Transgender and nonbinary youth and access to medical care

“Truly Listen to Us”: Recommendations for Health Professionals to Bolster Wellbeing of Nonbinary Individuals

“…Trans and nonbinary people require the same diverse healthcare services that cisgender clients do; however, such care must be provided in ways that are responsive to and understanding of their gender and the unique experiences they may face in a cisnormative and binaristic world. Additionally, many trans and nonbinary people may seek gender-affirming medical care to help their bodies better align with and express their gender [ 12 , 21 , 22 ]. More germane to the focus of this paper is that many trans and nonbinary people may experience a greater need for accessible and comprehensive healthcare services, given the staggering health disparities faced as the result of ongoing discrimination.…”

“…Cisnormativity compromises trans and nonbinary healthcare through both direct and indirect means. Health is compromised indirectly through trans people’s disproportionate lack of health insurance (often the result of unstable employment [ 12 , 15 ] and policy barriers that prohibit the acquisition of care [ 21 , 22 ]. For many trans people who seek gender-affirming medical care, gatekeeping in the form of required mental health assessments and referral letters is seen by many as an additional and pathologizing service system hurdle that must be cleared in order for care to be delivered [ 25 ].…”