Transgender and Gender Non-Conforming Peoples Experience of Being Admitted to Hospital

International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS) | Volume IV, Issue VI, June 2020 | ISSN 2454–6186

Transgender and Gender Non-Conforming Peoples Experience of Being Admitted to Hospital

Phil Harper
Coventry University Group, UK

Abstract: – This article explores issues that a transgender and/ or gender non-confirming individual may face when admitted to hospital, such as being admitted into the wrong ward. The article uses Seedhouse’s ethical grid to critically analysis ethical decision making when admitting a transgender and/ or gender non-confirming individual into a traditional hospital ward. The article then explores language and micro aggressions and their impact on an individual’s identity and selfhood, including, inappropriate naming of wards, such as, women’s health units. The article finally highlights the need for hospitals and healthcare services need to develop transgender and gender non-confirming policies to appropriately care for this demographic.

Keywords: – Transgender, Gender Non-Confirming, Non-Binary, Healthcare, Hospital Care

I.INTRODUCTION

This Article will focus on a hypothetical case study of a pre op transgender manand/or a gender non-conforming individual admitted onto a ‘women’s health unit’ for gynaecological care. The article will explore ethical considerations regarding the case study, the impact of power and expertise, theories of identity and how they apply to the case study and lastly communication and leadership considerations. This article will focus on the experience of transgender individuals admitted to a hospital. A transgender individual is a person who does not identify as the sex they were born as (CIS Gender), this includes male to female, female to male and people who do not conform to the gender binary often known as non-binary or gender non-conforming. According to the Equality Act 2010 an individual is protected under the characteristic of gender reassignment they do not identify as their CIS gender, whether they have had gender reassignment surgery or not.

Transgender individuals often have negative experiences of healthcare, facing discrimination and healthcare staffs lack of understanding of their individual needs (Winter et al 2016, Safer 2018 and Stroumsa et al 2019). According to Carroll-Beight and Larsson (2018) 73% of Swedish transgender individuals do not access medical care. There is a need for healthcare settings such as hospitals to be more transgender inclusive. There is the need for change, this is in the care provided for transgender individuals to make it more inclusive, also, change needs to happen on a more structural level with policy reform and environmental changes needed (Carroll-Beight and Larsson 2018).

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