- WELL • BEINGS • NEWS
- Posts
- What Do Trans People Really Want from Providers?
What Do Trans People Really Want from Providers?
Transgender healthcare cultural competency is about so much more than pronouns—it’s about celebrating our joy, our stories, and our full humanity.
BJ Ferguson
June 28, 2025
As Pride Month winds to a close, I’ve been thinking a lot about what true allyship really looks like in spaces where it matters most, like healthcare. This week’s feature dives into what trans and nonbinary people are really asking for from providers. You might be surprised—it isn’t perfection, but presence that seems to matter most.
Speaking of presence, I just wanted to give you all a quick and heartfelt thank you: we just passed 150 subscribers, which is 50% more than I hoped for in our very first month! I’m seriously grateful for each of you showing up, reading, sharing, and supporting this newsletter.
More queer trans stories, more queer trans voices, and a lot more growth to come. Stay here, stay queer, and stay tuned!
When providers talk about cultural competency, they often focus on checking boxes—pronouns, policies, paperwork—but being technically proficient is not the same as being culturally competent. For trans people navigating healthcare systems, true competency shows up in how providers make us feel: whether we’re treated as a burden to manage or a human being on a journey worth celebrating.
Sociologist Dr. Apoorva Ghosh, in Cultural Competence in Transgender Healthcare, defines cultural competence as, “having the knowledge, skills, and attitude to meet patients where they are and provide care that respects their unique identities and experiences.” While continuing education on the subject tends to place a great deal of emphasis on knowledge and skills, both patients and providers I spoke to believe that too little focus is given to the third aspect: attitude. And it is in attitude that real allies for transgender healthcare shine.
Reply