Evaluating the Experiences of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, and Asexual Nurses in the Emergency Department Setting.

The 2022 global outbreak of clade IIb mpox disproportionately impacted lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) communities and highlighted issues of stigma, access to health care, and health care‒associated trauma. Together with LGBTQ+ community partners, our research team implemented venue-based mpox virus and antibody testing. In response to feedback from our community partners, this effort evolved to include broader elements of sexual health services, including distribution of prescriptions for doxycycline postexposure prophylaxis. (Am J Public Health. 2026;116(3):307-311. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2025.308309).

This study provides an in-depth analysis of the gender justice challenges faced by transgender individuals in Khulna, Bangladesh through the lens of just city theory. Despite the legal recognition of the Transgender community in 2013, they continue to experience social isolation, violence and systemic discrimination. The research investigates how democratic practices are undermined, how the preservation of transgender identity as a distinct group is obstructed and how material inequality continues to weaken their pursuit of social justice. Using purposive sampling, 15 in-depth face-to-face interviews with transgender individuals were conducted to capture lived experiences. The findings highlight four critical factors: the daily social, economic, political and cultural struggles transgender people endure; the structural issues driving these struggles; the impact of these problems on democracy, identity and equality; and their broader implications for social justice when assessed against the just city paradigm. The study also reveals a persistent behavioral challenge within the majority population who often fail to recognize transgender people as distinct genders beyond male and female. This lack of recognition perpetuates fear and exclusion, trapping transgender individuals in a cycle that limits their rights, equality and full participation in society.

The socio-legal status of the third gender in India shows positive legal progress, but social acceptance remains limited. An important reform came with the Supreme Court judgment in National Legal Services Authority v. Union of India (2014), which officially recognized transgender people as a “third gender.” The Court stated that transgender persons have the same fundamental rights as others under Articles 14, 15, 16, 19, and 21 of the Constitution. It also clearly said that a person has the right to decide their own gender identity and that this right is closely linked to dignity, freedom, and personal choice. The Court further directed the government to introduce welfare schemes and provide reservations in education and employment, considering the long-term discrimination faced by transgender communities. In light of the Supreme Court judgement, the government enacted the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019. This law aims to prevent discrimination against transgender persons in areas such as education, jobs, healthcare, housing, and public services. It recognizes self-identified gender, provides a system for issuing identity certificates, and establishes a National Council to look after transgender welfare. However, many problems still remain. Socially, transgender communities such as hijras and kinnars have been part of Indian culture for centuries and are often linked to religious and ceremonial traditions. Yet, in everyday life, most transgender persons face rejection from their families, discrimination in society, and lack of job opportunities. Many are denied education, healthcare, and safe housing, forcing them into poverty and social isolation. Negative attitudes, lack of awareness, and insensitive behavior by institutions further worsen their situation. Although India has taken important steps to legally recognize and protect the rights of the third gender, real equality has not yet been achieved. Laws alone are not enough. There is a strong need for better implementation, public awareness, education, and acceptance so that transgender persons can live with dignity, respect, and equal opportunities in society. The present research paper undertakes a comprehensive socio-legal analysis of the status of the third gender in India by synthesizing secondary data from multiple credible sources.

In this paper I use the recent UK Supreme Court ruling to surface and to examine the liminality of trans lives. I develop liminality as a way to make sense of trans experiences ‘betwixt and between’ understood gender and sexed body, how bodies are read and how they are wished to be read. In this context of liminality, I theorise gender identity as the dynamic interplay between identity work, body work and gender boundary work, and gendered self-identity as constituting the ongoing embodied experience and response to differently gendered spaces and regulatory regimes. I adopt this liminal reading and theorisation of gender identity to study my own trans body moment by moment across multiple situated contexts. My aim is to widen the possibilities of organising by offering an account of trans experience which broadly aligns with the Supreme Court judgement, and its implications for the liveable lives of trans people.

HIV/AIDS is a disease associated with stigma and discrimination. This can hinder the adoption of preventive and treatment methods, especially in vulnerable populations, such as the transgender community. The primary objectives of this study are to explore awareness barriers related to HIV/AIDS, develop and pilot a mobile-based HIV awareness app, and evaluate its acceptability and usability within the transgender community. The research will employ a quasi-experimental design, utilizing a pre- and posttest comparison between an intervention group that will use the mobile app and a comparison group that will not. Phase 1 involves a situational analysis, including key informant interviews, focus group discussions, and a cross-sectional survey. An app will be designed and developed in Phase 2. Phase 3 will comprise a preintervention assessment recruiting 150 transgender people, implementation of the app on the cell phones of 75 transgender people, and a postapp assessment. Statistical techniques will be employed to analyze the captured data and assess the effectiveness of the app. The recruitment began on August 25, 2025, for the first phase, with the subsequent phases to follow. The data collection and analysis will be completed and finalized by August 31, 2026, following the intervention deployment. No funding was received from any external source for this study. The results of this study will reveal the effectiveness of a mobile app for the transgender community. These results will determine the continuation and further scale-up of this intervention. The findings will create evidence to inform favorable strategies for vulnerable populations. DERR1-10.2196/84610.

