Transphobia at @cvspharmacy in Highland Park Los Angeles: A Thread.

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I’m a transgender guy. I legally changed my name and gender marker in March, but sometimes it takes a while to get various other ID docs in place. I’ve been receiving my medication with my chosen name on it for almost a year now tho. My old legal name is still in the system.

A while ago my local @cvspharmacy hired a new pharmacist named Monica Yu. Monica refuses to call me by my chosen name or pronouns. Instead she uses the name and pronouns assigned to me at birth, no matter how often I ask her to address me correctly.

To be clear— this isn’t a “misunderstanding,” as Monica has tried to gaslight me into believing. I’ve handed her a prescription for testosterone written for me in my male (legal) name, and had her deadname me and use female pronouns. Her choice to discriminate is willful.

I finally filed a complaint with @cvspharmacy. The next week Monica mailed a medication to my home that’s made by a manufacturer that my file says I’m deadly allergic to. I called again to file a second complaint with the GM, Matt Montgomery.

Today, I went through the drive thru to pick up my syringes and needles for testosterone. Monica greeted me by my deadname. I requested someone else to assist me. After a significant wait, Sara asked what I’d come to pick up.

I stated I need my injection supplies and asked her to scan my updated drivers license and insurance card into the system so they’ll stop deadnaming me. She refused. So I pulled out of the drive thru and entered the store. I asked an employee for assistance at the pharmacy.

A man who refused to give his name but identified himself as the manager approached the pharmacy. I explained the situation. He said, “Well if you want this cleared up then we need your old ID.” I explained that asking a trans person for their old ID is inappropriate. He laughed.

He then stated that staff wouldn’t struggle with my gender identity if I looked more male. His exact words were, “What do you expect from us? No one can tell if you’re male or female.” I’m a hate crime survivor. I began to have a PTSD flashback and advised him of such.

He laughed again and said maybe I shouldn’t get so worked up over being called what I am. This made my PTSD worse. I asked him to give me space. He refused and stayed within 10 feet for more than 30 minutes continuing to call me a woman and taunt me.

I repeatedly stated that his actions were triggering my PTSD and asked to engage with other staff instead. Numerous other staff (including security and his supervisors were visible.) He refused and continued misgendering me until I was pushed into a flashback.

LAFD and LAPD both responded. Staff claimed I had been violent. LAPD reviewed camera footage and found that wasn’t the case. LAPD asked for my syringes and needles. Monica initially stated I didn’t have anything available. She then gave syringes to LAPD for me.

She stated to LAPD that my having PTSD means I’m a danger to the employees of the pharmacy. LAPD told her that it was @cvspharmacy staff whose actions triggered my PTSD by denying my HRT and deadnaming me. She said, “She can’t prove that.” In her own response she misgendered me.

So THREE HOURS LATER I have my syringes but no needles. I only have the syringes bc of this cop.

And I spent an hour on the phone with your customer service only to be told that HRT needles aren’t considered “lifesaving” so I won’t get a call back for 72+ hours.

I keep thinking about this...
• @cvspharmacy said HRT isn’t a lifesaving med
• studies show 50% of trans men attempt suicide*
• I’m prescribed an anti-depressant
• when they refused to fill my HRT supplies, they tried to have me 5150ed

So they KNOW it’s lifesaving.

* https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2018/09/14/more-than-half-of-transgender-male-adolescents-attempt-suicide-study-says/