Language and trans health

Whole-incarceration-setting approaches to supporting and upholding the rights and health of incarcerated transgender people

“…Further, because many incarcerated transgender people may be reticent to disclose their gender identity due to fear of safety concerns (White Hughto et al, 2018), it is difficult to estimate the size of this population in the United States (US), Australia, and globally (International Bar Association LGBTI Law Committee, 2015; Lamble, 2012;Lynch & Bartels, 2017;Newcomen, 2017). While there currently are no known systematic efforts to identify transgender individuals within US prisons, recent estimates suggest that close to 16% of transgender individuals have been incarcerated at some point during their lifetime (Grant et al, 2011), compared with 2.8% to 6.6% of the US general population (Bonczar, 2003;Glaze & Kaeble, 2014). Further, the incarceration rate of transgender people of color (e.g., Black/African-American, Latinx/Hispanic, multi-racial, and Native American/Alaskan Native) and from low-income backgrounds is elevated (Lydon et al, 2015), with estimates suggesting that 47% of Black transgender people in the US have been incarcerated at some point during their lifetime (Grant et al, 2011).…”

Misgendering and experiences of stigma in health care settings for transgender people

“…Language can and has been used to “discriminate, abuse, marginalize, disrupt, and destabilize individuals and communities” . Language used by medical institutions can serve to further marginalise trans individuals and can infer pathology . Misgendering occurs when a person is addressed or described using language (name, pronouns or title) that does not match their gender identity…”

Sumamus exordio: International Journal of Transgender Health

“…The last decade in particular has seen a significant and positive progression in this area, particularly with regard to health care. Indeed, the language used in this field has been in an almost constant state of redefinition and refinement, with new terms discarded, old ones reclaimed (Meier & Labuski, 2013;Wylie, 2015), and new language proposed (Ansara & Hegarty, 2012;Moser & Devereux, 2019) according to the degree to which it embraces a respectful, nonpathologizing, human rights-based perspective (Bouman et al, 2017).…”