Here’s Why Transgender Families Need To Be Included In Maternal Health Conversations [Op-Ed]

Too many healthcare settings continue to operate under heteronormative assumptions that fundamentally exclude queer, trans, and gender-expansive Black people from the important conversation around perinatal health. Specifically, Black transgender and nonbinary/gender-expansive people who are pregnant or seeking to become parents run into shock and surprise from providers who are ill-equipped to provide them care. In some cases, they run into outright discrimination and refusal of care. 

The core issue is that gestational healthcare systems were built exclusively around cisgender women’s experiences, leaving transgender and non-binary pregnant people to navigate systems that range from unwelcoming to actively hostile. Providers must be thoroughly educated on considerations for pregnant people who are transgender and nonbinary in order to create an affirming environment for perinatal care. Creating truly inclusive maternal and gestational healthcare requires fundamentally reimagining how these services are structured and delivered. 

Gestational healthcare is saturated with terms like mother, women’s health, and she, which can be deeply dysphoric for transgender men and nonbinary people. These experiences include being repeatedly referred to with incorrect pronouns by providers and staff and being required to sign documentation that lacks language or options that accurately represent their identities. This forces the group to receive perinatal care in non-affirming environments, which can impact the efficacy of the care. 

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