Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

From Trauma to Transformation: the Role of the Trauma Surgeon in the Care of Black Transgender Women

  • RACISM, EQUITY AND DISPARITIES IN TRAUMA (S ROGERS AND T ZAKRISON, SECTION EDITORS)
  • Published:
Current Trauma Reports Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purposeof Review

To describe 4 primary areas of trauma experienced by black transgender women, resilience demonstrated by the community, and opportunities for trauma surgeons to better serve this community.

Recent Findings

Transphobia, racism, and misogyny place black transgender women at high risk for mistreatment in the workplace, criminal legal system, and community spaces. These experiences of social exclusion and trauma facilitate social isolation and reduced engagement with necessary services, like healthcare. Furthermore, many black transgender women do not seek care due to experiences of racial and gender microaggressions. As such, it is necessary that medical professionals who engage this community provide culturally responsive care.

Summary

Black transgender women seeking care will likely present after having experienced significant social rejection as well as mental and physical traumas. Accordingly, medical professionals who engage them must be considerate of the impacts of their unique experiences when providing them care.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

Papers of particular interest, published recently, have been highlighted as: • Of importance •• Of major importance

  1. Bowleg L. The problem with the phrase women and minorities: intersectionality—an important theoretical framework for public health. Am J Public Health. 2012;102(7):1267–73.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Hunt G. Intersectionality: Locating and critiquing internal structures of oppression within feminism. Philosophy: Feminism. 2018:121–38.

  3. Krell EC. Is transmisogyny killing trans women of color? Black trans feminisms and the exigencies of white femininity. Transgender Studies Quarterly. 2017;4(2):226–42.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Arayasirikul S, Wilson EC. Spilling the T on trans-misogyny and microaggressions: an intersectional oppression and social process among trans women. J Homosex. 2019;66(10):1415–38.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Frost DM, Lehavot K, Meyer IH. Minority stress and physical health among sexual minority individuals. J Behav Med. 2015;38(1):1–8.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. James SE, Brown C, Wilson I. 2015 U.S. transgender survey: Report on the experiences of black respondents. Washington, DC and Dallas, TX: National Center for Transgender Equality, Black Trans Advocacy, & National Black Justice Coalition; 2017.

    Google Scholar 

  7. Jefferson K, Neilands TB, Sevelius J. Transgender women of color: Discrimination and depression symptoms. Ethnicity and inequalities in health and social care. 2013;6(4):121–36.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Puckett JA, Maroney MR, Wadsworth LP, Mustanski B, Newcomb ME. Coping with discrimination: the insidious effects of gender minority stigma on depression and anxiety in transgender individuals. J Clin Psychol. 2020;76(1):176–94.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. de Vries KM, Sojka CJ. Transitioning gender, transitioning race: Transgender people and multiracial positionality. Int J Transgend Health. 2022;23(1-2):97–107.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. • Bailey Trudy M. On misogynoir: citation, erasure, and plagiarism. Fem Media Stud. 2018;18(4):762–8. Explains the origins of the term misogynoir and the necessity of an intersectional understanding of the oppression black women experience.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. da Silva DT, Bouris A, Voisin D, Hotton A, Brewer R, Schneider J. Social networks moderate the syndemic effect of psychosocial and structural factors on HIV risk among young black transgender women and men who have sex with men. AIDS Behav. 2020;24(1):192–205.

    Article  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  12. Graham LF, Crissman HP, Tocco J, Hughes LA, Snow RC, Padilla MB. Interpersonal relationships and social support in transitioning narratives of black transgender women in Detroit. Int J Transgenderism. 2014;15(2):100–13.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Grant JM, Mottet LA, Tanis J, Harrison J, Herman JL, Keisling M. Injustice at every turn: A report of the National Transgender Discrimination Survey. Washington: National Center for Transgender Equality and National Gay and Lesbian Task Force; 2011.

