(Re)writing (in)visible scripts: the trajectory of transgender women in public health policies

Abstract

It is well known that a large part of the trans people is under the aegis of marginalization and social exclusion, encountering various difficulties in the exercise of their citizenship, including access to health. Faced with this context, this research aimed to understand how trajectories of transgender people are being developed in the public health policies in a city in the countryside of Rio Grande do Sul. From the realization of six narrative interviews with trans women, we aim to reconstruct the not indexed aspects of such narratives, showing their experiences in the Brazilian National Health System (SUS). To this end, we use as guide the discussions on the concept of health technologies, widely discussed in the theoretical concepts of Merhy. The results of this study show that the existence of public policies by itself does not guarantee the access of the trans population to health services, since this access, or lack thereof, is transversalized by different factors. Difficulties such as lack of preparation of health professionals, the pathologizing of transsexual experience and mainly the lack of reception are still present. At the expense of it, the good entailment with health professionals contributes directly to the process of promoting health of this population.