Gynaecologist accused of transphobia: "we haven't been trained to deal with this issue", explains a doctor
A Pau gynecologist has been at the heart of a controversy for several days, accused of transphobia. He refused to see a transgender woman in his practice.
On August 29, a young couple came to the Polyclinique Pau Pyrénées (Pyrénées-Atlantiques). The patient, a transgender woman who had not yet undergone surgery, was suffering from chest pain and went to see Doctor Victor Acharian in Pau. Unfortunately, once in the waiting room, the 26-year-old learned that she would not be seeing the doctor.
"The secretary told me that the doctor doesn't deal with that, and that he wouldn't see me. I was shocked, it was the first time I'd been subjected to such transphobia, it was hyperviolent", (s)he tells Le Parisien.
"Real women"
The transgender patient leaves in tears, but her companion doesn't stop there: he decides to post a comment on the gynecologist's Google page.
"It was my trans companion's first appointment, he refused to see her, his secretary coldly threw us out. I advise against it, never again," he reads.
In the process, the doctor crosses the line by replying that he looks after "real women". "I have no competence to take care of MEN, even if they've shaved off their beards and come to tell my secretary they've become women".
Tweet translation
"I take care of real women".
We denounce the #transphobic and discriminatory remarks made by gynecologist Victor Acharian in Pau. Transphobia is a reality with serious consequences, particularly in terms of access to healthcare. It affects the whole country.
SIR
I'm a gynecologist, and I take care of real women. I'm not qualified to deal with MEN, even if they've shaved off their beards and come to tell my secretary that they've become women. My GYNECOLOGICAL examination table is not suitable for examining men. You have specialized and very competent services to deal with men like you.
Thank you for informing TRANS, never to come and see me.
(end tweet)
His comments have triggered strong reactions on Twitter from some Internet users, including militant associations, who accuse the practitioner of homophobia and transphobia. While doctor Victor Acharian acknowledges his clumsy remarks and apologizes to the LGBTQ+ community, the young trans woman is considering filing a complaint.
Untrained doctors?
"I'm not going to excuse the doctor, but it's true that we weren't trained in our medical studies on this transgender issue," explains Robert Sebbag, a medical doctor, guest on Estelle Midi this Wednesday.
"I see a lot of them in hospital, and it's true that we're a little bewildered when we see these people. The first cases I saw in hospital, I was a bit lost," he continues.
But the doctor is evolving. "We need to provide training, at least in the basics of these subjects, for students, but also for all gynecologists already on the job and secretaries," Philippe Faucher, an obstetrician-gynecologist at the Trousseau hospital, tells Le Parisien.