“Trans* Broken Arm Syndrome”: How Advertisers and HCPs Can Heal the Cracks in Trans* Healthcare Knowledge
Written by: Jo O’Gorman, Senior Digital Analyst (they/them)
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Important note: In this article, I will be using the term “trans*” to encompass all the different types of non-cisgender identities (transgender, non-binary, genderqueer, genderfluid, and many others).
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Picture this: A transgender woman walks into a doctor’s office with severe migraines. She’s there to find out what the cause of these migraines is and to get treated for them. Her doctor tells her that her migraines are “probably a side effect of her HRT1,” a common medical regimen for trans-feminine folks. She then goes through several other doctors, plus several years without a diagnosis, and it takes a move to another city for a doctor to finally investigate and treat her migraine problem. Surprise, surprise: It wasn’t caused by her HRT.
This is a real story, and is referenced in one of the first web articles written about “Trans Broken Arm Syndrome.” “Trans Broken Arm Syndrome” refers to the phenomenon where a trans* person could walk into a doctor’s office with something as severe as a broken arm, and the doctor will attribute the problem to something regarding their trans*-ness (hormones, surgery, etc.). Or, the doctor may focus on their gender identity for far too long, taking up valuable time that should be used to treat their condition—a condition that often has nothing to do with their gender identity.
Unfortunately, this a common experience for many trans* folks, and is caused by either a lack of education on the part of HCPs, or just outright transphobia. Either way, it means that trans* folks are being quickly cycled out of doctor’s offices and not getting the care they need, whether it be physical healthcare or mental healthcare. And of course, since I am an analyst by trade, I have the stats on this. I conducted medical discrimination social media research, and found that of 39 social media posts by trans* people detailing medical discrimination, 25% reported that this discrimination was due to lack of HCP knowledge about trans* health.
The Center for American Progress also did a study on this topic in 2021, and found even more disappointing reports:
“Nearly 1 in 2 transgender respondents, including 68 percent of transgender respondents of color, reported experiencing some form of discrimination or mistreatment at the hands of a health provider in the year prior to CAP’s survey, including care refusal, misgendering, and verbal or physical abuse” and
“1 in 3 transgender respondents reported having to teach their doctor about transgender people in order to receive appropriate care in the year prior to CAP’s survey
Trans* folks should not be turned away from a doctor’s appointment, nor should they have to endure abuse, misgendering, gaslighting, or unnecessary questions in order to receive adequate care. Furthermore, they should not have to educate their doctors on their community in order to be treated properly.
So what can we, as an agency and as professionals who are communicating with doctors, do about this? We heal the cracks. We educate ourselves on what trans* healthcare looks like. We advocate to make sure that research and campaigns are inclusive of the trans* experience. And then, we are primed to pass on this knowledge to the HCPs we target, making sure we’re playing as active of a role as possible in them not turning away a trans* patient.
A broken arm is a broken arm, regardless of your gender identity. Let’s heal it just the same.
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At Razorfish Health, we know what it takes to navigate the modern health care landscape. If you want to fuel your knowledge, please reach out to Delia.Pavlichko@razorfishhealth.com. We’re interested in hearing your perspective as well as your thoughts on upcoming communication challenges and opportunities.
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Glossary:
1. HRT – Hormone replacement therapy, a medical regimen that trans* folks can go through in order to block testosterone and increase estrogen. This allows for their bodies to appear more “feminine,” and to align with more closely to their gender identity. A similar process can happen if a trans* person takes testosterone. This will make their bodies appear more “masculine,” and again, allow for their bodies to align with more closely to their gender identity.
2. Transfeminine – an umbrella term that refers to people who were assigned male at birth, but identify with femininity as part of their gender identity.