You can't be too many things: the experiences of gender-affirming care for trans people of color - a thematic analysis.

Barriers to healthcare and negative healthcare experiences are frequently reported by transgender people, which is known to be compounded by intersectional issues including racism. The present study aimed to explore the experiences of trans people of color accessing a national Gender Service in the United Kingdom, to better understand the facilitators and barriers to positive healthcare experiences. Six transgender people of color attended two separate focus groups. Thematic analysis was used to identify themes in the data. Three themes were identified: and Participants talked of various ways in which their ethnicity and cultural backgrounds raised apprehensions and negative experiences within their gender-related care, such as assumptions being made about their transition process, and a general lack of visibility such as not seeing examples of the outcomes of surgeries and in community spaces. The findings are discussed in relation to previous research, noting that culturally-inclusive models of transition, increased access to diverse, inclusive community spaces and further research in this field is needed to improve healthcare experiences.