A Quick Guide to Gender-Affirming Care
Recently I realized that when a lot of people talk about gender-affirming care, the first things that come to mind are surgery and hormone replacement therapy. Sure, these are two very important pieces of the puzzle, but there is so much more to gender-affirming care than just those two elements. It is about ensuring that when a transgender, nonbinary, or gender-diverse patient accesses any medical care, they feel safe, affirmed, and understood, and they receive care which addresses their needs both because of and regardless of their gender identity.
This quick guide is by no means an all-encompassing resource, but it can be a quick reference to understanding what gender-affirming care is and how to be an affirming and safe provider.
Alt text: Trans Bodies Are Still Bodies. A Guide to Gender-Affirming Care. @enby.delia
Alt text: What is Gender-Affirming Care? Gender-affirming care is any healthcare provided to a person which creates a safe, comfortable, and respectful environment for patients of any gender to address their medical needs. *While gender-affirming care is most apparent to people in the transgender, nonbinary, and gender-diverse communities, it is still relevant for cisgender people.
Alt text: There are two broad categories of gender-affirming care: Transition-Related and Non-Transitional. Note that these are not mutually exclusive! There is some overlap.
Alt text: Transition-Related Care. This is what often comes to mind when people hear “gender-affirming care.” Transition-related care is the medical intervention provided to a transgender, nonbinary, or gender-diverse person to help affirm their gender identity.
Alt text: Transition-related care includes but is not limited to: Gender-affirming surgery (GAS), Gender-affirming hormone therapy (GAHT, also known as HRT), Vocal or speech therapy, Mental healthcare or support related to gender identity
Alt text: Non-Transitional Care. This is everything else! Just like cisgender bodies break and become sick, so do transgender bodies. Non-transitional care involves providing healthcare not related to transition or the gender affirmation process, but in a way which still affirms and respects patients’ gender identities.
Alt text: Non-transitional care includes but is not limited to: Primary Care, Specialist Care (Neurology, Oncology, GI, OB-GYN, etc.), Emergency Medicine, Non-GAS Surgeries (e.g. general surgery, neurosurgery, etc.), Anesthesiology
Alt text: REMEMBER! There can also be a significant amount of overlap between the two! For example, many primary care physicians and gynecologists play an important role in providing gender-affirming hormone therapy and surgeries. Because gender-affirming care spans across all areas of healthcare, there will be overlap between transition-related and non-transitional care.
Alt text: How can I be a gender-affirming provider?
Make sure you know and use your patient’s correct name and pronouns. If you’re not sure what your patient’s pronouns are, you can start by introducing yourself with your name and your own pronouns.
Allow your patient to use their own terminology when referring to their body parts, and mirror the words they use.
Find relevant literature in your specialty on treating trans and gender-diverse patients. What you’re looking for might not exist yet, but in order to provide the most appropriate and affirming care possible, it’s helpful to look.
If you’re not sure what a general term means, look it up! If you need to know what it means for your patient specifically, ask what it means to them. Please try not to expect your patients to educate you on all things trans.
Alt text: Why is this important? There are knowledge gaps and education gaps in the world of healthcare around treating transgender, nonbinary, and gender-diverse patients, and socially, there is still a stigma around being trans. Access to healthcare is a basic human right, and it’s important to understand how to address mistrust, distrust, and disparities that affect non-cisgender patients.