A Revolution In Gender-Affirming Healthcare: Introducing FOLX Health
Purchase any product in FOLX lavender to get one month FREE MEMBERSHIP for healthcare. *for clients in the USA over 18* Promo ends April 10th.
Navigating the healthcare landscape as a queer person can often feel… a little daunting. Especially when it comes to gender-affirming care. Here at Origami Customs, we go above and beyond to ensure our employees have access to the best care available within the Canadian healthcare system. However, like many in our community, we still encounter systemic barriers that hinder easy access to necessary care.
We fought hard to get the best gender-affirming health plan possible, but even with the “best,” we still have limitations around what our employees can access. Watching our employees still have to fight to get the care they need highlights the real struggle many face getting gender-affirming care, where getting the green light for procedures is a maze of criteria and waitlists.
Why Folx Health?
This is one of the reasons we’re so excited to announce our new community partner! Here at Origami Customs, we believe that everyone’s gender-affirming journey should be supported with tailored solutions that meet their needs. So when FOLX Health reached out to us, we knew we’d found a partner with the same mission.
A Response to a Critical Need
The road to finding affirming healthcare is fraught with obstacles. Many of us have faced the cold reality of healthcare systems that seem oblivious to our unique needs. Whether it's the awkwardness of explaining your identity over and over again or the outright discrimination that can occur, these experiences can make seeking care feel daunting. I remember the first time I tried to find a doctor who understood my needs as a non-binary person. It felt like I was asking for the moon.
Sharing our stories is an important part of change. By hearing from others in our community, like the countless individuals who've had to navigate these same waters, we not only feel less alone but we can also learn from each other's journeys. But it can’t stop there. We need real action and it's in this spirit that organizations like FOLX Health become invaluable. They've heard our stories and are actively working to rewrite the narrative around queer healthcare.
Introducing FOLX Health: A New Dawn in Queer Healthcare
FOLX Health is more than just a healthcare provider; it's a revolution in how healthcare is delivered to the LGBTQIA+ community in the United States. FOLX is an online health access point that’s founded on the principles of understanding, respect, and affirmation.
FOLX was created to make gender-affirming care more accessible for the queer community. Many people cannot find or access a gender-affirming care provider, or if they can, they have to wait 6+ months for an appointment. At FOLX, you can sign up online and make an appointment within just a few days. They accept insurance, but they also have transparent prices for people who are paying themselves, and no insurance is necessary.
What Does FOLX Provide?
What sets FOLX apart is its comprehensive care model. First off, you can access care from the comfort of your own home from people you know are allies. No more anxiety about sitting in waiting rooms or the fear of judgment from healthcare staff.
When you meet with your clinician, you'll work together to develop a care plan that will set you up for success. You're the expert on you, and they're the expert on this kind of care. They’re committed to seeing you as the person you are (including things like using your chosen name and pronouns,) and helping you tailor make your plan. For people who feel overwhelmed by the prospect of finding supportive care, FOLX's approach is a game-changer.
They offer a huge range of healthcare support, including gender-affirming services like hormone therapy, letters for name and gender-marker changes, support pre and post gender-affirming surgeries, and referrals to gender-affirming surgeons, etc. And not everything is medical. They also have tons of other queer resources - like connections to voice training, hair removal services, gender-affirming clothing, local LGBQTIA+ centres, or anything else you might be looking for.
Breaking Barriers and Building Community
But FOLX Health's mission goes beyond individual care. They're building a community. In an era where many of us find ourselves isolated or misunderstood, finding a community that shares your experiences can be transformative. FOLX offers more than just medical services; they provide a platform for us to connect, share, and grow together. Community needs to be the foundation of all care. It's a reminder that, despite the challenges, we're not alone.
The history of queer and trans healthcare, and our communities more broadly, is a history of taking care of each other, especially when mainstream institutions have failed us. It is critical to their mission of bringing more health and wellness to LGBQTIA+ people to work with other organizations and businesses with similar goals. We need each other, and our community needs all of us.
