Tips For Medical Pros Working with Transgender People

Tips for Medical Professionals Working with Transgender People

by Wes Ingram

When I was hospitalized in the middle of October, I wasn’t thinking very much about how the medical staff would be handling my gender identity. As a transmasculine person slowly transitioning away from a feminine presentation, it became apparent to me very quickly that there is a real need for professional training for those in medical fields on how to treat transgender patients. Given the current social climate, I figured now was the best time to come out and give a few quick tips based off of my own experiences in the hospital.

•  Never assume a patient’s gender identity based on their presentation. This is perhaps the most important aspect of treating transgender patients with care and respect. Oftentimes, we do not “pass” as cisgender for the identity that we feel aligned with, for a number of reasons. We could be in the beginning stages of our transition, or live in a climate to hostile to officially come out. Many transgender people don’t even wish to fully pass – it should not have to be a requirement for our gender identities to be respected. As a medical professional, you should always begin by asking your patient how they wish to be referred to, and their preferred pronouns.

•  Be sure to use their correct name and pronouns. Since we are socialized within the gender binary, sometimes it can be hard to retrain your thinking. Transgender people do not expect perfection, just respect. If you find that you’ve used the wrong pronouns, allow yourself to be corrected and apologize. We’re all human and we make mistakes, but how you handle the mistake is what is important.

•  If you’re unsure about an aspect of your patient’s identity, ask. Mainstream discussion on transgender identities is a fairly new phenomenon, and there is a chance that the way a patient identifies may be completely new to you. If this happens, don’t be afraid to ask for them to explain it to you – so long as you do it in a respectful manner.Many times I have been asked to define terminology that I’ve used, such as “What does genderqueer mean?” or “Could you please explain what you mean by that?” Be careful of your use of tone that could imply judgment. A patient would no doubt be happy to explain their identity to you so long as they’re certain you truly wish to understand and respect them.

•  In case of invasive questions, take your cues from your patient. In many (although not all) cases, a large majority of the anxiety that gender dysphoria produces lies in the outward appearance of a trans person’s body, particularly the aspects that are heavily gendered. Unfortunately in the medical field, sometimes questions involving those body parts are necessary in order to do your job. As always, when this occurs, the most important part is to be respectful. If a patient asks for you to refer to their body part in a way that is different than what you expect due to the gender binary, it is important that you respect their wishes so that they can feel comfortable.

While this is not an extensive guide by any means, these are the major aspects that I’ve noticed need to be addressed in order for trans patients to maintain a level of minimum comfort when being treated. Hopefully this can be a quick cheat sheet to help begin the process of working through the internalized cissexism that the gender binary of our society socializes everybody with. That is, of course, until proper training on these matters can be instituted in order to work in the field with transgender people.

Wesley Ingram is a sci-fi enthusiast, dog lover, LGBT champion and budding trans activist. Follow him on Twitter and read more of his articles.