Half an Hour with Dr Stuart Lorimer
Mar 29th, 2009 by christineburns
Why would a young Doctor choose to specialise in Psychiatry? Why would he choose to work in a field that’s frowned upon by many of his peers? To cap it all, why would he work in a clinic that had (in the past) acquired a very negative reputation among patients?
Dr Stuart Lorimer works at Charing Cross Gender Identity Clinic in Hammersmith, London. It’s a busy place. In 2008, 771 people were referred there with various degrees of gender dysphoria. At any time the clinic is treating well over 1500 people. Some (not all) are seeking support for one of the biggest challenges anyone can undertake: successfully changing the way they live and present to accord with their internal sense of being a man or a woman.
In Britain as a whole, over 300 people apply for legal recognition of permanent gender changes each year. Many others, with less intense dysphoria, take cross-gender hormones or simply find that their feelings can be expressed within their existing gender role.
Helping people make informed decisions about the steps they take is a tough challenge, which is made no easier by having to help them cope with the enormous levels of discrimination which many of those patients will face on the way. The clinicians face challenges too — not just from fellow Doctors who can’t or won’t understand, but from patients who arrive with negative expectations about the institution.
Stuart was at pains to stress that he cannot speak on behalf of the clinic he works in. This interview focusses upon him as one of a wholly new generation of specialists in the field, and his own thoughts about some of the controversial issues that have raged for years in this field. In sharing his own thoughts, however, he paints a picture of a team still struggling with an inherited reputation, constantly learning and evolving — and wanting to do their best in difficult circumstances.
Thanks for this. I think that open and intelligent interviews like this help to cut through handed down fears and criticisms, and Stuart Lorimer’s willingness to just respond directly to your sharp questions is reassuring - and signifies a culture that is more to do with openness than defensiveness at Charing Cross GIC.
I also appreciated your questioning, that cut through to some key points - in other words, you were asking some of the questions I’d have wanted you to ask.
I think it’s sad and disappointing that someone sincere and clearly experienced in this field feels that some of the greatest difficulties come from GPs and PCTs. And the whole issue of the postcode lottery by which one PCT may sanction funding and another may not is particularly concerning - and sort of worrying because an issue like transsexualism has the potential to tempt decision-makers within PCTs to make decisions that may be influenced by religious dogma, and therefore there is a greater danger of prejudice and discrimination over the funding of transsexual patients than over, say, the funding of cancer patients - where the illness does not seem to cut across religious beliefs in the same way.
Stuart Lorimer is a decent, direct and down-to-earth practitioner who treats patients/clients with kindness and respect.
In my experience there are other practitioners at Charing Cross GIC who are also sensitive and supportive. I think this integrity came across in the interview. Thank you for making it happen.
Re- edit of my original post: can you please amend, many thanks
Dr Stuart Lorimer and Charing Cross GIC were instrumental in declining my referral for genital surgery despite the fact that I had completed more than 5 years RLT and complied with the HBSOC and all clinic protocols. I saw Dr Lorimer in the hope to facilitate a GRS referral. Both Dr James Barrett and Dr Lorimer clearly refused a referral. Since leaving Charing Cross GIC in early 2007 I have now seen another psychiatrist at another Hospital who gave me a referral at the the first appointment.
In a similar issue to the above poster, despite having over 2 years RLE, two referrals for surgery from other NHS GICs, plus a PCT that are willing to fund surgery at Charing Cross, I am being refused my SRS from them and am now being expected in effect to end up with four referrals before I can obtain my surgery there.
Whilst those within Charing Cross continue to lament their “inherited reputation”, the fact is those that have the power to actually change things for the better, and actually place trans people first and foremost over internal commissioning and politics would rather just continue their favourite game of ‘gatekeeping’
It was an interesting interview.
I was a patient at Charing Cross until 2007 when i successfully had my surgery and must state that I had a positive experience there.
There were some excellent questions and it was good to hear about the myth of women having to wear skirts to appointments being gone. I never wore a skirt to an appointment and, during many sessions with Dr Penny Lenihan, never saw her wear anything other than trousers.
The clinicians do a good job under difficult circumstances and they have to have some guidelines to work under. The real life experience is necessary and I agree with the guideline that this should include a year in employment/full time education/voluntary work. Sitting on one’s derriere does not help one through this momentous change.
I found that the clinicians I saw were excellent and Dr James Barrett was both knowledgeable on his speciality and a fount of information on a wide range of topics within general life away from medicine (including a detailed knowledge of typography - I used to work as a typesetter for my local paper). He also treated me with the utmost courtesy and respect as a human being.
This is not a glamarous branch of medicine but the results when the surgery is complete (I was lucky enough to have excellent surgical results by Mr Bellringer) dramatically improve one’s life.
I have been able to successfully integrate into general society as the woman I am, and I have Charing Cross to thank for making this possible.
Then Charing Cross has moved forward, I wish other gender clinics did similar. In my experiences at my GIC I was only taken seriously when I appeared wearing a skirt, blouse, make up etc etc. When I said that 99% of women wear trousers, I was told I had to “make more of an effort than other women” or “you have to go that extra mile”