Care without Pathology: How Trans- Health Activists Are Changing Medicine

Care without Pathology examines how trans-health activists have taken on the project of depathologization, highlighting the distributive arguments activists made to access state funding for health care and combating state arguments that funding trans-health care is too specialized, expensive, and controversial.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 336 pages
Publication date: 05 December 2023
Publisher: University of Minnesota Press

Over the past two decades, medical and therapeutic approaches to transgender patients have undergone a significant transformation, moving from treating a perceived pathology to providing gender-affirming care. This transformative shift has been driven by the tireless efforts of trans-health activists who have taken on the challenging task of depathologization.

In New York City, Christoph Hanssmann delves into the activist efforts to challenge bans on using public health dollars to fund trans-health care. Through his ethnographic fieldwork, he explores how trans-health activists have harnessed medical statistics and personal biographies to expose state violence directed against trans-people and travestis. Hanssmann further emphasizes the importance of understanding transphobia within the broader context of gendered racism, ableism, and antipoverty, advocating for the emergence of a coalition-based mass mobilization.

Care without Pathology sheds light on the distributive arguments activists made to secure state funding for health care, countering state arguments that funding trans-health care is too specialized, expensive, and controversial. Hanssmann situates trans-health as a crucible within which sweeping changes are taking place, with the potential to dismantle economic and racial barriers to accessing care.

This book offers valuable insights into the ongoing struggles for health and justice among transgender communities across the Americas. It highlights the resilience and creativity of trans-health activists as they work towards building a more inclusive and equitable healthcare system. By depathologizing trans-health and advocating for its inclusion in mainstream healthcare, Care without Pathology contributes to a more comprehensive understanding of gender diversity and the importance of providing comprehensive care to all individuals.

Weight: 496g
Dimension: 140 x 216 x 22 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781517913410