Riordan Ledgerwood, MD (they/he)

16 Sept

Future Pediatric Endocrinologist coming June 2028!

Get ready for the summer blockbuster of Summer 2028: Dr. Ledgerwood! Coming to a Pediatric Endocrinology office near you!

Still standing. This time With joy.

I was 14. I was living on Long Island in Setauket, NY. My memory of that day is disjointed.

I remember the pain and suffering of classmates who lost their parents in the attack. I remember feeling helpless. I remember wanting to do something, anything to help.

That year I searched the Army Health Professions Scholarship Program (HPSP). And 13 years later I was an Army HPSP recipient. And 25 years later, here I am, a doctor, an Army veteran, and stuck in the memory of that day which changed the lives of so many, including myself.

I was 14. I was living on Long Island in Setauket, NY. My memory of that day is disjointed.

I remember being sent home early from school and my parents watching the news on the television. It struck me then why my school turned off the TVs.

I remember the smoke which came days later from NYC. I remember years later as a high school senior my EMT instructor telling us stories about his experiences on the ground floor.

I was 14. I was living on Long Island in Setauket, NY. My memory of that day is disjointed.

I remember being in photography class at Paul J. Gelinas junior high school and someone saying the televisions weren’t working. TVs were typically on during lunch. I thought was that it was a bit odd but I didn’t think much of it.

Soon I heard the rumors. Terrorists attacked New York City. The twin towers were no more. I remember being in English class with Mr. Elliot, and him being the only one to tell us the truth about what had happened.

Sept 11th, 2001 was a big reason I decided to join the military as a doctor. I wanted to do more for my country, be a part of something bigger than me. 25 years later I have completed 11 years of service, won awards for teaching, and been banned twice for being trans in the military.

I did what I set out to do, but also wonder how much more I could have done for the military if Trump hadn’t decided to scapegoat faithfully serving trans people in the military not just once, but twice.

7 Sept

5 Sept

Trump’s America is not the one I chose to serve, but I will keep fighting and standing up for the America I did.

29 Aug

Living my best life being unabashedly me. Queer, trans, and happy.

Riordan Ledgerwood, MD (they/he) reposted

The House of Pod

@kavehmd.bsky.social

28 July

This episode is getting people’s attention and I can’t tell if it’s because people are interested in testosterone or The Odyssey

The House of Pod@kavehmd.bsky.social

Pete’s War on Low T! Chatting with @ledgemd.bsky.social & Myke Cole about the new mandatory annual testosterone screening for service members over 30. What low T really means, risks/benefits of treatment and if the Odyssey was a good movie. Links: tinyurl.com/yv52ttk3

Riordan Ledgerwood, MD (they/he) reposted

The House of Pod

@kavehmd.bsky.social

28 July

Re: Hegseth to screen for low testosterone in all military men >30 from an ex-military doc This is an astonishing level of utter hypocrisy of allowing HRT to cis men, with far less backing medical literature to even support screening asymptomatic cis men for low T levels vs trans HRT.

This is on top of the issues with giving T to cis men who don’t need it like chance for increased hostility (not just against the nation’s enemies), gynecomastia, and infertility. And that’s not even counting the increase in strokes(!) from polycythemia.

What a way to place an additional burden on an already overtaxed military healthcare system and actually decrease military readiness.

Not to mention(!) that the burden won’t be on Endos or Urologists because there aren’t enough in the military to handle all the men in the military above the age of 30.

So that means the burden will be on the unit PAs and GMOs, who don’t know the appropriate time/way to get a testosterone level, at what levels to supplement, how to supplement, with what to supplement, how to monitor it, or the adverse effects of T therapy.

newsweek.comPete Hegseth Announces New Required Pentagon Testosterone Tests: Who It ImpactsDefense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced that the Pentagon will begin requiring annual testosterone deficiency screenings for active-duty service members age 30 and older.

15 July

So we were concerned for costs for trans military members which make up a small percentage of the military, but we don’t care about this? Get ready for a country shortage of T and waving away of being non-deployable for having an “unstable hormone condition” or “using an injectable medication”.

