this is along with name, race and other demographic information
They don’t have a gender field, and it really feels like they are just reducing sex and gender down to “you are what you were assigned at birth”, and then hiding behind amorphous medical “reasons” as justification …
well?
Males and females have different healthcare needs. When you’re seeking medical care your sex may affect that care.
when I’m getting a flu shot, my assigned sex at birth matters?
I guess my question to you is what are those differences, how does my assigned sex at birth impact my medical care, and why is it important for Walgreens to know my “assigned sex at birth” to schedule a flu shot?
EDIT: I should probably say up front, obviously I agree there are medical contexts in which knowing if you could be pregnant is relevant, for example (among others) - I don’t mean to imply no differences exist, or that it’s always unreasonable to ask about relevant medical information. I’m mostly interested in hearing what differences you think exist, and why you think it’s justified for Walgreens to ask for assigned sex at birth based on those differences.
Pregnancy is a good example. Makes are unlikely to have ovarian or uterine cancer. Females are unlikely to have prostate cancer. Some diseases are far more likely in males than females and vice versa. Stores like Walgreens like to provide a holistic approach to healthcare. I’m all for identifying however you want biology masters in healthcare. It’s not discrimination.
So I agree that pregnancy, cancer risks, etc. are all relevant, and even that you can make some reasonable inferences based on assigned sex at birth (ASAB), but you run into trouble when that’s the only question that is asked.
For example, breast cancer is a risk that trans women face just like cis women, a biological fact that is ignored when only ASAB is considered … Trans women also have far lower risks of prostate cancer than men, so cancer screening looks different in trans women than cis men (including even the way that a prostate would be accessed, in the case of post-op trans women).
Only asking for assigned sex at birth is a form of discrimination in several ways. For one, it doesn’t allow someone to identify or disclose gender, they ask for race and other social characteristics but for gender the only field is assigned sex at birth.
This means a person’s gender is inferred from their ASAB, making it clear discrimination against trans people who have a gender that isn’t aligned with their assigned sex at birth, i.e. it’s a prejudicial denial of trans identity.
It is also discriminatory against some intersex people who are (and were born) neither male nor female.
If biology masters in healthcare, then they should be asking questions about your biology, not a social category that everyone has been assigned based on quick glances at genitals and in complete defiance of the reality of biological sex.
So tell them whatever you want to tell them and take your chances.