Divulge transgender status in personal statement?

[kudoskudo]

[Apologies for the ghost account, but the question is slightly sensitive in nature.]

I was born genetically female but identify and live as a male and have lived as male for the past 5 years. I am hoping to get some anecdotal advice on whether or not I should mention this at all when it comes time to write my personal statement.

The basics:

-I am "stealth" in my professional life, in that I consider my history private medical information that is not relevant to my professional life.

-I am NOT interested in going into medicine to serve those who are transgendered, but I AM interested in raising awareness of and education about how to treat transgendered individuals in the medical community in general.

-I do consider my transition to have made a significant impact on me as a person and it has affected my journey (I took the better part of a year off to deal with it and the mental health issues surrounding it. I am now mentally stable, healthy, and happy). For this reason, I feel like it would be hard to explain my journey to medicine without mentioning it at all but at the same time, I don't want my divulging this personal information to negatively impact my application.

Thoughts?

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[spacemanxxx]

I am assuming you are legally male as well, so it won't be difficult to keep your change private. You should divulge this info selectively only to schools that have had TG students in the past. Most med schools are very conservative and don't want anything from fringes, but there are some that truely embrace diversity. If you do research and then apply to those more open schools, you may fit in well there.

 

[docelh]

Would they know if they interviewed you in person?

 

[deleted307836]

Would they know if they interviewed you in person?

Maybe not so PC, but this is the first consideration I thought of as well.

 

[TriagePreMed]

We live in a sad society where divulging something like that may come across the path of some *****ic homophobe and ruin your chances at becoming a doctor. At the same time I can understand that you must feel strongly about this as it has influenced your desire to become a physician. I don't feel adept to give you advice to go on either direction, but before you make a decision be honest to yourself about the consequences of either decision.

 

[kudoskudo]

Would they know if they interviewed you in person?

No, I don't look particularly different from any other guy that you might run into on the street, so the information is at my discretion to share or not share.

 

[docelh]

It sounds like you view it to be a private matter.

I wouldn't mention it.

 

[eli20]

I agree with what others have said, it's a tough choice to make and one that you honestly shouldn't have to - go into medicine become an adcom and work at getting rid of these idiotic prejudices so that in 20 years, someone won't even have to ask this question.

I wish you luck!

 

[Forthegood]

Most medical schools have a LGBT group, perhaps find one and who is running it and ask them. They may be able to help you more than we can.

 

[vc7777]

My medical school class had a (mandatory) seminar for the whole first year class given by a transman last week. I mention it was mandatory to show that my school thought it is an important enough topic that it warranted discussion. It was very well received.

Two thoughts:

First I have heard that the greater LGBT community may not always be the most supportive of transmen and women. (Heard this from a friend on SDN)

Second, yes, you may not practice medicine directly with this patient population. However it is important to the community to have doctors in every field who practice tolerance and understanding. In short, even if you do not want to practice sexual reassignment surgery, for example, it doesn't mean you won't encounter trans patients.

Who you are can be a very relevant part of your professional identity.

Not sent from my cell phone

 

[familyaerospace]

I'm trans (ftm), had top surgery and am on T... well sort of, I had to come off it for a while and we are trying to figure out if I can ever go back on it. No hysto yet and am unlikely to ever get meta or phallo. My state requires a hysto to change drivers license and my birth state requires meta or phallo to change BC. So I am still legally female. If you are stealth and everything has been changed (or even if nothing has been changed), why would you mention it?

I mention being trans in my personal statement. However, I only mention it for a few reasons.

1) If I had not dealt with being a pregnant transsexual, I would never have been treated like crap from the medical establishment. I would thus have never developed my medical phobia and thus would not have been forced to work through some of my demons. For a while I couldn't even say the word hospital. It helps explain why I took so long to decide on medicine (I am a non-trad) and how I nearly died out of fear of seeing doctors. That is mentioned in my statement. What is implied is that I know what it is like to be scared and people who know about my former phobia sometimes send me in with some of the highly nervous patients to help them be less afraid.

2) I went through h*ll because I was trans and it took a lot of handholding. My desire to transition is partially what drove me back to see doctors. My top surgeon did so much handholding with me and for the first time in my life I was treated like a human being. I've luckily come across several doctors who didn't care and who've treated me incredibly well. But I know I am very, very lucky as most trans people have *no one* to turn to. That is also mentioned.

3) If I had not been trans, I would never have met some of the most wonderful people in the world. One of which, a transwoman, passed a way from cancer in no small part because she lived in Arkansas and no doctor would even give her an exam until it was too late. By the time she was diagnosed, she had less than a week to live. She is mentioned in my personal statement. I was still on the fence about medicine until she died. When she died, I became so angry that I decided right then and there that come h*ll or high water, I was going to do everything in my power to become a doctor. I don't care if I have to take the MCAT a thousand times, and apply every year from now until I die. No death is fair, but hers was particularly unfair since she was never even given a chance because people judged her (much like I judged the entire medical profession based on a few bad apples)

4) I have a few general ideas of what I want to do in medicine. Primary care focusing on the needs of the LGBT community is one of those ideas.

5) It would help to explain why a person who is legally female but with a male name is insisting on being considered male and addressed as male.

6) I live openly as a transman in my personal life. Only in the hospital setting do I take pains to hide it. I'm not embarrassed for myself, but I know the patients would not be pleased and they might become uncomfortable.

