Blog written by Danielle Maurici-Pollock, Laura Hall, and Varina Kosovich.
March 31st is Transgender Day of Visibility, a time to celebrate the trans community, their resilience, and their accomplishments. It is also an opportunity to recognize the ongoing advocacy needed to ensure equity, dignity, and access to healthcare. You belong, and you matter today and every day.
This year, our transgender family, friends, and neighbors continue to face threats to their rights, safety, and well-being, often fueled by harmful rhetoric and misinformation. As the UNM Health Sciences Center Library & Informatics Center, we aim to provide accurate information about healthcare for transgender patients, including gender-affirming care, and amplify the voices of transgender individuals who have benefitted from this often life-saving care.
While gender-affirming care is protected in New Mexico, we acknowledge the struggles to access healthcare due to provider shortages and systemic barriers. Transgender folks routinely encounter these barriers and discrimination when seeking any type of healthcare, making it essential for all providers to be informed about transgender care and lived experiences. Combating misinformation—particularly from unreliable sources—is crucial. Equally important is sharing stories of the joy and empowerment that can come from receiving gender-affirming care.
Below find first-person narratives from transgender folks as well as health resources for patients and providers from New Mexico and beyond.
Trans Stories
What Trans Youth Want You to Know: An article from ACLU New Mexico. Three kids discuss their lives, experiences, and perspectives on life in the trans community.
UCLA Health Patient Stories: read stories about gender-affirming care from Chloe, Alice, Dany, and Darius.
What Trans People Want Healthcare Professionals to Know: A video from the PBS series Vitals. Dr. Alok Patel and registered nurse Sheena Williams answer questions from trans, nonbinary, and gender nonconforming folks.
Unapologetically Myself: Listen to Lucas Segal, a trans man living in Arkansas, share his experiences with transitioning, growing up trans in a small town, and receiving gender-affirming care. An interview with the Human Rights Campaign.
Experiences, Challenges, and Hopes of Trans and Nonbinary US Adults: Findings from 2022 Pew Research Center focus groups that include topics of navigating gender day-to-day, seeking medical care for gender transitions, policy and social change, and more.
Southern Story Bank: A GLAAD video series that focus on LGBTQ+ Southerners living in states without anti-discrimination laws. Hear narratives from Quentin Bell, Dee Dee Watters, Jasmine Davis, and more.
Resources
Transgender Resource Center of New Mexico: Includes a provider directory, information about Casa Lola, their transitional housing program, and the organization's drop-in center.
NM Gender Affirming Care ECHO Program: this program will build the knowledge and capacity of those in health care settings to increase access for patients, as well as to make it clear that access to health care for all is valued and protected here in New Mexico.
Gender-Affirming Health Care in NM: Information about ACLU of NM about getting gender-affirming care in the state, including protections, what to expect if you are traveling from out of state to receive care, and a FAQ section.
Transgender Resources & Clinician Resources: Guidance from Johns Hopkins Center for Transgender and Gender Expansive Health. For patients, find information for parents of LGBTQ youth, information about gender affirmation services, and crisis resources. For providers find guidelines for care, information on making patients feel welcome, and clinical resources.
Learning Resources-Transgender Health: A wide variety of clinical resources from the National LGBTQIA+ Health Education Center. Topics include behavioral health, intersex health, information on caring for LGBTQIA+ patients of all ages, and more.
World Professional Association for Transgender Health: A non-profit organization devoted to transgender health. Promotes evidence based care, education, research, public policy, and respect in transgender health.
Medical Association Statements in Support of Health Care for Transgender People and Youth: From GLAAD. Collects statements from the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Medical Association, among many others.
If you would like to support our trans community in New Mexico or help a family move, consider donating to the following organizations: