S3 E11: See All of Me: Transgender Health and Medical Mistrust with Zami Hyemingway & Dr. Tatyana Moaton
Coming Together for Sexual Health
Release Date: 10/07/2022
Monica Gandhi, MD: HIV as a Movement, Not Just an Infection
Coming Together for Sexual Health
Monica Gandhi, MD, reflects on her decades-long work in HIV care, from providing care early in the epidemic to leading implementation of today’s groundbreaking medical advances. She discusses the science behind HIV (including how 7 people have been cured), the groundbreaking shift from complex pill regimes to long-acting injectable therapies, and how these innovations help patients facing medication challenges. Monica also draws parallels to COVID-19 as she underscores the importance of harm reduction; encourages bipartisan support while talking about policy and funding; addresses social...
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Ina Park, MD, on Syphilis: The STI That Keeps Us Guessing
Coming Together for Sexual Health
Ina Park, MD, is back again for a focused look at her (second) favorite sexually transmitted infection: syphilis (favorite because it’s fascinating). She says, “it’s one of the most challenging conditions to diagnose in clinical medicine because it literally can look like anything.” Join Ina and Tammy as they explore how syphilis was almost eliminated around 2000 and then surged again to current rates of infection in the US. Ina spotlights how a rise in congenital syphilis has fueled a mobilization in public health efforts, even while she celebrates declines in rates of the most...
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Compilation: Reproductive Justice and Family Planning
Coming Together for Sexual Health
Check out a compilation of three previous episodes on reproductive justice and family planning. After you hear what each of our guests has to share, take a listen to one (or all!) of the full episodes: Have any questions, concerns, or love letters? Send us a message on Instagram @comingtogetherpod or email us at Don’t forget to leave us a review on Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
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The Clitoris and Its Friends with Rachel Gross
Coming Together for Sexual Health
Did you know the visible part of the clitoris is less than one-third of its actual size? Cliterally just the tip of the iceberg! In this second part of our series with Rachel Gross, Rachel and Tammy’s excitement sparks an important conversation about this understudied organ and its friends--the vagina, vulva, and pelvic floor. Afterall, it is not common knowledge that (gasp) all sexual organs differentiate from the same embryonic root, or that close to 10,280 nerve endings were counted in one clitoris. By taking an interdisciplinary approach to sexual health, Rachel reveals how pleasure is...
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Dr. Ina Park Unwraps the CDC’s New 2023 STI Report
Coming Together for Sexual Health
CDC’s 2023 STI Report is in, and for the first time in years, there’s good news. Tune in to our latest episode with Dr. Ina Park, a nationally recognized expert on STIs, to learn why she is cautiously optimistic about the new data trends in chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis. Dr. Park expertly navigates the report with our host, Tammy Kremer, explaining how the previous surge in STIs has begun to slow, while prevalence continues to be high in certain “STI microclimates." Dr. Park stresses the importance of maintaining momentum through increased testing, focused prevention efforts for...
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Vagina Obscura: A Conversation with Rachel E. Gross
Coming Together for Sexual Health
Meet Rachel E. Gross, science journalist and author of Vagina Obscura: An Anatomical Voyage. In this first part of a two–part conversation, Rachel shares how her personal experience with bacterial vaginosis inspired her to write a book that investigates what we know about different parts of female anatomy and how that knowledge (and lack thereof) has been developed. Vagina Obscura is Tammy's favorite read of the year! Rachel highlights the often-overlooked clitoris and vagina, exploring how these body parts are still unfamiliar or awkward for many, including healthcare...