    Google Scholar 

  14. Lacombe-Duncan A, Olawale R. Context, types, and consequences of violence across the life course: A qualitative study of the lived experiences of transgender women living with HIV. J Interpers Violence. 2022;37(5-6):2242–66.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Ezell JM, Ferreira MJ, Duncan DT, Schneider JA. The social and sexual networks of black transgender women and black men who have sex with men: results from a representative sample. Transgender health. 2018;3(1):201–9.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Stotzer RL. Gender identity and hate crimes: violence against transgender people in Los Angeles County. Sexuality Research & Social Policy. 2008;5(1):43–52.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Koken JA, Bimbi DS, Parsons JT. Experiences of familial acceptance–rejection among transwomen of color. J Fam Psychol. 2009;23(6):853.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. Metzl JM, Hansen H. Structural competency: theorizing a new medical engagement with stigma and inequality. Soc Sci Med. 2014;1(103):126–33.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Nemoto T, Bödeker B, Iwamoto M. Social support, exposure to violence and transphobia, and correlates of depression among male-to-female transgender women with a history of sex work. Am J Public Health. 2011;101(10):1980–8.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. Mizock L, Riley J, Yuen N, Woodrum TD, Sotilleo EA, Ormerod AJ. Transphobia in the workplace: a qualitative study of employment stigma. Stigma and Health. 2018;3(3):275.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Sausa LA, Keatley J, Operario D. Perceived risks and benefits of sex work among transgender women of color in San Francisco. Arch Sex Behav. 2007;36(6):768–77.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  22. Grittner AL, Walsh CA. The role of social stigma in the lives of female-identified sex workers: a scoping review. Sex Cult. 2020;24:1653–82.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Hoefinger H, Musto J, Macioti PG, Fehrenbacher AE, Mai N, Bennachie C, Giametta C. Community-based responses to negative health impacts of sexual humanitarian anti-trafficking policies and the criminalization of sex work and migration in the US. Social Sciences. 2020;9(1):1.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. Clark K, Fletcher JB, Holloway IW, Reback CJ. Structural inequities and social networks impact hormone use and misuse among transgender women in Los Angeles County. Arch Sex Behav. 2018;47(4):953–62.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  25. Nemoto T, Bödeker B, Iwamoto M, Sakata M. Practices of receptive and insertive anal sex among transgender women in relation to partner types, sociocultural factors, and background variables. AIDS Care. 2014;26(4):434–40.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  26. Crosby RA, Pitts NL. Caught between different worlds: how transgendered women may be “forced” into risky sex. J Sex Res. 2007;44(1):43–8.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  27. Van Devanter N, Duncan A, Raveis VH, Birnbaum J, Burrell-Piggott T, Siegel K. Continued sexual risk behaviour in African American and Latino male-to-female transgender adolescents living with HIV/AIDS: a case study. J AIDS Clin Res. 2011.

  28. Glick JL, Lopez A, Pollock M, Theall KP. Housing insecurity and intersecting social determinants of health among transgender people in the USA: a targeted ethnography. Int J Transgender Health. 2020;21(3):337–49.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  29. Wilson EC, Chen YH, Arayasirikul S, Fisher M, Pomart WA, Le V, Raymond HF, McFarland W. Differential HIV risk for racial/ethnic minority trans* female youths and socioeconomic disparities in housing, residential stability, and education. Am J Public Health. 2015;105(S3):e41–7.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  30. Romero AP, Goldberg SK, Vasquez LA. LGBT people and housing affordability, discrimination, and homelessness. 2020.

    Google Scholar 

  31. Golabek-Goldman S. Ban the address: combating employment discrimination against the homeless. Yale LJ. 2016;126:1788.

    Google Scholar 

  32. Kang SK, DeCelles KA, Tilcsik A, Jun S. Whitened résumés: race and self-presentation in the labor market. Adm Sci Q. 2016;61(3):469–502.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  33. Hill BJ, Rosentel K, Bak T, Silverman M, Crosby R, Salazar L, Kipke M. Exploring individual and structural factors associated with employment among young transgender women of color using a no-cost transgender legal resource center. Transgender health. 2017;2(1):29–34.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  34. Meyer IH, Flores AR, Stemple L, Romero AP, Wilson BD, Herman JL. Incarceration rates and traits of sexual minorities in the United States: National Inmate Survey, 2011–2012. Am J Public Health. 2017;107(2):267–73.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  35. Reisner SL, Bailey Z, Sevelius J. Racial/ethnic disparities in history of incarceration, experiences of victimization, and associated health indicators among transgender women in the US. Women Health. 2014;54(8):750–67.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  36. Stotzer RL. Law enforcement and criminal justice personnel interactions with transgender people in the United States: a literature review. Aggress Violent Beh. 2014;19(3):263–77.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  37. Irvine A. You can’t run from the police: developing a feminist criminology that incorporates black transgender women. Sw L Rev. 2014;44:553.

