“I wish politicians would come to one of my consultations and listen to patients’ stories,” said lesbian gender-affirming surgeon Dr. Angela Rodriguez. PinkNews.

The founder of Surgical ART — a San Francisco health center specializing in procedures for the trans and non-binary community — adds that during its consultations, “people feel hopeless, suicidal and want access to care.”

His comments follow the results of the November 5 US presidential election, which saw Donald Trump re-elected in the office. Trump has already vowed to end so-called “transgender madness” on the first day of his new administration, promising to oust trans people from virtually every area of ​​public life.

Rodriguez says that before the election, between August and November, she received “an incredible amount of calls and new consultations.”

“We hope that the president will be the president of all Americans”

Already, states like California are “taking steps to protect themselves from federal changes,” she notes, with some 120 bills targeting the trans community having already been filed before the 2025 legislative session even began.

“We don’t know what we expect, but we hope that the president will be the president of all Americans,” Rodriguez said.

She adds: “After these four years, I will still be there serving my patients, trying to perform the best operations and offering them support. »

“This is the fight of our time”

Rodriguez, who comes from a “very religious” background in Colombia, says it wasn’t until she moved to the United States that she was able to “see life in color” after coming out as a lesbian .

The world-renowned plastic surgeon, with more than 20 years of experience, says her decision to specialize in gender-affirming care seven years ago was driven by a desire to meet the needs of the trans community.

“I’ve always been in tune with some kind of social effort. I think there is a deep need to fill a void.

She adds: “I thought this was the fight of our time and I wanted to be at the center of it. »

Rodriguez explains that gender dysphoria creates “incredible discomfort,” to the point that it “results in a suicide rate four times that of the general population.”

“I don’t think I need to say anything else to justify gender-affirming medical care,” she says.

She further believes that the trans community has been “ignored for so many years” and plagued by “misinformation”.

“People think that other people are just become trans, and nothing could be further from the truth. Trans people have lived hidden from society’s gaze.

“They are like many LGBTQ+ people who, until recently, were not represented in the mainstream. They have always been part of our families; we just haven’t identified them,” she says.

Through 2025, she will continue to train doctors and expose medical staff to trans patients with the goal of ensuring that trans care makes patients feel “safe, respected” and “valued.”

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