For trans masculine people — an umbrella term referring to people assigned a female sex at birth who identify as female-to-male, transman, man, men, masculine of center, boi, genderqueer or another diverse non-binary gender identity and expression — seeking health care can be a challenging and potentially traumatizing experience. We are hearing about all of it.

At The Fenway Institute — the research, education and training, evaluation and policy division of Fenway Health in Boston — we are collecting data from a diverse array of trans masculine people about their experiences seeking and accessing health care. Through a two-year-long research project funded by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute, in collaboration with the World Professional Association for Transgender Health and the Center of Excellence for Transgender Health at the University of California, San Francisco, we are able to also study the sexual health of trans masculine adult patients.

We hear over and over again about the myriad of ways transgender patients can be hurt by, rejected or feel mistreated in health care settings and contexts, including by their medical doctors and other clinical care providers. We are finding that lack of cultural competence (trans-incompetence) in health care contexts and by providers themselves comes in many forms. One central theme emerging in our research is regarding nonbinary trans masculine people (who may not identify with the male/female or man/woman gender dichotomy) and binary trans masculine people (who may identify as men or males). …Read More