    Google Scholar 

  38. Carpenter LF, Marshall RB. Walking while trans: Profiling of transgender women by law enforcement, and the problem of proof. Wm. & Mary J. Women & L. 2017;24:5.

    Google Scholar 

  39. Graham LF. Navigating community institutions: black transgender women’s experiences in schools, the criminal justice system, and churches. Sexuality Research and Social Policy. 2014;11(4):274–87.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  40. Fields EL, Long A, Bademosi K, Granderson R, Schumacher CM, Chandran A, Kingon Y, Jennings JM. Identifying community-informed language to promote HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) in Black LGBTQ communities in Baltimore. AIDS Educ Prev. 2020;32(2):152–68.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  41. Reisner SL, Bailey Z, Sevelius J. Racial/ethnic disparities in history of incarceration, experiences of victimization, and associated health indicators among transgender women in the US. Women Health. 2014;54(8):750–67.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  42. Jenness V, Sexton L, Sumner J. Sexual victimization against transgender women in prison: consent and coercion in context. Criminology. 2019;57(4):603–31.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  43. McCauley E, Eckstrand K, Desta B, Bouvier B, Brockmann B, Brinkley-Rubinstein L. Exploring healthcare experiences for incarcerated individuals who identify as transgender in a southern jail. Transgender health. 2018;3(1):34–41.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  44. Sontag D. Transgender woman cites attacks and abuse in men’s prison. The New York Times [Internet]. 2015. Available from: https://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/06/us/ashley-diamond-transgender-inmatecites-attacks-and-abuse-in-mens-prison.html.

  45. Dewan S. Back in prison, transgender woman faces an old horror, sexual assault. The New York Times [Internet]. 2020. Available from: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/23/us/ashley-diamondtransgenderprison.html.

  46. Irvine A. We’ve had three of them: addressing the invisibility of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and gender nonconforming youths in the juvenile justice system. Colum J Gender & L. 2010;19:675.

    Google Scholar 

  47. Majd K, Marksamer J, Reyes C. Hidden injustice: Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youth in juvenile courts. Equity Project. 2009.

  48. Brown GR, McDuffie E. Health care policies addressing transgender inmates in prison systems in the United States. J Correct Health Care. 2009;15(4):280–91.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  49. Tarzwell S. The gender liens are marked with razor wire: addressing state prison policies and practices for the management of transgender prisoners. Colum Hum Rts L Rev. 2006;38:167.

    Google Scholar 

  50. Bukowski LA, Hampton MC, Escobar-Viera CG, Sang JM, Chandler CJ, Henderson E, Creasy SL, Stall RD. Intimate partner violence and depression among Black transgender women in the USA: The potential suppressive effect of perceived social support. J Urban Health. 2019;96:760–71.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  51. Salazar LF, Crosby RA, Jones J, Kota K, Hill B, Masyn KE. Contextual, experiential, and behavioral risk factors associated with HIV status: a descriptive analysis of transgender women residing in Atlanta, Georgia. Int J STD AIDS. 2017;28(11):1059–66.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  52. McCown CM, Platt LF. Violence against queer and TGNC people of color. Violence Against LGBTQ+ Persons: Research, Practice, and Advocacy. 2021:203–17.

  53. Ussher JM, Hawkey A, Perz J, Liamputtong P, Sekar J, Marjadi B, Schmied V, Dune T, Brook E. Crossing boundaries and fetishization: Experiences of sexual violence for trans women of color. J Interpers Violence. 2022;37(5–6):NP3552–84.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  54. Bukowski LA, Chandler CJ, Creasy SL, Matthews DD, Friedman MR, Stall RD. Characterizing the HIV care continuum and identifying barriers and facilitators to HIV diagnosis and viral suppression among black transgender women in the United States. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr. 2018;79(4):413.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  55. Reuter TR, Newcomb ME, Whitton SW, Mustanski B. Intimate partner violence victimization in LGBT young adults: Demographic differences and associations with health behaviors. Psychol Violence. 2017;7(1):101.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  56. Kussin-Shoptaw AL, Fletcher JB, Reback CJ. Physical and/or sexual abuse is associated with increased psychological and emotional distress among transgender women. LGBT health. 2017;4(4):268–74.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  57. Nuttbrock L, Bockting W, Rosenblum A, Hwahng S, Mason M, Macri M, Becker J. Gender abuse, depressive symptoms, and HIV and other sexually transmitted infections among male-to-female transgender persons: a three-year prospective study. Am J Public Health. 2013;103(2):300–7.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  58. Nemoto T, Operario D, Keatley J, Villegas D. Social context of HIV risk behaviours among male-to-female transgenders of colour. AIDS care. 2004;16(6):724–35.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  59. Teal JL. (2015). “Black trans bodies are under attack”: gender non-conforming homicide victims in the US 1995–2014.

