There can be some additional hurdles because of the rules around testosterone. I'm required to show legal identification every time I purchase it, and especially earlier in my transition there were frequent awkward moments at the pharmacy around this. Sometimes I was asked if it was for me or someone else. Many times I was asked what it was for. Occasionally I was asked if I wanted to have a preferred name on file since my name is gender ambiguous. Depending on the person behind the counter I would sometimes watch my ID disappear for a long time into an office with no windows. It was likely infuriating to them that my ID says "X" for the gender marker. And I'm in a super liberal location, nothing like Florida or Texas.
That terrifying feeling when you’re picking it up in the drive through lane and the tech disappears with your ID for like, seemingly an hour of matrix time
Someone else that I follow was talking about issues with hormone therapy, and I found myself wondering... (Maybe I shouldn't even ask, because I bet it's very illegal, but...) I'm a cisgender man who happens to know my testosterone levels are borderline low. What would be the feasibility of getting my doctor to put me on T and giving it to some transmasc person who didn't have access? Would that even make sense medically?
that’s an interesting question! medically, the T a doctor would prescribe to you as a cis person is the same drug a doctor would prescribe to a transmasc person starting hrt. so yes you could do this but there are risks. it would be very illegal and you could face a fine and/or period of incarceration if found guilty. there is also a risk for the trans person using your T prescription because it is medically best to work with a doctor to monitor progress, adverse physiological side effects, and proper dosages. doctors unfairly gatekeep access to T for trans patients and there’s no excuse for that. still its a good idea to use hormones with the direction of a doctor. however, there are resources online for this diy approach to hrt so anyone considering diy hormones should look for those before starting
I don’t think it’s ethically questionable. Just risky. The law doesn’t determine what’s right or wrong. And honestly, the risk might be worth it. Perhaps there are other ways to employ safety measures And test levels.
You would also have to inject testosterone a day or two before a blood draw appointment to test your levels for testosterone. It's a common requirement for a hormone prescription. If your levels are not higher on a test it indicates the prescription is not working. Low T levels while having a prescription on it would assume 2 things from Dr standpoint:
1. You have a more severe condition limiting your bodies ability to use hormones- make it pointless to give you a script.
2. You are not taking the prescription, which leads to questions of illicit selling.
It's crossed my mind before that may have to obtain a buddy to get a script.
At my clinic, we are required to get periodic lab levels to make sure that you're talking it properly. The last clinic I worked at would not let patients have access to the medication. They were only allowed to come into the office for the injections to be given by nursing staff. They also require you to sign a contract saying if there is suspicion, you are cut off.
In Tennessee - A Class A misdemeanor carries penalties of up to 11 months and 29 days of imprisonment and a fine of up to $2,500.
Im a trans enby person who's lucky enough to volunteer in the office of a parent of a trans kid in the Wisconsin state legislature - I did a fair bit of research on exactly this question a few weeks ago.
Not only does Wisconsin allow any police agency to request these records, THERE IS NO AUDIT OR ACCOUNTABILITY PROCESS IN PLACE TO SEE IF THAT OCCURS! There is the broadest language imaginable, which allows ANY out-of-state agency or federal agency with ANY possible law enforcement responsibility to request these records, with no accountability or audit process.
Thank you for this! It'll be a wonderful resource.
i'm glad this is helpful!! the original article also identifies some states where records are sent to law enforcement automatically (i.e. without requests from law enforcement). the probability of police overreach here is really high. best of luck!
I really truly hope people.figure out how to synthesise it via home chemistry etc. like, we cannot be dependant anymore of precarious supply lines from predatory corps. It's fucking dangerous.
This is really helpful, thank you so much for sharing!!
I clicked around on the page you linked and found a row of icons on top, leading me to the chart of states and the methods by which they’re able to access the data. It wasn’t paywalled for me, maybe they took mercy due to all the craziness lately.
For anyone looking:
There’s a row of icons at the top of the page above the articles itself that looks like this (I did the best I could to match):
📖 🟰 📊 📎 💬 🔗
The bar chart icon (third from left) will bring you to the states info chart.
What happens if you have a medication and they don’t have records of it ?
I guess they could arrest you but if you were prescribed it and it’s very controlled they may think your lying but if your not o hope I’d get to sue someone ! I see all these huge lawsuits but the bigger problem is if they don’t allow you to take your medication, the results could be devastating. They would have to have a way to verify that you do or don’t have legal prescription. Scary thought
great question! it's really important to keep your prescription information to avoid any confusion. specific penalties depend on the scheduling of the substance and can include a period of incarceration and/or a fine. that said, law enforcement still needs a warrant or exigent circumstances to search and seize personal property. so the likelihood of this scenario is low
Also, check that the DEA is currently proposing mandating a NATIONAL PDMP. How would this prevent any state from accessing this information.
