Black Transgender Women’s Barriers to Gender Affirmation in Healthcare

Black transgender women (BTW) face an intersection of transphobia and racism that affects their ability to receive gender affirmation healthcare. Healthcare is both racist and transphobic, putting aside Black women’s feelings and requirements; the same is true for transgender people, in addition to needing to instruct doctors in their care. BTW face stigmas on multiple levels, lowering health outcomes, as gender affirmations are barred. This review of literature aims to compile and analyze issues faced by BTW in achieving gender affirmations in healthcare. BTW face stigma and barriers from their race and gender identity, affecting their mental health, ability to receive healthcare, and ability to receive gender affirmational healthcare. These barriers come from untrained doctors, transphobic insurance policies, distorted views of transgender people, and systemic racism. There are barriers in both seeking and receiving healthcare, which need to be eliminated for the betterment and achievement of gender affirmation in healthcare.

Content

Author and article information

Journal

Title: ScienceOpen Posters

Publisher: ScienceOpen

Publication date (Electronic preprint): 24 September 2022

Affiliations

[1 ] University of Hartford, 200 Bloomfield Ave, West Hartford, CT 06117

Author notes

[* ]Email: graymeyer29@ 123456gmail.com .

Author information

Gabriel Meyer https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3611-1488

Article

DOI: 10.14293/S2199-1006.1.SOR-.PP4U5UG.v1

SO-VID: 6b054c43-9120-4f66-ba98-0328eb30596a

License:

This work has been published open access under Creative Commons Attribution License CC BY 4.0 , which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Conditions, terms of use and publishing policy can be found at www.scienceopen.com .

History

Date received : 24 September 2022

Data availability: The datasets generated during and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

ScienceOpen disciplines: Social policy & Welfare,Psychology,Social & Behavioral Sciences

