Trans* and gender diverse populations are a significantly oppressed minority. With no legal protections at a state or federal level, discrimination is often all too real for most individuals outside of the cisgender binaries. Frequently, trans* individuals are denied equal access to healthcare and may also lack culturally competent healthcare. This is especially true in rural environments. In fact, living in a rural environment affects many aspects of quality of life for transgender people.
Unfortunately, rural states like Montana have very little information about their trans* and gender diverse communities. For this reason, with support from the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services, researchers in the Community Health program at the University of Montana partnered with the director of the Gender Expansion Project in early 2013 to develop a comprehensive needs assessment.
The overall goal of the assessment was to give voice to individuals in the trans* community and ultimately provide an accurate portrayal of the lives of trans* and gender diverse Montanans. A second goal was to begin the process of gathering accurate data related to current HIV and STD transmission risk factors. The findings presented represent the results of the first phase of a research study using interviews and Photovoice methodologies to explore the contextual factors that influence transgender individuals’ quality of life and risk of HIV infection.
Following attendance of the 2015 Gender Expansion Conference, attendees will be able to:
1. Identify strategies for creating a welcoming environment for gender diverse individuals
2. Report on best practices for masculinizing and feminizing medical treatment recommendations for adults and youth
3. Describe the development of gender identity in the context of adolescent development
4. Discuss risks and benefits of available options for gender affirming surgeries
5. Describe principles of harm reduction in relationship to gender affirming medical and surgical treatments.
6. Explain co-management of pre and post-surgical care for transgender patients by surgeon and primary care providers