Elizabeth Jacobs, PhD@elizabethjacobs.bsky.social

Wait wait wait Hegseth is going to conduct surveillance on military members’ testosterone levels and give free meds to those who are found wanting? I thought MAGA and the military were opposed to gender-affirming care.

10 July

They are a huge soccer fan. Heia Norge! 🇳🇴

Let’s talk. It’s now 1am in the morning and I’m up contemplating how this man effectively has turned many in the country against trans people.

There is power in Trans existence. In simply being. In standing tall despite the weight of an unexamined, directed hatred. It may not seem like much, but it comes with a power that a man like Trump will never understand, or ever fully diminish.

I remain. Standing tall.

Let’s talk. It’s now 1am in the morning and I’m up contemplating how this man effectively has turned many in the country against trans people.

As a Trans veteran, Trump’s America is one of deeply rooted discordance. I chose to serve, among the 1% of Americans serving on active duty. The only 1% I chose to be a part of. Trump has turned my service into a mockery.

So I am up at 1am, with only my words to act as a defense, to act as a temporary balm to it all. It’s not enough. It can’t be. Not with the level of damage done. However, it’s enough for now.

Let’s talk. It’s now 1am in the morning and I’m up contemplating how this man effectively has turned many in the country against trans people.

However, it was Trump himself who turned Trans people into a target with his tweet in 2017, calling for a ban of Trans people in the military. By doing so, Trump paved the way for the vilifying of a group of Americans who only make up roughly 1% of Americans.

He placed a target on the Trans community (among others). He does this while displaying an increasingly level of Presidential overreach quite reminiscent of 1930s Germany. Target, Distract, Dictate. Rinse and Repeat.

Let’s talk. It’s now 1am in the morning and I’m up contemplating how this man effectively has turned many in the country against trans people.

Prior to the Trans Tipping point in 2014, many weren’t actively aware of Trans people’s existence. Increased visibility lead to increased critique, however the Trans critical movement started to pick up speed in 2020.

I remember giving a morning report on Trans Awareness Day in March 2021 at Walter Reed as a senior Pediatric Resident, that the more recent wave of anti-Trans legislation marked a new chapter in Trans history.

First year of fellowship effectively down, so I’m making some new academic year resolutions and goals. -Go to at least one conference (looking at PES and/or Creating Change: let me know of others which you reccomend) -Network and continue to make connections in the world of LGBTQ+ Health 1/1

And continue to work on my 2026 New Year’s resolution of finishing a first draft of my memoir of my time as a trans military Pediatrician during COVID and two trans military bans. 3/3

Oops, I messed up the thread count number, but *shrugs*. Oh well.

-Submit IRB, and complete trans healthcare/LGBTQ+ curriculum -Save money for a house and if one becomes available in my dream neighborhood, not to be afraid to jump on it -Drink more water -Work on weight lifting 2/2

What does it mean to be Trans in America in June 2026? I live for today and plan for tomorrow. I review where I can not be me, in the land of the Free. Then review again because what was yesterday is no longer. I feel Pride, but the volume has been lowered. I don’t know if it was me. Or him.

Existing becomes Bravery. Joy becomes Resistance. Success becomes Rebellion.

The horrors persist. But so do I. And I plan to thrive. -RJ Ledgerwood

I do know that I am me today. A doctor. (Your parents must be proud) A veteran. (Thank you for your service) A trans person. (Vile, disgusting, mentally ill) A Like. A Heart. A Mocking Laughter.

Finishing up year 1 of my Pediatric Endocrine program. In reflection of the past year, I have to go back a bit.

I no longer hate my morning drive. Don’t get me wrong, sometimes I’m tired and cranky in the mornings, but the feeling is not dread. People are kind to me in a way the military never was to me. They support me and find who I am to be a strength and not a flaw.

Nothing is perfect because life never is, but I’m having fun at my job and can finally see myself in a job like this for a career. So yeah, good year.

Finishing up year 1 of my Pediatric Endocrine program. In reflection of the past year, I have to go back a bit.

Starting about 7 years ago, I started to dread my drive into work. It became the hardest part of my day and going through the military gate, just a reminder of who and what I belonged to. A reminder that I was stuck only getting to do a percentage of what I wanted to.