Keywords: black transgender women,gender affirmation,healthcare,HIV

References

White Hughto Jaclyn M., Reisner Sari L., Pachankis John E.. Transgender stigma and health: A critical review of stigma determinants, mechanisms, and interventions. Social Science & Medicine. Vol. 147:222–231. 2015. Elsevier BV. [Cross Ref]
Poteat Tonia, German Danielle, Kerrigan Deanna. Managing uncertainty: A grounded theory of stigma in transgender health care encounters. Social Science & Medicine. Vol. 84:22–29. 2013. Elsevier BV. [Cross Ref]
Barcelos Chris A., Budge Stephanie L.. Inequalities in Crowdfunding for Transgender Health Care. Transgender Health. Vol. 4(1):81–88. 2019. Mary Ann Liebert Inc. [Cross Ref]
Kosenko Kami, Rintamaki Lance, Raney Stephanie, Maness Kathleen. Transgender Patient Perceptions of Stigma in Health Care Contexts. Medical Care. Vol. 51(9):819–822. 2013. Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health). [Cross Ref]
Cuevas Adolfo G., O'Brien Kerth, Saha Somnath. African American experiences in healthcare: “I always feel like I’m getting skipped over”. Health Psychology. Vol. 35(9):987–995. 2016. American Psychological Association (APA). [Cross Ref]
King Wesley M., Gamarel Kristi E.. A Scoping Review Examining Social and Legal Gender Affirmation and Health Among Transgender Populations. Transgender Health. Vol. 6(1):5–22. 2021. Mary Ann Liebert Inc. [Cross Ref]
Gridley Samantha J., Crouch Julia M., Evans Yolanda, Eng Whitney, Antoon Emily, Lyapustina Melissa, Schimmel-Bristow Allison, Woodward Jake, Dundon Kelly, Schaff RaNette, McCarty Carolyn, Ahrens Kym, Breland David J.. Youth and Caregiver Perspectives on Barriers to Gender-Affirming Health Care for Transgender Youth. Journal of Adolescent Health. Vol. 59(3):254–261. 2016. Elsevier BV. [Cross Ref]
Goldenberg Tamar, Jadwin-Cakmak Laura, Popoff Elliot, Reisner Sari L., Campbell Bré A., Harper Gary W.. Stigma, Gender Affirmation, and Primary Healthcare Use Among Black Transgender Youth. Journal of Adolescent Health. Vol. 65(4):483–490. 2019. Elsevier BV. [Cross Ref]
Seelman Kristie L., Colón-Diaz Matthew J.P., LeCroix Rebecca H., Xavier-Brier Marik, Kattari Leonardo. Transgender Noninclusive Healthcare and Delaying Care Because of Fear: Connections to General Health and Mental Health Among Transgender Adults. Transgender Health. Vol. 2(1):17–28. 2017. Mary Ann Liebert Inc. [Cross Ref]
Macapagal Kathryn, Bhatia Ramona, Greene George J.. Differences in Healthcare Access, Use, and Experiences Within a Community Sample of Racially Diverse Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning Emerging Adults. LGBT Health. Vol. 3(6):434–442. 2016. Mary Ann Liebert Inc. [Cross Ref]
Grossman Arnold H., D'augelli Anthony R.. Transgender Youth. Journal of Homosexuality. Vol. 51(1):111–128. 2006. Informa UK Limited. [Cross Ref]
Vance Stanley R., Halpern-Felsher Bonnie L., Rosenthal Stephen M.. Health Care Providers' Comfort With and Barriers to Care of Transgender Youth. Journal of Adolescent Health. Vol. 56(2):251–253. 2015. Elsevier BV. [Cross Ref]
Crosby Richard A., Salazar Laura F., Hill Brandon J.. Gender Affirmation and Resiliency Among Black Transgender Women With and Without HIV Infection. Transgender Health. Vol. 1(1):86–93. 2016. Mary Ann Liebert Inc. [Cross Ref]
Sevelius Jae, Chakravarty Deepalika, Neilands Torsten B., Keatley JoAnne, Shade Starley B., Johnson Mallory O., Rebchook Greg. Evidence for the Model of Gender Affirmation: The Role of Gender Affirmation and Healthcare Empowerment in Viral Suppression Among Transgender Women of Color Living with HIV. AIDS and Behavior. Vol. 25(S1):64–71. 2021. Springer Science and Business Media LLC. [Cross Ref]
Bauermeister José A., Goldenberg Tamar, Connochie Daniel, Jadwin-Cakmak Laura, Stephenson Rob. Psychosocial Disparities Among Racial/Ethnic Minority Transgender Young Adults and Young Men Who Have Sex with Men Living in Detroit. Transgender Health. Vol. 1(1):279–290. 2016. Mary Ann Liebert Inc. [Cross Ref]
MacCarthy Sarah, Reisner Sari L., Nunn Amy, Perez-Brumer Amaya, Operario Don. The Time Is Now: Attention Increases to Transgender Health in the United States but Scientific Knowledge Gaps Remain. LGBT Health. Vol. 2(4):287–291. 2015. Mary Ann Liebert Inc. [Cross Ref]

Comments

Comment on this article

[1] White Hughto Jaclyn M., Reisner Sari L., Pachankis John E.. Transgender stigma and health: A critical review of stigma determinants, mechanisms, and interventions. Social Science & Medicine. Vol. 147:222–231. 2015. Elsevier BV. [Cross Ref]

[2] Poteat Tonia, German Danielle, Kerrigan Deanna. Managing uncertainty: A grounded theory of stigma in transgender health care encounters. Social Science & Medicine. Vol. 84:22–29. 2013. Elsevier BV. [Cross Ref]

[3] Barcelos Chris A., Budge Stephanie L.. Inequalities in Crowdfunding for Transgender Health Care. Transgender Health. Vol. 4(1):81–88. 2019. Mary Ann Liebert Inc. [Cross Ref]

[4] Kosenko Kami, Rintamaki Lance, Raney Stephanie, Maness Kathleen. Transgender Patient Perceptions of Stigma in Health Care Contexts. Medical Care. Vol. 51(9):819–822. 2013. Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health). [Cross Ref]

