challenges were all too familiar and others I was completely blind to. This anthology is a compelling look at the additional and sometimes unintentional barriers gender binary practices can create in healthcare settings. I also found it to be hopeful, in the way it touches on new initiatives and best practices to bring into our own local settings.

[Callum Steele · Rating 5 out of 5]

I encourage anyone perusing a career in health care (or currently in health care) to give this book a read. This book beautifully shows how you as a health care provider can have a powerful impact in patient lives. Whether that impact is positive or negative however depends on how you choose to act.

Words are important. What may seem trivial to some, such as using a patients preferred pronouns, can have profound impacts! I have a page of notes/quotes written down so I have a constant reference for when I go into practice.

Pick this book up, you will not regret it!!

[Lydia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! there are so many different perspectives on queer and trans folks health, and so many pieces written by POC. really important voices to hear. I'm so glad I read it before going to medical school. I've read the research on queer and trans people's experiences in the health Care system, but this book is so much more valuable because it is their interpretation of their experiences, not a researcher's.

[Jimi · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a person of the LGBT community, I have felt and experienced similar issues gaining access to healthcare. Many may think that LGBT have come a long way, however, we still have a long way to go-healthcare isn’t a privilege, it’s a right and we shouldn’t have to worry about ignorance affecting treatment or our ability to access quality care. This book helps shed light on the many issues we still face and also how the healthcare community needs to be better.

[Micah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I related to this book so much. Even as a queer person I learned a lot of new things and was able to see some perspectives that weren't my own. Especially in regards to intersectionality with race, and also the height of the AIDS crisis. It was very enlightening to have a variety of experiences recommended. I also shared a couple snippets with two healthcare worker friends who are now putting this book on their to-read list.

[Jae · Rating 3 out of 5]

giving it 3 stars because it does carry a lot of important facts, information, and resources. i appreciate the fact that it uplifts a lot of queer/trans poc, which is something we definitely need more of!!! unfortunately i just can’t find it in me to give it a higher rating because i just couldn’t get into it that much for some reason and finishing it ended up becoming a chore. maybe the stories all felt “too brief” to me? either way, grateful this exists!

[Fifi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such an important book -- it's an amazing collection of experiences with, perspectives on, approaches to and initiatives in queer and trans health that really illustrates where we're at, where we need to be, and how we might get there. Just incredible. Thank you so much to everyone involved for this gift. A must read for absolutely everyone!

[Shea Buckley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a formative read for me as a aspiring healthcare provider and queer and trans individual. Incredibly important voices: opinions, experiences, healthcare strategies, and more. Definitely would recommend for anyone even remotely interested in healthcare, the intense inequalities within it, and/or trans and queer life.

[Hermes Aponte · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an eye-opening anthology about queer and trans experiences in healthcare settings. It should be a must-read for anyone planning to work in healthcare so that they can gain competency in such topics. No one should feel afraid nor expect to be discriminated against when trying to access health services.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting collection of short pieces covering queer and trans responses to healthcare - personal and systemic, queer-centred, positive and negative. Many pieces were from Indigenous and people of colour - although the experiences were skewed to North American settings.

[Frank Day · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can truly say this book changed my life. I read this when I was discovering I was transgender myself, and this book made me feel so much less alone in these feelings. It made me feel a lot more confident in myself and my community. Really so proud of everyone who was part of this book

[Cy Siu · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great and different yet much needed perspective that circles around issues in the health world amongst the community of LGBT2-SQ. A series of many perspectives and stories well worth the read in understanding the troubles, and barriers that arise.