Transgender, nonbinary, and gender-diverse people face barriers to accessing surgery and to the health system in general, describe authors in two new research papers published in CMAJ ( Canadian Medical Association Journal ). In many areas of life, people who identify as transgender, nonbinary, and gender diverse experience discrimination even where there are laws to protect transgender human rights. Health systems also pose barriers for transgender, nonbinary, and gender-diverse people, who are more likely to delay obtaining medical care because of fear of discrimination and other factors.
In two research articles, authors describe the experiences of transgender, nonbinary, and gender-diverse people in accessing gender-affirming surgery. A related humanities article argues that gender self-determination is a medical right. As there are few Canadian studies on the surgical experiences of people who self-identify as members of these populations, authors sought to understand the experience of transgender, nonbinary, and gender-diverse people when seeking gender-affirming care.
Participants in the research studies reported barriers in accessing gender-affirming care, which also affected their general experiences with the health care system. "The stress of negotiating presurgical bureaucracy often stood in sharp contrast to the positive feelings [participants] experienced when deciding to seek gender-affirming surgery," writes Dr. Hilary MacCormick, an anesthesiologist in the Dep.
