Investigating the Trans-Care Knowledge Deficit and Its Impact on Healthcare Considerations Among Gender Diverse Communities

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  In Refereed Roundtable (90 minute): Table 3

Abstract

Transgender and nonbinary people face unique and complex barriers when accessing medical services. Amidst these barriers, lack of access to knowledgeable trans-care providers has emerged as the most predominant. Yet, against the prevalence of this barrier, comparatively little is known about how gender diverse populations interpret and respond to the lack of knowledge about trans-care among medical practitioners, or what I call the “provider knowledge deficit.” To address this, I take a strengths-based interview approach with trans men, trans women, and nonbinary (n = 41) care-seekers. Drawing insights from minority stress theory, I focus my analytic lens on examining how perceptions of providers’ trans-care knowledge impact healthcare considerations in relation to access, treatment, and care options among gender diverse populations. My findings reveal how the perceived provider knowledge deficit among gender diverse care-seekers can work to limit the medical system’s ability to be an effective health resource for this population. More broadly, I generate new theoretical insights about the importance of understanding stigma, sensitivity, and cultural competence in the medical field.

Author

• David Kyle Sutherland, Southern Illinois University-Carbondale