As a pharmacist, I hesitate because I still see a lot of abuse of testosterone by young cis men. And this helps keep it from causing damage. It’s a drug that has serious problems for young folk if misused/abused/diverted
Second, we should be more scared that some states are proposing scheduling abortion drugs as controlled substances. This is a huge concern right now as Roe has already been decimated.
It’s frustrating and we should be better at protecting this data. But we should be also watching the DEA with impunity. Because they can be helpful and harmful. I’ve seen things in 28 years. And I want to protect everyone from government overreach. But I also want to keep dangerous drugs from people who abuse them.
The DEA has stalked FTM before on many investigations. Honestly, part of the stuff I have been seeing about "Techbro network states" and Project 2025 is to own all state/federal level law enforcement. Doesn't even need to be all law enforcement, but enough boots on the ground and key positions to normalize discrimination in the rest of the ranks. Any who won't fall in line will quit or be terminated- those who push back hard will likely end up framed/blackmailed and imprisoned... Or in darker extremes "suicide" or "accident"... How many whistleblowers have shot themselves in the back?
Many of these men have families, many military have families, and families can be leverage to deter resistance or silence the ones who won't participate in immoral policing.
(I have worked closely with police, security and veterans, this is already how it works just imagine it accelerated by immoral behavior being legalized).
I hate what is going on, I hope it never goes to the extreme that it can. However, each day that extreme becomes more probable and destined.
There can be some additional hurdles because of the rules around testosterone. I'm required to show legal identification every time I purchase it, and especially earlier in my transition there were frequent awkward moments at the pharmacy around this. Sometimes I was asked if it was for me or someone else. Many times I was asked what it was for. Occasionally I was asked if I wanted to have a preferred name on file since my name is gender ambiguous. Depending on the person behind the counter I would sometimes watch my ID disappear for a long time into an office with no windows. It was likely infuriating to them that my ID says "X" for the gender marker. And I'm in a super liberal location, nothing like Florida or Texas.
that's wild! thanks for sharing. i haven't had to do any of that for my estradiol prescriptions. yet another reason to deschedule testosterone!
They won’t ever deschedule it. It’s a controlled drug and people would abuse it since athletes and body builders use it for the wrong reasons.
That terrifying feeling when you’re picking it up in the drive through lane and the tech disappears with your ID for like, seemingly an hour of matrix time
Someone else that I follow was talking about issues with hormone therapy, and I found myself wondering... (Maybe I shouldn't even ask, because I bet it's very illegal, but...) I'm a cisgender man who happens to know my testosterone levels are borderline low. What would be the feasibility of getting my doctor to put me on T and giving it to some transmasc person who didn't have access? Would that even make sense medically?
that’s an interesting question! medically, the T a doctor would prescribe to you as a cis person is the same drug a doctor would prescribe to a transmasc person starting hrt. so yes you could do this but there are risks. it would be very illegal and you could face a fine and/or period of incarceration if found guilty. there is also a risk for the trans person using your T prescription because it is medically best to work with a doctor to monitor progress, adverse physiological side effects, and proper dosages. doctors unfairly gatekeep access to T for trans patients and there’s no excuse for that. still its a good idea to use hormones with the direction of a doctor. however, there are resources online for this diy approach to hrt so anyone considering diy hormones should look for those before starting
Thank you for answering my admittedly ethically questionable question. There's a lot to think about here.
I don’t think it’s ethically questionable. Just risky. The law doesn’t determine what’s right or wrong. And honestly, the risk might be worth it. Perhaps there are other ways to employ safety measures And test levels.
Thank YOU for asking it!
You would also have to inject testosterone a day or two before a blood draw appointment to test your levels for testosterone. It's a common requirement for a hormone prescription. If your levels are not higher on a test it indicates the prescription is not working. Low T levels while having a prescription on it would assume 2 things from Dr standpoint:
1. You have a more severe condition limiting your bodies ability to use hormones- make it pointless to give you a script.
2. You are not taking the prescription, which leads to questions of illicit selling.
It's crossed my mind before that may have to obtain a buddy to get a script.
Yeah, I've considered that possibility. There must be something I can do anyway.
At my clinic, we are required to get periodic lab levels to make sure that you're talking it properly. The last clinic I worked at would not let patients have access to the medication. They were only allowed to come into the office for the injections to be given by nursing staff. They also require you to sign a contract saying if there is suspicion, you are cut off.