[5] Cuevas Adolfo G., O'Brien Kerth, Saha Somnath. African American experiences in healthcare: “I always feel like I’m getting skipped over”. Health Psychology. Vol. 35(9):987–995. 2016. American Psychological Association (APA). [Cross Ref]

[6] King Wesley M., Gamarel Kristi E.. A Scoping Review Examining Social and Legal Gender Affirmation and Health Among Transgender Populations. Transgender Health. Vol. 6(1):5–22. 2021. Mary Ann Liebert Inc. [Cross Ref]

[7] Gridley Samantha J., Crouch Julia M., Evans Yolanda, Eng Whitney, Antoon Emily, Lyapustina Melissa, Schimmel-Bristow Allison, Woodward Jake, Dundon Kelly, Schaff RaNette, McCarty Carolyn, Ahrens Kym, Breland David J.. Youth and Caregiver Perspectives on Barriers to Gender-Affirming Health Care for Transgender Youth. Journal of Adolescent Health. Vol. 59(3):254–261. 2016. Elsevier BV. [Cross Ref]

[8] Goldenberg Tamar, Jadwin-Cakmak Laura, Popoff Elliot, Reisner Sari L., Campbell Bré A., Harper Gary W.. Stigma, Gender Affirmation, and Primary Healthcare Use Among Black Transgender Youth. Journal of Adolescent Health. Vol. 65(4):483–490. 2019. Elsevier BV. [Cross Ref]

[9] Seelman Kristie L., Colón-Diaz Matthew J.P., LeCroix Rebecca H., Xavier-Brier Marik, Kattari Leonardo. Transgender Noninclusive Healthcare and Delaying Care Because of Fear: Connections to General Health and Mental Health Among Transgender Adults. Transgender Health. Vol. 2(1):17–28. 2017. Mary Ann Liebert Inc. [Cross Ref]

[10] Macapagal Kathryn, Bhatia Ramona, Greene George J.. Differences in Healthcare Access, Use, and Experiences Within a Community Sample of Racially Diverse Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning Emerging Adults. LGBT Health. Vol. 3(6):434–442. 2016. Mary Ann Liebert Inc. [Cross Ref]

[11] Grossman Arnold H., D'augelli Anthony R.. Transgender Youth. Journal of Homosexuality. Vol. 51(1):111–128. 2006. Informa UK Limited. [Cross Ref]

[12] Vance Stanley R., Halpern-Felsher Bonnie L., Rosenthal Stephen M.. Health Care Providers' Comfort With and Barriers to Care of Transgender Youth. Journal of Adolescent Health. Vol. 56(2):251–253. 2015. Elsevier BV. [Cross Ref]

[13] Crosby Richard A., Salazar Laura F., Hill Brandon J.. Gender Affirmation and Resiliency Among Black Transgender Women With and Without HIV Infection. Transgender Health. Vol. 1(1):86–93. 2016. Mary Ann Liebert Inc. [Cross Ref]

[14] Sevelius Jae, Chakravarty Deepalika, Neilands Torsten B., Keatley JoAnne, Shade Starley B., Johnson Mallory O., Rebchook Greg. Evidence for the Model of Gender Affirmation: The Role of Gender Affirmation and Healthcare Empowerment in Viral Suppression Among Transgender Women of Color Living with HIV. AIDS and Behavior. Vol. 25(S1):64–71. 2021. Springer Science and Business Media LLC. [Cross Ref]

[15] Bauermeister José A., Goldenberg Tamar, Connochie Daniel, Jadwin-Cakmak Laura, Stephenson Rob. Psychosocial Disparities Among Racial/Ethnic Minority Transgender Young Adults and Young Men Who Have Sex with Men Living in Detroit. Transgender Health. Vol. 1(1):279–290. 2016. Mary Ann Liebert Inc. [Cross Ref]

[16] MacCarthy Sarah, Reisner Sari L., Nunn Amy, Perez-Brumer Amaya, Operario Don. The Time Is Now: Attention Increases to Transgender Health in the United States but Scientific Knowledge Gaps Remain. LGBT Health. Vol. 2(4):287–291. 2015. Mary Ann Liebert Inc. [Cross Ref]