How to Get Started with Folx Health
FOLX is available in the United States, in all 50 states plus Washington, DC. There are a few states where they can't currently offer testosterone due to telehealth laws, which they told us they’re working to change!
Joining the FOLX community is straightforward. Their user-friendly website guides you through the process, from signing up to scheduling your first appointment. The clinicians at FOLX understand the nuances of queer health. They're not just there to provide medical care; they're advocates, allies, and, most importantly, listeners.
We’re So Excited to Have Found This Amazing New Community Partner!
In a world that often feels like it's not built for us, finding FOLX Health has been a beacon of hope for many in the LGBTQIA+ community. Their approach to healthcare—rooted in dignity, respect, and understanding—is not just refreshing; it's revolutionary. As we continue to navigate our paths, knowing that organizations like FOLX are fighting for us, with us, makes the journey a little less daunting.
If you're in the US and have been searching for a healthcare provider that truly gets you, I encourage you to check out FOLX Health. Whether you're seeking gender-affirming care, mental health support, or just a community that understands, FOLX is here to welcome you with open arms.
Here at Origami Customs, we have over 40 community partnerships, but we’re so excited about this one that we had to share it with you. In the near future, look forward to a bunch of brand collabs and promos, because both we and FOLX Health are so stoked to have found each other in our communal mission of tailored gender-affirming support.
Hi Rae,
This is great news. It’s something, my psychologist whom specializes in Trans healthcare. She is one of Yukons Transcare architects, there was nothing here, she discussed 12yrs ago. I suggested it would be good if there were more members of the LGBTQISAS within the healthcare system, understanding our needs. She admitted that even here there are shortcomings. Yukon has an evolving comprehensive Transcare program. Help with social transitioning, Laser/Electrolysis hair removal package.
HRT, top/bottom and FFS coverage.
We are very privileged and realize outside of the territory there are only a few provinces with only some of those features, and the more conservative provinces reducing programs.
It’s SoO good what you are doing, promoting a healthcare facilitator that can enable folks to truly live. You are a good ancestor.
Our healthcare Act is based upon WPATH guidelines, though last month I was devastated, I burst into tears, I felt the world falling away.
I received a letter of refusal via my then surgeons secretary from Yukon’s head Medical Director, dictating the my request for FFS was merely cosmetic. Worse the surgeon used the same language. My practitioner made an appeal, and nothing changed. I could not believe that their interpretation of Trans needs were being compared to that of Cis folks, essentially Cis, hetero Gatekeepers blocking my access to what I need.
I networked with my GR surgical team in Vancouver and one of my surgeons reached out to help. Dr Zhikhareva an amazing human, she advised I copy and quote the WPATH, that FFS is not cosmetic but necessary as part of GAC. I read the Yukon Trans healthcare B14 Act which boasts FFS coverage, a subtext from our Minister of health ‘FFS is not Cosmetic’
It was ironic that Shanagh Demers the Medical Director made reference to B14, but clearly hadn’t it. So? The Yukon isn’t quite there. Engaging practitioner, psychologist and health navigator from Queer Yukon are pushing to resolve this.
I ended my therapeutic relationship with the plastic surgeon from Victoria, and wrote how harmful her words had been to me, and asked her to be more mindful that FFS (which she specializes in?) is life saving and reaffirming.
I was blocked on pre op bottom surgery procedures as Yukon had made no facility, I went ahead myself, but protested the shortcomings.
Within days the medical director added bottom electrolysis to the health plan, creating a contract with my suggested clinic in Vancouver.
It’s been exhausting, and caused unnecessary distress. So Your promotion of a universal FOLX, where NB,T,2S and I folks can find their needs met regardless of their provinces shortcomings is nothing less than amazing.
My heart Glows Rae at the work that you do,
Amazing and special Human!
Robyn
Leave a comment