In Tennessee - A Class A misdemeanor carries penalties of up to 11 months and 29 days of imprisonment and a fine of up to $2,500.
soooo real ugh. this was such an illuminating breakdown of the internal machinery involved, most of which i wasn't familiar with. thank you ! <3
THANK YOU FOR THIS!!
Im a trans enby person who's lucky enough to volunteer in the office of a parent of a trans kid in the Wisconsin state legislature - I did a fair bit of research on exactly this question a few weeks ago.
Not only does Wisconsin allow any police agency to request these records, THERE IS NO AUDIT OR ACCOUNTABILITY PROCESS IN PLACE TO SEE IF THAT OCCURS! There is the broadest language imaginable, which allows ANY out-of-state agency or federal agency with ANY possible law enforcement responsibility to request these records, with no accountability or audit process.
Thank you for this! It'll be a wonderful resource.
i'm glad this is helpful!! the original article also identifies some states where records are sent to law enforcement automatically (i.e. without requests from law enforcement). the probability of police overreach here is really high. best of luck!
Keep up the amazing reporting!!
I really truly hope people.figure out how to synthesise it via home chemistry etc. like, we cannot be dependant anymore of precarious supply lines from predatory corps. It's fucking dangerous.
This is really helpful, thank you so much for sharing!!
I clicked around on the page you linked and found a row of icons on top, leading me to the chart of states and the methods by which they’re able to access the data. It wasn’t paywalled for me, maybe they took mercy due to all the craziness lately.
For anyone looking:
There’s a row of icons at the top of the page above the articles itself that looks like this (I did the best I could to match):
📖 🟰 📊 📎 💬 🔗
The bar chart icon (third from left) will bring you to the states info chart.
Hope it helps and thank you so much for sharing!
Ok the police should not have that information that's personal medical information.
Thank you for sharing this!
Oh my God. They are doing everything they can to exterminate trans people.
How did Illinois get wrapped up in this 😭
Wow very interesting!
What happens if you have a medication and they don’t have records of it ?
I guess they could arrest you but if you were prescribed it and it’s very controlled they may think your lying but if your not o hope I’d get to sue someone ! I see all these huge lawsuits but the bigger problem is if they don’t allow you to take your medication, the results could be devastating. They would have to have a way to verify that you do or don’t have legal prescription. Scary thought
great question! it's really important to keep your prescription information to avoid any confusion. specific penalties depend on the scheduling of the substance and can include a period of incarceration and/or a fine. that said, law enforcement still needs a warrant or exigent circumstances to search and seize personal property. so the likelihood of this scenario is low
🥺🥺😡
Reminder that a chewy CBD gummy with a small amount of Viagra is a class 1 subpoena for cops, class 2 for the church committee policing their own..
Class 0 for all to get a prescription for.
And.
Viagra
Was for women..
Also, check that the DEA is currently proposing mandating a NATIONAL PDMP. How would this prevent any state from accessing this information.
As a pharmacist, I hesitate because I still see a lot of abuse of testosterone by young cis men. And this helps keep it from causing damage. It’s a drug that has serious problems for young folk if misused/abused/diverted
Second, we should be more scared that some states are proposing scheduling abortion drugs as controlled substances. This is a huge concern right now as Roe has already been decimated.
It’s frustrating and we should be better at protecting this data. But we should be also watching the DEA with impunity. Because they can be helpful and harmful. I’ve seen things in 28 years. And I want to protect everyone from government overreach. But I also want to keep dangerous drugs from people who abuse them.
For the record: this isn’t trans folk.
The DEA has stalked FTM before on many investigations. Honestly, part of the stuff I have been seeing about "Techbro network states" and Project 2025 is to own all state/federal level law enforcement. Doesn't even need to be all law enforcement, but enough boots on the ground and key positions to normalize discrimination in the rest of the ranks. Any who won't fall in line will quit or be terminated- those who push back hard will likely end up framed/blackmailed and imprisoned... Or in darker extremes "suicide" or "accident"... How many whistleblowers have shot themselves in the back?
Many of these men have families, many military have families, and families can be leverage to deter resistance or silence the ones who won't participate in immoral policing.
(I have worked closely with police, security and veterans, this is already how it works just imagine it accelerated by immoral behavior being legalized).
I hate what is going on, I hope it never goes to the extreme that it can. However, each day that extreme becomes more probable and destined.
This is scary af
Most of our cops are on it themselves.