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Harm Reduction Compilation
Coming Together for Sexual Health
Check out a complilation of three previous episodes on harm reduction. Hear from each of our guests and then go back and listen to one of the full episodes: S4 E1: Narcan Queen Kochina Rude on Drag and Harm Reduction S4 E2: Harm Reduction by Heart with Braunz Courtney S4 E3: America’s War on Drugs and Harm Reduction Around the World with Tanagra Melgarejo Pulido
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Trailer
Coming Together for Sexual Health
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S4 E9 From Red Ribbons to Leather Straps: Rodney McCoy’s Trailblazing Tale of HIV Prevention and Pleasure
Coming Together for Sexual Health
In this episode, Rodney McCoy, a Black queer man with over four decades of experience in HIV prevention and education, shares his journey as a Leatherman of color and discusses the intersection of BDSM, kink, and HIV prevention. From his entry into the kink community to becoming a titleholder in the American Leatherman competition, Rodney emphasizes how the kink community provided a safe space for self-discovery and empowerment. The episode explores the link between pleasure, power dynamics, and HIV prevention, highlighting the importance of honest conversations, sex positivity training, and...
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S4 E8 Intimacy Starts with I: Women, Self-Love, and HIV with Michelle Lopez
Coming Together for Sexual Health
CW: Mention of abuse, sexual abuse, physical abuse, incest, molestation At 24 years old, in the early 90’s, Michelle Lopez was riding a train in New York with her newborn baby and saw an advertisement that spoke to her. It said, “If you’re a woman and you’re enduring substance abuse, homelessness, or battery, call this number.” Michelle picked up a phone and began her new life. Her and her daughter were diagnosed with HIV, and it was her mission to get clean, understand her own trauma, and help others with similar stories. Michelle, a bisexual Caribbean woman,...
info_outlineCW: Transphobia, Racism
Zami Hyemingway and Dr. Tatyana Moaton sit down with Tammy to discuss their personal and professional experiences with medical care for transgender folks and medical mistreatment. Together, they reflect on the need for medical providers to become responsive to transgender people's individual needs and advocate for them in a setting that has often been unsafe for them. Transgender folks need medical providers who will take risks and be true allies. Healthcare providers must rethink care amidst a system in which they occupy positions of power.
Our guests also argue for de-coupling all healthcare from any sort of police or criminal systems, emphasizing the impact this has on people with marginalized identities. Their discussion dives into the colonial roots of the gender binary and the transgender identity category, and how these constructs lead to a misunderstanding of what it means to be transgender and navigate trans healthcare.
Last March, Zami Hyemingway co-organized the conference on "See All of Me: The Intersections of Medical Mis/Distrust and its Impact on Transgender Health, HIV Care and Prevention” with Dr. Tatyana Moaton as a plenary speaker.
Download the transcript of the episode here.
Resources:
CBA Resources https://californiaptc.com/programs/capacity-building-assistance/
U.S. Trans Survey: New survey, open to trans people at any stage, launching 10/19/22 https://www.ustranssurvey.org/
STD Expert Hour: This training focuses on the sexual health needs of transgender and gender non-conforming people. https://californiaptc.com/training/std-expert-hour-transgender-sexual-health-what-you-should-know/
Improving Transgender Services for Trans and Gender Diverse People: https://californiaptc.com/resources/improving-prep-services-for-trans-and-gender-diverse-people/
Higher Education Scholarship Opportunities for LGBTQ+ students listed at EduMed, Peterson's, GoGrad
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Zami Hyemingway is the Capacity Building Assistance Gender-Affirming Project Manager at the Denver Prevention Training Center where he leads a team of identity consultants that provide technical assistance to clinics, health departments, and community-based organizations. Zami has over 10 years of experience in developing and implementing health behavior and health promotion programs. He also hosts personal wellness workshops via his organization, Spiritus Wellness.
Dr. Tatyana Moaton is the CEO and Principal Consultant for Envision Consulting, one of the first black trans-led consulting firms in the country. She is also a senior capacity-building specialist with San Francisco Community Health Center. Tatyana is a veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces, serving honorably as an intelligence officer in the US Army. She recently obtained her Doctorate of Philosophy In Management Science. She has worked with the American Civil Liberties Union, LAMBDA Legal, the U.S. Center for Disease Control, AIDS United, NMAC, Gilead, Merck, Elton John AIDS Foundation, and The Black AIDS Institute.