Given the current sociopolitical climate surrounding immigration and the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) communities 1 , youth who identify as both immigrant and LGBTQ+ face increased adverse outcomes in society and schools. While mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) have shown effectiveness in helping youth in schools manage excessive stress, most existing research overlooks social and cultural factors about the two identities and their intersectionality, which may influence the intervention's effectiveness and acceptability when applied with immigrant LGBTQ+ youth. This conceptual paper reviews immigrant LGBTQ+ youth's experiences in the United States, highlights the need for effective school-based interventions (e.g., MBIs), and proposes implementation strategies within a cultural humility framework that addresses the youth's intersecting identities. Implications for international school professionals are discussed, with the intention of celebrating and empowering these students through more inclusive mindfulness practices.

Transgender individuals experience notable disparities in life outcomes relative to cisgender individuals. These disparities have been linked to adverse childhood experiences, mental health, and discrimination. However, notable gaps exist in our understanding of the mechanisms linking early experiences and gender identity to later life outcomes. This study aimed to explore early experiences and gender identity to identify factors contributing to different life outcomes among the transgender community. Semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted among 21 transgender individuals with a mean age of (20.94 ± 2.15). Five themes emerged relating to participant experiences: the impact of family dysfunction, body discomfort before and after transitioning, relatedness and belonging, the importance of social support, and community and healthcare dilemmas. These findings highlight the importance of support systems at the familial, community, and healthcare levels. Having a positive self-concept, supportive relationships, family acceptance, and access to care were critical in promoting resilience and long-term success among transgender individuals. Future research endeavors should examine the perspectives of family members, friends, school faculty and healthcare professionals to gain a more comprehensive understanding of factors contributing to social inequities within the transgender community.

Transgender individuals in India have historically faced marginalization, invisibility, and institutional discrimination. Over the past decade, significant judicial decisions and legislative changes have not only acknowledged the rights of transgender individuals but have also been crucial in transforming public attitudes. The paper looks at how Indian legislation promotes transgender individual’s cultural acceptance and social integration. Utilizing both doctrinal and analytical approaches, the study investigates legal advancements, public policies, court rulings, and reforms in education and institutions. The research contends that when law is paired with institutional commitment and social consciousness, it can serve as a powerful force for changing societal views and advancing equity. The paper also includes recent developments from 2020 to 2025; highlighting the trajectory of progress. Starting with the historical portrayal of transgender characters in ancient Indian epics like the Mahabharata and Ramayana, the study looks at how characters like Shikhandi and Mohini’s metamorphosis demonstrate a cultural acceptance of gender fluidity and third-gender identities (Devdutt Pattanaik, 2014). A pre-colonial respect and room for gender nonconformity is indicated by the existence of hijras and kinnars in temple customs, devotional rituals, and folklore in many different locales. However, the colonial imposition of heteronormative norms, most notably the Criminal Tribes Act of 1871 during British rule started to change the trajectory of respect and spiritual inclusion. The law entrenched the marginalization of entire communities, particularly hijras, by making them criminals and labeling them as “habitually criminal” (Hinchy, 2017). This historical shift offers crucial insight into the continuing challenges faced by transgender populations in India after independence. This change in history provides context for comprehending the ongoing struggles of transgender populations in India following independence. Following that, the study looks at post-colonial legal frameworks, like the Indian Constitution, with a focus on transgender people’s fundamental rights; embodying the equality, non-discrimination, expressive freedom, and dignified living, as interpreted in Articles 14, 15, 19, and 21 of the Indian Constitution. In the historic NALSA vs Union of India (2014) decision (Dutta, n.d.), which is regarded as a turning point, the Supreme Court recognized transgender people’s right to self-identify as their gender and mandated affirmative action from the State. The paper also explores the change in the law after NALSA, 2020 saw the notification of the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019 and its supporting regulations. Although transgender activists and civil society organizations have criticized these laws for problems like unclear reservation benefits, insufficient community consultation, and bureaucratic barriers to gender identification, they also represent a formal recognition of transgender people and their rights. Analysing state-level models and policies, particularly the pioneering efforts of states such as Tamil Nadu and Kerala, enhances the research. The first state to establish a transgender welfare board and enact legislation pertaining to housing, education, and identity cards was Tamil Nadu. Meanwhile, Kerala’s 2015 Transgender Policy is notable for its focus on healthcare accessibility, self-identification, and initiatives aimed at raising awareness. These illustrations serve as case studies for the best institutional inclusion practices. The study also incorporates information from policy briefs, NGO publications, and government initiatives like as the Gender Inclusion Fund, which is part of the National Education Policy (NEP 2020) and intends to support gender-diverse students’ fair education; recognizing that legal reforms alone are insufficient without broader sociocultural acceptance.