  60. Wirtz AL, Poteat TC, Malik M, Glass N. Gender-based violence against transgender people in the United States: a call for research and programming. Trauma Violence Abuse. 2020;21(2):227–41.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  61. Fouché TW, Zakrison TL, Schneider JA, Kaufman EJ, Plackett TP, Velopulos C, Slidell MB, Voisin D, Hampton DA, Carmichael HE, Valdés DM. Demographic and regional factors associat ed with reporting homicides of transgender people in the United States. J Surg Res. 2022;279:72–6.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  62. Buist CL, Stone C. Transgender victims and offenders: failures of the United States criminal justice system and the necessity of queer criminology. Crit Criminol. 2014;22(1):35–47.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  63. Jackson SJ, Bailey M, Foucault WB. # GirlsLikeUs: Trans advocacy and community building online. New Media Soc. 2018;20(5):1868–88.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  64. Rosentel K, López-Martínez I, Crosby RA, Salazar LF, Hill BJ. Black transgender women and the school-to-prison pipeline: exploring the relationship between anti-trans experiences in school and adverse criminal-legal system outcomes. Sexuality Research and Social Policy. 2021;18(3):481–94.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  65. Opara I, Assan MA, Pierre K, Gunn JF III, Metzger I, Hamilton J, Arugu E. Suicide among black children: an integrated model of the interpersonal-psychological theory of suicide and intersectionality theory for researchers and clinicians. J Black Stud. 2020;51(6):611–31.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  66. Nemoto T, Cruz TM, Iwamoto M, Sakata M. A tale of two cities: access to care and services among African-American transgender women in Oakland and San Francisco. LGBT health. 2015;2(3):235–42.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  67. Reisner SL, Radix A, Deutsch MB. Integrated and gender-affirming transgender clinical care and research. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr. 2016;72(Suppl 3):S235.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  68. Lopez CM, Solomon D, Boulware SD, Christison-Lagay ER. Trends in the use of puberty blockers among transgender children in the United States. J Pediatr Endocrinol Metab. 2018;31(6):665–70.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  69. Becasen JS, Denard CL, Mullins MM, Higa DH, Sipe TA. Estimating the prevalence of HIV and sexual behaviors among the US transgender population: a systematic review and meta-analysis, 2006–2017. Am J Public Health. 2019;109(1):e1–8.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  70. Wesson P, Vittinghoff E, Turner C, Arayasirikul S, McFarland W, Wilson E. Intercategorical and intracategorical experiences of discrimination and HIV prevalence among transgender women in San Francisco, CA: a quantitative intersectionality analysis. Am J Public Health. 2021;111(3):446–56.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  71. Johnson AH, Hill I, Beach-Ferrara J, Rogers BA, Bradford A. Common barriers to healthcare for transgender people in the US Southeast. Int J Transgender Health. 2020;21(1):70–8.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  72. Washington HA. Medical apartheid: The dark history of medical experimentation on Black Americans from colonial times to the present: Doubleday Books; 2006.

    Google Scholar 

  73. Adams B, Krier S, Netto J, Feliz N, Friedman MR. “All we had were the streets”: lessons learned from a recreation-based community health space for young black MSM and trans women across the HIV prevention and care continuum. AIDS Educ Prev. 2018;30(4):309–21.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  74. Hines DD, Laury ER, Habermann B. They just don’t get me: a qualitative analysis of transgender women’s health care experiences and clinician interactions. J Assoc Nurses AIDS Care. 2019;30(5): e82.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  75. Denson DJ, Padgett PM, Pitts N, Paz-Bailey G, Bingham T, Carlos JA, McCann P, Prachand N, Risser J, Finlayson T. Health care use and HIV-related behaviors of black and Latina transgender women in 3 US metropolitan areas: Results from the transgender HIV behavioral survey. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr. 2017;75(Suppl 3):S268.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  76. Wilson EC, Arayasirikul S, Johnson K. Access to HIV care and support services for African American transwomen living with HIV. Int J Transgenderism. 2013;14(4):182–95.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  77. Follins LD, Walker JNJ, Lewis MK. Resilience in black lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals: a critical review of the literature. J Gay Lesbian Ment Health. 2014;18(2):190–212.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  78. Luthar SS, Cicchetti D, Becker B. Research on resilience: response to commentaries. Child Dev. 2000;71(3):573–5.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  79. Masten AS. Resilience in individual development: successful adaptation despite risk and adversity. In: Wang WC, Gordon EW, editors. Educational resilience in inner-city America: Challenges and prospects. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum; 1994. p. 3–25.

