Kai Mai interned at QueerDoc, an organization that provides trans and gender-affirming medical care online. This opportunity during his senior year as a GWSS major enabled him to follow his passion for supporting trans and gender-diverse youth seeking healthcare. His responsibilities included virtually assisting doctors with paperwork, communication, voicemails, medical records, and authorizations, helping further QueerDoc’s mission to expand access to gender-affirming care across the U.S.
As an entirely online service, QueerDoc is licensed in states across the United States, including Florida and Wyoming, which have strong laws limiting gender-affirming care. Provisions such as hormone therapy, hormone blockers, or transition and sexual health consultation may not be available in some states, and QueerDoc seeks to meet these crucial needs through its multi-state online services.
Finding the Right Internship
While searching for an internship during his sophomore year, Kai looked through past fieldwork sites where GWSS students have interned. He focused specifically on organizations that work with queer people and people and/or youth of color. Ultimately, the GWSS academic advisor helped him identify QueerDoc. At first, Kai was concerned that QueerDoc, as a totally online organization, would not meet GWSS internship criteria, but soon discovered that, since the pandemic, many students have found virtual opportunities that fit well with their interests. Navigating the pros and cons of online work has also become an increasingly important skill set.
The biggest challenge Kai faced with QueerDoc’s fully virtual setup was the lack of a set schedule or work location. Since his work could be done anywhere or at any time, managing time was difficult. Although Kai did have occasional Zoom chats with the full team, he noted, “I mostly worked with the main doctor and patient care coordinator whom I had weekly or bi-weekly meetings with. It wasn’t too bad feeling like I was connected to them. What was harder was feeling any kind of connection to the other doctors.” This was partially due to the time difference, as some doctors are located on the East Coast. Despite this hurdle, the group had monthly staff meetings where he could connect with other doctors and receive advice and input on this career.
From Internship to a Career in the Medical World
QueerDoc offered great insight into the medical field for Kai, especially through the discussions and advice he received from staff doctors on pursuing medical school. “If I want to step into actual practicing and working with trans and gender diverse people, I will still have to go through medical school,” Kai explained. “It’s obviously a very important part of my life and so…I have been strongly pulled more into that direction of working with youth [in this community].” Pursuing a career in the medical field was something Kai dreamed of early on, specifically in pediatric surgery/care. Interning with QueerDoc has only affirmed this passion. The experience also helped him refine which aspects of pediatric medicine he is drawn to. “Working with QueerDoc, they maybe redirected me, just kind of what my moral goals are. Obviously working with kids, but also trans and gender-diverse kids specifically.”
Working with trans, queer, and gender-diverse people was an integral part of this internship for Kai, supported by the knowledge he received from his degree in GWSS. One specific course Kai noted was GWSS 464: Queer Desires, which examines desire and the politics of sexuality as gendered, raced, classed, and transnational processes. He says, “It kind of just put me thinking in the mindset of working with queer bodies and understanding that all bodies are different… and QueerDoc definitely has been emphasizing this a lot.”
Story Credit: Eleanor Brecht, GWSS Communications Intern