I’m impressed that they are taught this in their history and physical class. In an ideal world, it would be standard that people, in addition to their name, would introduce themselves or each other with their pronouns. I understand that’s not where we’re at, right now. Certain people, if you say “Hi, I’m Dr. Cole, my pronouns are she/her/hers,” they’ll give me a strange look and be like, “Why are you telling me what your pronouns are?” But I’ve noticed that with the younger generation it’s not as awkward for them as maybe it is for someone who graduated 15 years ago, like me. And I’ve been told a number of times by gender-diverse patients that they are happy when they hear someone introduce themselves that way, because it identifies them as a person who is going to be affirming and is going to take them seriously. You’re not necessarily going to know if someone is gender-diverse just by walking into the room, right? Even medical records aren’t always built in a way that allows you to acknowledge someone’s gender identity, or people may be afraid to disclose it, because of fear of discrimination. Study after study has shown that people who are LGBTQ+ often avoid getting health care because they are afraid of discrimination. So, especially working with this population, there are a lot of little things you can do, like wearing a lanyard with your pronouns on it, or putting your pronouns on your email signature. Those are small ways you can show that you are an ally. And if someone feels that they can’t do things like that, then they need to work on themself and find someone else who can, because the patient is entitled to a compassionate and affirming environment. When a patient trusts you and feels comfortable with you, it’s a much better experience for you both.
OUR CHANGING LANGUAGE Founded in 1973, PFLAG calls itself the nation’s first and largest organization for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) people, their parents and families, and allies. For a look at how language continues to evolve, here are a few examples from the PFLAG National Glossary of Terms (full list available at pflag.org/glossary) Affirmed Gender: An individual’s true gender, as opposed to their gender assigned at birth. This term should replace terms like new gender or chosen gender, which imply that an individual chooses their gender. Assigned Sex: The sex assigned to an infant at birth based on the child’s visible sex organs, including genitalia and other physical characteristics. Bisexual: Commonly referred to as bi or bi+. According to bi+ educator and advocate Robyn Ochs, the term refers to a person who acknowledges in themselves the potential to be attracted — romantically, emotionally and/or sexually — to people of more than one gender, not necessarily at the same time, in the same way, or in the same degree. The "bi" in bisexual can refer to attraction to genders similar to and different from one's own. People who identify as bisexual need not have had equal sexual or romantic experience — or equal levels of attraction — with people across genders, nor any experience at all; attraction and self-identification determines orientation. Gender-Affirming Surgery (GAS): Surgical procedures that can help people adjust their bodies to match their innate gender identity more closely. Used interchangeably with gender affirmation, gender confirmation, and gender-confirming surgery. Not every transgender person will desire or have resources for gender-affirming surgery. Use this term in place of the older term sex change. Also sometimes referred to as gender reassignment surgery, genital reconstruction surgery, or medical transition. (See Top Surgery and Bottom Surgery). Gender Nonconforming (GNC): A term for those who do not follow gender stereotypes. Often an umbrella for nonbinary genders (see TGNC). Though fairly uncommon, some people view the term as derogatory, so they may use other terms including gender expansive, differently gendered, gender creative, gender variant, genderqueer, nonbinary, agender, genderfluid, gender neutral, bigender, androgynous, or gender diverse. PFLAG National uses the term gender expansive. It is important to respect and use the terms people use for themselves, regardless of any prior associations or ideas about those terms. Gender Spectrum: The concept that gender exists beyond a simple man/woman binary model (see Gender Binary), but instead exists on a continuum. Some people fall towards more masculine or feminine aspects, some people move fluidly along the spectrum, and some exist off the spectrum entirely. LGBTQ+: An acronym that collectively refers to individuals who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer, sometimes stated as LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) or, historically, GLBT (gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender). The addition of the Q for queer is a more recently preferred version of the acronym as cultural opinions of the term queer focus increasingly on its positive, reclaimed definition (see Queer). The Q can also stand for questioning, referring to those who are still exploring their own sexuality and/or gender. The “+” represents those who are part of the community, but for whom LGBTQ does not accurately capture or reflect their identity.
NORTHEAST OHIO MEDIC AL UNIVERSITY
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