    Google Scholar 

  80. Yates TM, Masten AS. Fostering the future: resilience theory and the practice of positive psychology. In: Linley P, Joseph S, editors. Positive psychology in practice. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley & Sons; 2004. p. 521–39.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  81. Abramson DM, Grattan LM, Mayer B, Colten CE, Arosemena FA, Bedimo-Rung A, Lichtveld M. The resilience activation framework: a conceptual model of how access to social resources promotes adaptation and rapid recovery in post-disaster settings. J Behav Health Serv Res. 2015;42(1):42–57. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11414-014-9410-2.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  82. Hailey J, Burton W, Arscott J. We are family: chosen and created families as a protective factor against racialized trauma and anti-LGBTQ oppression among African American sexual and gender minority youth. J GLBT Fam Stud. 2020;16(2):176–91.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  83. Bowling J, Baldwin A, Schnarrs PW. Influences of health care access on resilience building among transgender and gender non-binary individuals. Int J Transgenderism. 2019;20(2–3):205–17.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  84. Arnold EA, Sterrett-Hong E, Jonas A, Pollack LM. Social networks and social support among ball-attending African American men who have sex with men and transgender women are associated with HIV-related outcomes. Glob Public Health. 2018;13(2):144–58.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  85. Wong JO, Benjamin M, Arnold EA. ‘I want the heart of fierceness to arise within us’: maintaining public space to promote HIV-related health with House Ball Community members in an era of gentrification. Cult Health Sex. 2020;22(4):444–58.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  86. Murrill CS, Liu KL, Guilin V, Colón ER, Dean L, Buckley LA, Sanchez T, Finlayson TJ, Torian LV. HIV prevalence and associated risk behaviors in New York City’s house ball community. Am J Public Health. 2008;98(6):1074–80.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  87. •• Harper GW, LaBoy R, Castillo M, Johnson GL, Hosek SG, Jadwin-Cakmak L. It’sa Kiki!: Developmental benefits of the Kiki scene for Black gay/bisexual/transgender adolescents/emerging adults. J LGBT Youth. 2022;19(1):31–52. Explores the multiple benefits of engaging in the House Ball Community identified by younger Black gay/bi/trans emerging adults.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  88. Singh AA. Transgender youth of color and resilience: negotiating oppression and finding support. Sex Roles. 2013;68(11):690–702.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  89. Bockting W, Barucco R, LeBlanc A, Singh A, Mellman W, Dolezal C, Ehrhardt A. Sociopolitical change and transgender people’s perceptions of vulnerability and resilience. Sexuality Research and Social Policy. 2020;17(1):162–74.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  90. Price SF, Puckett J, Mocarski R. The impact of the 2016 US presidential elections on transgender and gender diverse people. Sex Res Soc Policy. 2021;18:1094–103.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  91. Wilson EC, Turner C, Arayasirikul S, Woods T, Nguyen T, Lin R, Iwamoto M. Housing and income effects on HIV-related health outcomes in the San Francisco Bay Area–findings from the SPNS transwomen of color initiative. AIDS Care. 2018;30(11):1356–9.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  92. Chen EC, Boyd DM, Cunningham CA. Demarginalizing stigmatized identities of transgender and gender nonconforming individuals through affirmative group therapy. Int J Group Psychother. 2020;70(4):552–78.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  93. Adams NJ, Vincent B. Suicidal thoughts and behaviors among transgender adults in relation to education, ethnicity, and income: a systematic review. Transgender health. 2019;4(1):226–46.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  94. • Gibson AW, Gobillot TA, Wang K, Conley E, Coard W, Matsumoto K, Letourneau H, Patel S, Merel SE, Sairenji T, Whipple ME, Ryan MR, Morales LS, Heinen C. A Novel Curriculum for medical student training in LGBTQ healthcare: a regional pathway experience. J Med Educ Curric Dev. 2020;26(7):2382120520965254. Describes a curriculum for preparing medical students to attend to the diverse needs of LGBTQ patients.

