For Trans People, a Doctor’s Visit Can Be a Dilemma

Quality Care Requires Understanding Our Biological Needs—But Not Defining Us By Them

Nine years ago, when I spotted blood in my ejaculate, I made an appointment to see my urologist. I quickly found myself to be the only woman in the waiting room. A handful of men surrounded me, and I could see the gears turning in their heads, wondering why a person who presented as and looked like a woman was waiting alongside them.

“Is your husband in there?” said the man two chairs to my right. As a transgender woman, passing as the gender I align with is one of the …

Is Birth Control Under Attack?

Moves to Limit Contraception—From IUDs to the Pill—Are Following the Anti-Abortion Playbook

Zócalo celebrated its 20th birthday recently! As part of the festivities, we’re publishing reflections and responses that revisit and reimagine some of our most …

Why Is Accessing Good Dental Care Like Pulling Teeth?

The Science Is There. The Societal Will to Provide and Pay For It—Not So Much

In early January 2018, I began to have a recurring dream. I’m sitting comfortably at the kitchen table surrounded by friends, when one of my teeth falls out. I reach …

Health Care Advocate Martha Valladarez

I Always Think About How Lucky I Am

Martha Valladarez is an in-home supportive services provider. She was one of the first female letter carriers and female shop stewards in Fresno, California. Her youngest daughter has Down Syndrome, …

KVPR News Director Cresencio Rodriguez-Delgado

I Saved the Candles From My 18th Birthday

Cresencio Rodriguez-Delgado is the news director for KVPR Valley Public Radio. He grew up in the San Joaquin Valley he now covers, and previously reported the news for the Fresno …

Public Health Professor Helda Pinzón-Perez

Learn to Fail, and Be Thankful When You Have Success

Helda Pinzón-Perez is a public health professor at California State University, Fresno. Her areas of research include health issues of vulnerable populations and in rural areas. Before joining the panel …