You can’t be too many things: the experiences of gender-affirming care for trans people of color – a thematic analysis

Abstract

Background: Barriers to healthcare and negative healthcare experiences are frequently reported by transgender people, which is known to be compounded by intersectional issues including racism. Aims: The present study aimed to explore the experiences of trans people of color accessing a national Gender Service in the United Kingdom, to better understand the facilitators and barriers to positive healthcare experiences. Methods: Six transgender people of color attended two separate focus groups. Thematic analysis was used to identify themes in the data. Results: Three themes were identified: The Western-biased model of gender-affirming care; the lack of diversity in support provided throughout medical transition; and lack of visibility and community. Participants talked of various ways in which their ethnicity and cultural backgrounds raised apprehensions and negative experiences within their gender-related care, such as assumptions being made about their transition process, and a general lack of visibility such as not seeing examples of the outcomes of surgeries and in community spaces. Conclusions: The findings are discussed in relation to previous research, noting that culturally-inclusive models of transition, increased access to diverse, inclusive community spaces and further research in this field is needed to improve healthcare experiences.