The collective identity formation of transgender people in Assam is a comparatively new process. Organising themselves with a regional gender identity, they are drawing from, and yet differentiating themselves from, the pan-Indian hijra (transgender) subculture. This article, which has evolved out of the author’s ethnographic research, contributes to larger debates on the collective identity formation of transgender people and the influence of regional culture. The article also examines the politics of asserting this regional subcultural identity against the backdrop of the updating of the National Register of Citizens, from which many in the transgender community were delisted. It reflects on how Assamese artefacts are being used to regionalise pan-Indian hijra rituals and explores the extensive use of the Assamese language in addressing hijra kinship.

Co-creating gender affirming survey questions: A participatory qualitative study.

Latine Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ+) communities face a disproportionate burden of new HIV diagnoses, driven by structural, social, and personal barriers that limit the uptake of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). Addressing these inequities requires research deeply rooted in community lived experiences and cultural contexts. The Chicago Queer Latine (CQL) Collaborative, a partnership of community, academic, and clinical health professionals, adopted a Community-Engaged Research (CER) approach to tackle HIV disparities in our metropolitan area. We strategically utilized federal seed funding, including grants for capacity building and partnership development, to ensure protected and compensated training for community leaders and establish a formal, multidisciplinary partnership co-led by community, academic, and clinical investigators. This foundational work culminated in securing research awards, which supported the development and dissemination of a bilingual social marketing PrEP promotion campaign. The campaign's success, evidenced by significant reach and PrEP awareness/uptake, is attributed to its community-driven design and culturally responsive elements. Our experience underscores the critical need for genuinely shared leadership, where community members lead and co-lead and are equitably compensated. We urge funding agencies to stabilize mechanisms that explicitly support community-led initiatives and to streamline administrative processes to overcome burdens that can impede equitable partnerships. This model serves as a compelling case for sustained investment in CER to achieve true health equity.

Background The sexuality of trans + individuals has a long history of pathologization within medical and psychological discourse. Contemporary research describes trans sexuality as a complex and multidimensional phenomenon shaped by social contexts, personal meaning-making, and experiences of affirmation or stigma. Aims The aim of this study was to explore how trans + individuals experience and negotiate their sexuality within cisheteronormative frameworks, with particular attention to the ways participants describe sociocultural gender norms as shaping their understandings of sexual behavior, body image, and identity affirmation. Methods The study drew on semi-structured interviews with twelve White Polish trans + participants aged 20–53 living in Poland. The data were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. Results Two overarching themes were identified: internalization and rejection of cisheteronormativity (CHN). Internalization involved fears of not “passing,” avoidance of sexual activity, and adherence to gendered sexual roles. Participants described struggles with defining sexual orientation and negotiating nonbinary embodiment in relation to normative expectations. In contrast, rejection of CHN was characterized by redefining bodies and sexual acts beyond binary gender meanings, focusing on personal pleasure, and establishing open communication with affirming partners. Some participants reframed dysphoria in terms of (dis)comfort, emphasizing bodily diversity and self-acceptance. The findings reveal that both internalization and rejection function as adaptive strategies for navigating sexual experiences and mitigating dysphoria. Discussion The study underscores the importance of affirming relationships, inclusive language, and culturally sensitive support for trans + individuals. Future research should examine cross-cultural differences and the role of partners in shaping trans + sexuality.

Transgender individuals experience notable disparities in life outcomes relative to their cisgender counterparts. This explanatory mixed-methods study aimed to explore the relationships between early experiences and gender identity to identify factors contributing to different life outcomes among the transgender community. Quantitative data were analyzed from the 2023 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) survey of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), including 284,929 transgender and cisgender adults in the United States. Online qualitative interviews were conducted among 21 transgender individuals to expand upon the quantitative findings. In the quantitative component, transgender respondents reported significantly more adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and worse outcomes in mental health, education, and income than cisgender respondents. Key factors such as lack of support, exposure to mental health and substances, household incarceration, and neglect significantly interacted with gender to predict poor life outcomes. In the qualitative component, five themes emerged from the thematic analysis, relating to participant experiences: the impact of family dysfunction, body discomfort before and after transitioning, relatedness and belonging, the importance of social support, and community and healthcare dilemmas. These findings highlight the importance of support systems at the familial, community, and healthcare levels. Transgender individuals who reported positive family functioning, strong support networks, and access to care were found to have better life outcomes. Future research endeavors should examine the perspectives of family members, friends, school faculty, and healthcare professionals to gain a more comprehensive understanding of factors contributing to social inequities within the transgender community.

