In the 2022 U.S. Transgender Survey, nearly half (47%) of respondents who saw a healthcare provider in the past year had at least one negative experience, such as being refused care, verbally harassed, or physically or sexually assaulted in a healthcare setting. Nearly one in four (24%) avoided healthcare in the past year because they feared being mistreated as a trans person.[i] (Rastogi et al., 2025).
“Flat out, I don’t go to medical providers really anymore. I don’t send people to medical providers, when they’re queer or trans or have some sort of disability or basically anything that would marginalize them as a part of their story and their lived experience. It’s just not safe. It’s not. Sometimes it’s not helpful at all and it’s more harmful.” – Trans person in FORGE Listening Session[ii]
The combined negative experiences of individuals and communities create distrust of providers and a perception of healthcare as not a place of help but as a place of potential harm. Many trans people report that aside from accessing trans-related healthcare, they typically avoid healthcare except in emergencies.
Further, trans/nonbinary people face barriers to accessing healthcare due to lack of health insurance or affirming identification, financial barriers, transportation difficulties, and a lack of providers in their area. Trans people may also be worried about their privacy, related both to their gender and any healthcare needs that they have.
Due to these barriers, some trans people have more complex medical concerns, because they have not had consistent access to primary and preventative healthcare for some time.
Ways to address healthcare barriers
- Acknowledge past harms.
- “I know that many people have had negative experiences getting healthcare before. I want this to be as comfortable and safe for you as possible. I’m glad you came in today. I am here to help provide care to you. You are in control of what happens here today.”
- Take time to be welcoming.
- Ensure that all staff are trained to use gender-inclusive language and the correct names and pronouns for everyone.
- Address privacy concerns.
- Let patients know how their information will be stored, who will have access to it, and how it will be shared.
[i] Rastogi, A., Menard, L., Miller, G. H., Cole, W., Laurison, D., Caballero, J., Murano-Kinney, S., & Heng-Lehtinen, R. (2025). Health and wellbeing: A report of the 2022 U.S. Transgender Survey. Advocates for Trans Equality. https://transequality.org/sites/default/files/2025-06/USTS_2022Health&WellbeingReport_WEB.pdf
[ii] FORGE. “Trans Survivor Toolkit Listening Sessions.” FORGE, 13 November 2023.