A transgender individual has initiated a lawsuit after secretly recording her cancer surgery, alleging that hospital staff discussed her identity during the operation, according to a report by The New York Times. Jennifer Capasso, 42, biologically male but identifying as female, underwent cancer surgery at the well-known Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City in 2022. Before being anesthetized, she concealed her belongings, including her phone, and began recording.
During the procedure, multiple hospital staff members allegedly made comments about Capasso’s transgender identity. However, the hospital insists that no mocking occurred. One person on the recording is heard stating, “There’s nothing wrong with that,” to which another voice replies, “Not really.” The conversation continued with comments like, “That doesn’t make sense” and “I don’t understand anything, sorry.”
Further, an employee suggested that understanding transgender identities can be quite complicated. In response to the lawsuit, Memorial Sloan Kettering raised concerns about privacy for health care workers. They stated that the recordings captured discussions happening while Capasso was under anesthesia, where staff members discussed her transgender status, believing she couldn’t hear them.
Moreover, hospital records reportedly misclassified Capasso’s gender. While the hospital contends that their documentation accurately reflects her assigned sex at birth, they were caught in a conversation about whether to update her records. A staff member noted that other patients were being ordered pregnancy tests, despite Capasso being biologically male.
Capasso has highlighted her transgender identity but expressed that her primary concern is receiving appropriate cancer treatment. “I don’t want people to focus on the fact that I’m transgender,” she said. “I’m there to stay alive and hopefully be healed.”
In January, the hospital reverted her designation back to female in their electronic records. Unfortunately, by August, Capasso’s cancer returned. Despite this, she returned to the same hospital to continue her treatment, praising it as “the best.” “I’m still alive,” she noted, adding, “I can’t complain.”