This qualitative study seeks to critically examine whether South Africa can adopt a Feminist Foreign Policy (FFP) that speaks against biphobia, transphobia, homophobia, sexism, inequality, and patriarchy. The authors argue that South Africa should consider adopting a feminist foreign policy that is gender inclusive of women, children, and gender non-conforming persons. Currently, South Africa does not describe its policy as feminist but rather as having women on the foreign policy agenda, i.e., women’s representation in parliament. We argue that the state has failed to oppose all forms of gender dominance and oppression. During the second Presidential Summit on Gender Based Violence and Femicide (GBVF) in November 2022, President Cyril Ramaphosa reiterated GBVF as the first pandemic in SA, as we continuously see the increase of rape and murders against women, children, and the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex (LGBTI) community. This study, therefore, sought to critically unpack the possibility of a safe and inclusive South Africa for women, children and gender non-conforming persons through the adoption and implementation of a feminist foreign policy. The first country that implemented the feminist foreign policy was Sweden. The goal of Sweden’s policy implementation in 2014 was to address the country’s gender disparity issues, and as a result, they also sought to consider all gender perspectives in all policy creation and decision-making. The researchers reflect on Sweden’s foreign policy from a feminist perspective as possible lessons for South Africa and attempt to clarify South Africa’s position with regard to gender emancipation and whether this could serve as a platform to implement a feminist foreign policy.

Transforming care: A gender-affirming care simulation study.

The way that the lesbian, bisexual, gay, and transgender (LGBT) community is understood has changed from an abnormal concept to a normal variant of sexuality. Despite this action, the Indian population still harbors a great deal of fear toward this community. The health of the LGBT community is further negatively affected by the high rates of stigma and discrimination they experience in medical facilities. As aspiring medical professionals, it's critical to understand medical students' awareness of and attitudes toward this community. This study is to assess the Attitude, Awareness and Knowledge of medical students towards the LGBT community in Kerala. This was a cross sectional study done at a medical college in Kerala. Students from first year MBBS till internship were included in the study after approval by the institutional ethical committee. Informed consent was obtained from all participants after providing details of the conduct of the study and assurance of participant's confidentiality. Semi structured questionnaire and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Development of Clinical Skills Scale were circulated among the students. 380 students participated in the study. Majority were first years (35.3%) and were females (69.7%). Participants scored highest on the attitudinal awareness subscale and lowest on the clinical preparedness subscale. Our study highlights the positive attitudes of medical students but also identifies their self-reported inadequacies in LGBT patient care-related clinical skills and preparedness.

Chronic liver disease and hepatology care in transgender and gender diverse populations.

The variety of ways that cultural competency has been used to improve health care for historically marginalized groups, including the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer community, has been documented in the literature. As clinicians seek to deliver competent care, we encourage consideration of how the intersectionality of patient lives, including institutional racism, impacts clinical care, and assert the need for the immediate application of an antiracist framework to center and achieve the goal of restorative and holistic clinical care.

A fuzzy set is a mathematical construct that assigns a membership grade to each element within a universe of discourse, representing the degree to which the element belongs to the set. This approach extends classical binary logic by allowing continuous values between 0 and 1, making it a natural framework for handling uncertainties and vague concepts often expressed in natural language. Fuzzy sets are particularly powerful in modelling real-world scenarios where ambiguity and imprecision are inherent, such as in human decision-making, linguistic expressions, and complex systems. This paper introduces a novel application of fuzzy logic by proposing a fuzzy Decision Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) method. DEMATEL is a well-established technique used to analyse cause-and-effect relationships within complex systems. Still, its traditional form relies on crisp values, which may not adequately capture the inherent uncertainties in real-world data. Our proposed method integrates triangular fuzzy numbers into the DEMATEL framework, enabling the representation and analysis of data with imprecision and vagueness. Specifically, we apply the fuzzy DEMATEL approach to study the cause-and-effect relationships among factors affecting transgender individuals, a population often marginalized and underrepresented in research. By leveraging triangular fuzzy numbers, our method provides a more nuanced and realistic representation of the uncertainties and complexities in the data. This approach not only enhances the accuracy of the analysis but also offers a meaningful way to interpret vague or subjective information, ultimately contributing to more informed decision-making and policy development for transgender communities.