If I didn't have any reason to mention it, you can bet your butt that I wouldn't talk about it. Medicine is still conservative and there is still a lot of discrimination out there. I am probably shooting myself in the foot by mentioning it, but you know, I had to come out in order to explain everything else. My previous draft of my personal statement that didn't mention any of those things was really, really bad and I could not articulate "Why Medicine" very well. I'm embarrassed that I wrote it. I'm proud of this version.

So basically my point is, if you can avoid mentioning it in your personal statement, do so. And be careful about any mental health issue. I'm sure as heck am not disclosing any gender-related depression. I have a lot of reasons why I cannot go stealth and my reasons why I have to disclose. Without being trans, my "Why Medicine" story completely falls apart.. ...

 

[IDreamtIChased]

I would sincerely advise against it.

 

[Stuart Smalley]

Just a thought, but you could leave that for the "diversity" essays that most schools require. Then you can decide which schools you'd like to tell, and you'd be nailing the diversity essay without sounding redundant.

On the other hand, I'm sure that this is a unique and compelling story...

In response to aerospace:
Be careful to not come across as angry. This will ruin your PS and make you less sympathetic. Lots of people feel a sense of camaraderie with people who share their passion and profession, and might get defensive or off-put by a perceived attack against doctors.

You will sound more mature and likable if you don't focus on the bad experiences, but on the good ones It will make the reader say, "Wow, this person went through hell but is so optimistic and positive! They must have amazing emotional strength," instead of "Wow, this person went through hell. This was depressing to read."

 

[Nevadanteater]

The advice I give you is the same advice I'm would give anyone. If your experience as a transperson has actively affected your decision to pursue medicine, by all means mention it. I think that bringing it up for the sake of bringing it up is not a wise decision (it is kind of like asking for affirmative action help without real cause). If this is not the case and a school asks for a diversity essay, your experiences as a transperson would be perfect.

My school has a couple of trans med students that I know of (though the school it is incredibly liberal)...

I wrote my PS largely about transgender issues (I used to work at a trans clinic) and how they relate to social justice and how all of that affected my decision to enter medicine. I think that it opened some doors (schools at liberal locations) for me but also closed some doors as well (though I don't know exactly why, I didn't make it past secondary at a LOT of places...)

If you want, I'd be happy to send you my PS so you can get a feel for what I'm talking about. Shoot me a PM and I'll send it your way.

 

[denco88]

I'm just going to be really honest... A lot of us have no idea what its like so it is really difficult for us to give you advice. Even if we do give you advice, I would take it with a grain of salt. However, I think that is what makes aerospace's advice so special. He has been in your shoes.

Also, maybe talk to one of the advisors at the schools. They typically are not on the adcom's and they could give you some advice on how to handle the situation. Or your premed advisors from your undergrad.

 

[FIREitUP]

IMO I wouldn'tn do it. Most medical schools are very conservative and narrow minded for the most part; someone I work with was a prominent PHD candidate about 30 years ago at a graduate program with a medical school. Well, one year he came in as a she, and they basically didn't let her pursue her PHD. Yes, this was 30 years ago, but bear in mind many of the individuals live in that same mind-set. Best of luck.

 

[wristbandMD]

I have read through a few posts and I think that familyaerospace makes a number of good points. It might not be a good idea to mention it unless it is truly what drove you to become a doctor. However, I feel like it is still possible and acceptable to write about transgender stereotypes, etc. You could write about it, but not necessarily divulge that you are trans.

 

[Bernoull]

My take on these subjects is "To what end?"

What do you stand to gain and what do you risk by divulging? Regardless on what you finally decide, I hope these are questions you ponder.

Gdluck

 

[eli20]

It's a shame that the process of applications turns all our future doctors into spineless people who will do anything to fit in and get in.

Medicine is doing our society harm if it truly is so backwards in 2010.

 

[familyaerospace]

In response to aerospace:
Be careful to not come across as angry. This will ruin your PS and make you less sympathetic. Lots of people feel a sense of camaraderiewith people who share their passion and profession, and might get defensive or off-put by a perceived attack against doctors.

You will sound more mature and likable if you don't focus on the bad experiences, but on the good ones It will make the reader say, "Wow, this person went through hell but is so optimistic and positive! They must have amazing emotional strength," instead of "Wow, this person went through hell. This was depressing to read."

Thank you anyway for your advice, but it is completely unnecessary. I've read now about 250 personal statements so I know how to craft one and have seen a remarkable amount of people who can't turn a negative experience into a positive one.

I've had some insane amount of people read mine and none of them think it is overly negative, I think I did well. The "negative" are all immediately followed by a paragraph that is very positive. I did that twice. Once with how I developed my medical phobia then went into how great my doctors are now. Then again with my two friends' experiences and how that translated into interest and passion for me.

I was told by one really sweet doctor who read it and said he was going to assure I ended up with an interview at a school that I originally really wanted to apply to but figured I wouldn't because I thought I had no chance at getting in. So now I am going to apply to it next cycle.

 

[vc7777]

FWIW I have read FA's PS and do not think it is overly negative. IMHO I do not think it comes across as a "woe is me" statement, either.

Not sent from my cell phone

 

[WorldChanger36]

It is only worth bringing up if it motivated you to be a doctor. If it did in some way you would be foolish to leave it out. Perhaps one day you want to help others make this transition. Help others understand what is going on in their minds and bodies so that they can make good choices about their healthcare. It is the responsible of a physician to help the patient understand all of the options out their for them so that the patient can make an informed choice. If this is the kind of medicine you want to do, your trans status would be helpful in bring to light why you have a good perspective on this kind of medicine and why you should be train as a doctor. If on the otherhand it had nothing to do with why you want to be a doctor, drop it and keep that between you and your closest partners.
My two cents.