Transforming Clinical Care
Identity ≠ Expression ≠ Sex ≠ Gender ≠ Sexual Orientation
Much like the basic steps to baking cookies, most people think they understand gender as an overall concept, but when we break it down, we see that gender is often misunderstood. After all, gender is not binary. It is not either/or, it’s both/and. Gender is a bit of this and a dash of that.
A-B-C, 1-2-3, L-G-B-T-Q-Q-I-P-2-S-A-A+?
When we learned our A-B-C’s and 1-2-3’s as children, they were easy to commit to memory as they remained consistent throughout our lives. LGBTQ+, on the other hand, is an evolving abbreviation representing a diverse community through a variety of sexual and gender identities.
A TransCare team is an interdisciplinary group that is formed to meet the unique health needs of transgender and gender non-binary (TGNB) individuals. Together, this team works to plan comprehensive medical care to restore, promote, and enhance the health and well-being of TGNB individuals (1).
Given the spectrum of gender identity and the variation in each person’s expression, there is no single pathway for Trans or Non-binary persons to follow in order to feel like their authentic self.
When hormones are chosen as part of the transition, some patients may seek maximum feminization/masculinization, while others may seek a more androgynous appearance.
The following approach provides an educational summary credited to the Sherbourne Health Guidelines and material from Rainbow Health Ontario.