    Google Scholar 

  95. Mulkey N. Pronouns and advocacy in medicine. AMA J Ethics. 2020;22(3):E255-259. https://doi.org/10.1001/amajethics.2020.255. (PMID: 32220274).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  96. Hyderi A, Angel J, Madison M, Perry LA, Hagshenas L. Transgender patients: providing sensitive care. J Fam Pract. 2016;65(7):450–61 (PMID: 27565098).

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  97. Underman K, Giffort D, Hyderi A, Hirshfield LE. Transgender health: a standardized patient case for advanced clerkship students. MedEdPortal. 2016;23(12):10518.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  98. Silverberg R, Averkiou P, Servoss J, Eyez M, Martinez LC. Training preclerkship medical students on history taking in transgender and gender nonconforming patients. Transgender Health. 2021;6(6):374–9.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  99. Butler M, McCreedy E, Schwer N, Burgess D, Call K, Przedworski J, Rosser S, Larson S, Allen M, Fu S, Kane RL. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender populations. In: Improving cultural competence to reduce health disparities [Internet]: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (US); 2016.

    Google Scholar 

  100. Horwitz RI, Hayes-Conroy A, Caricchio R, Singer BH. From evidence based medicine to medicine based evidence. Am J Med. 2017;130(11):1246–50. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amjmed.2017.06.012. (Epub 2017 Jul 12 PMID: 28711551).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  101. •• Klein DA, Paradise SL, Goodwin ET. Caring for transgender and gender-diverse persons: what clinicians should know. Am Fam Physician. 2018;98(11):645–53. Identifies important vocabulary for engaging gender diverse patients and provides clinical recommendations for best practices.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  102. Dubin SN, Nolan IT, Streed CG Jr, Greene RE, Radix AE, Morrison SD. Transgender health care: improving medical students’ and residents’ training and awareness. Adv Med Educ Pract. 2018;21(9):377–91. https://doi.org/10.2147/AMEP.S147183.PMID:29849472;PMCID:PMC5967378.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  103. Coleman E, Radix AE, Bouman WP, Brown GR, De Vries AL, Deutsch MB, Ettner R, Fraser L, Goodman M, Green J, Hancock AB. Standards of care for the health of transgender and gender diverse people, version 8. Int J Transgend Health. 2022;23(sup1):S1–259.

    Article  CAS  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  104. UCSF Gender Affirming Health Program, Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of California San Francisco. Guidelines for the primary and gender-affirming care of transgender and gender nonbinary people; 2nd edition. Deutsch MB, editor. June 2016. Available at transcare.ucsf.edu/guidelines.

  105. Morrison SD, Wilson SC, Smith JR. Are we adequately preparing our trainees to care for transgender patients? J Grad Med Educ. 2017;9(2):258. https://doi.org/10.4300/JGME-D-16-00712.1.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  106. Noonan EJ, Sawning S, Combs R, Weingartner LA, Martin LJ, Jones VF, Holthouser A. Engaging the transgender community to improve medical education and prioritize healthcare initiatives. Teach Learn Med. 2018;30(2):119–32. https://doi.org/10.1080/10401334.2017.1365718.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Chicago, 1525 E 55Th Street, Suite 205, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA

    Darnell N. Motley, Jade Pagkas-Bather, Alida Bouris & John Schneider

  2. Population Health Innovation Lab, Chicago, USA

    Peter Forberg

Authors
  1. Darnell N. Motley
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Peter Forberg
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Jade Pagkas-Bather
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Alida Bouris
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. John Schneider
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Darnell N. Motley.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare no competing interests.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

This article is part of the Topical Collection on Racism, Equity, and Disparities in Trauma

Rights and permissions

Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Motley, D.N., Forberg, P., Pagkas-Bather, J. et al. From Trauma to Transformation: the Role of the Trauma Surgeon in the Care of Black Transgender Women. Curr Trauma Rep 9, 66–75 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40719-023-00254-8

Download citation

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40719-023-00254-8

Keywords

Search

Navigation