All healthcare we receive as trans people is trans healthcare – whether it’s treatment for the flu or a broken bone, managing a chronic health condition, or gender affirming care like hormones or surgery.
We need our clinicians to understand trans topics, practice patient-centred care, and respect our identities and autonomy. We should never be educating our doctors, or having our trans identity pathologised.
Some trans people may need access to hormones – like testosterone or oestrogen – to help bring our bodies in line with our gender identity. Trans youth can be prescribed puberty blockers to prevent unwanted changes to their bodies during puberty.
Trans people sometimes get surgery to physically change parts of our bodies to help affirm our gender identity. Some surgeries include for the chest, genitals and face.
Vocal therapists can help us train our voice to better express our gender identity. This can include changing the pitch, tone and resonance of our voice.
Trans people are more likely to experience mental health conditions, often worsened by stigma and anti-trans discrimination. When we seek mental health care, we need the people who care for us to be trans informed, take our lives seriously, and respect who we are.
Gender affirming care is life-changing, and often life-saving, healthcare. And the overwhelming majority of professional medical bodies in Australia and internationally support it. Some include: the Australian Medical Association, the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists, the Royal Australasian College of Physicians, the Endocrine Society of Australia, the World Health Organisation, the World Medical Association, and the American Medical Association.
There are serious barriers to accessing trans healthcare. Too few doctors are aware of trans issues and identities, making everyday healthcare harder. Barriers to accessing gender affirming care include unfair restrictions, high cost, and the small number of properly trained practitioners. Healthcare is a right for trans people the same as it is for everyone else. We need to remove unfair barriers, like medical stigma and gatekeeping, and unfair prices.
There are a number of great resources with more information about trans healthcare.
TransHub is a digital resource for trans people, allies, our loved ones and health providers.
Transcend Australia provides peer support, education and resources to trans youth and their families.
And Trans.au is an online directory of trans and gender diverse services and community groups in Australia.
