HoustonVoice.com – Eric Ervin
Dr. Wayne Bockman, who oversees transgender care at Legacy Community Health Services, has seen the horror stories of transgender persons who will stop at nothing for change.
Many who can?t afford professional medical treatment desperately will let someone inject them with a deadly substance. In recent cases across the country, substances such as brake fluid and other chemicals have been injected into the bodies of transgender individuals.
?I?ve seen the results,? Bockman says. ?They?re a nightmare. It?s non-medical silicone, basically brake fluid.?
Bockman says the results of injecting this substance into the body can harden the tissues, discolor the skin and leave people with a host of other deformities. And this is only if the person is lucky enough to survive the procedure because most cases result in death.
?I?ve had patients. Two of them died,? Bockman says.
With an event that could be twofold, Legacy is hosting their first-ever Houston Transgender Healthcare Community Forum. Officials hope to introduce their services to transgender men and women, and also provide a better and safer alternative to unprofessional procedures.
?We?re going to talk about the programs and services that we offer,? Bockman says. ?This is a way to announce what we offer. I think that networking is limited in the transgender community.?