Based on a presentation by Molly Crowther, Board Certified Patient Advocate
This guide provides essential information about transgender healthcare, focusing on advocating effectively for transgender clients in healthcare settings. As Patient Advocates, understanding the unique challenges faced by transgender individuals when accessing healthcare is crucial to providing informed support.
"The healthcare system was designed for cisgender people, but the medicine in 99% of cases that transgender people are accessing is the same healthcare procedures that were designed for cisgender people, just used for different reasons."
From Latin "trans" meaning "across." Describes a person whose experience of gender doesn't match the sex they were assigned at birth. Implies a journey from one thing to another.
From Latin "cis" meaning "same side." Describes a person whose experience of gender matches the sex they were assigned at birth. Creates a non-pathologizing terminology.
The designation (usually "male" or "female") given at birth, typically based on external genitalia. Preferred over terms like "born a boy/girl" or "biological sex."
Psychological distress resulting from incongruence between one's gender identity and sex assigned at birth, presentation, or hormonal status. Can be experienced by transgender and cisgender people.
A name that a transgender person was given at birth and no longer uses. Using someone's dead name can be triggering or traumatic. Historically refers to the name that non-accepting family might use at one's funeral.
A gender identity that doesn't fit strictly into categories of man or woman. Non-binary people may identify as having aspects of both genders, neither gender, or a gender outside the binary.
Transgender healthcare encompasses many procedures and treatments that are also used for cisgender people, but for different purposes. These include:
Medications to modify hormone levels in the body. May include testosterone for transmasculine individuals or estrogen and anti-androgens for transfeminine individuals.
Often medically necessary for transgender individuals but frequently not covered by insurance. May be required prior to certain surgeries.
Can include voice training, speech therapy, or surgical interventions to address voice-related gender dysphoria.
Includes procedures like mastectomy with chest reconstruction or breast augmentation, depending on the individual's needs.
Various surgical procedures to align genital anatomy with gender identity. These are typically the same procedures developed for cisgender individuals.
Can include facial feminization or masculinization procedures. Often considered medically necessary but frequently not covered by insurance as they're deemed "cosmetic."
Important Context:
In 99% of cases, the medical procedures that transgender people access are the same procedures developed for and commonly used by cisgender people—just for different reasons.
This topic is often misrepresented in media and policy discussions. Here are the facts:
For younger children, transition is primarily social and involves simple changes:
These are changes any child should be able to make regardless of gender identity.
Note: Many medical interventions that are considered controversial for transgender youth (like puberty blockers) are routinely given to cisgender children for conditions like precocious puberty without controversy.
Many states are passing or considering legislation restricting transgender healthcare for minors. These laws often:
As a healthcare advocate, you can play a crucial role in ensuring transgender clients receive affirming, appropriate healthcare. By being informed, welcoming, and affirming, you can help create a safer healthcare experience.
"Understanding the power dynamics here—there's a lot of medical trauma for transgender people going back generations accessing medical care. You don't want to be seen as one of those gatekeepers because they're very used to that from their providers."
Transgender healthcare is fundamentally the same healthcare that cisgender people receive, just accessed for different reasons. By educating yourself about transgender healthcare needs and barriers, you can better advocate for your transgender clients in a healthcare system that wasn't designed with them in mind.
Working to ensure transgender people receive respectful, appropriate healthcare is not only important for their physical wellbeing but can be life-saving for a population that experiences significant health disparities due to discrimination and lack of access to affirming care.