Gender-Affirming Care When Your Gender is Nonbinary
Gender is an experience and a whole adventure. Nonbinary people come in all shapes, sizes, and expressions. Our needs are as unique as we are. Because there is no such thing as a “typical” nonbinary person, everyone’s medical needs should be treated on an individual basis. Knowing your options will help you work with your provider to make sure you’re getting the most out of your healthcare.
If you are nonbinary, you might have questions about what “gender-affirming” healthcare looks like for you. Your gender identity might feel new to you, fluid, or temporary; it might also feel clearly defined. One of the beautiful things about the “nonbinary” gender is that it can manifest in so many different ways—as many ways as there are people. With such diversity, you deserve plenty of medical treatment options, too.
Why Do Nonbinary People Need Gender-Affirming Care?
Everyone needs gender-affirming care, no matter how they identify. Cisgender people receive gender-affirming care automatically, as part of their routine medical support. Gender-affirming care can be checking in about lifestyle changes, relationships, and other issues specific to gender. Part of gender-affirming care is having a medical provider who you feel safe and comfortable with. (For example, cisgender women are often asked if they are comfortable receiving a pelvic exam from a cisgender male doctor.) Gender-affirming care acknowledges a person’s physical, mental, and social health needs and well-being while respectfully affirming their gender identity.
For nonbinary people, “gender-affirming care” looks different than the type of care given to cisgender people. Our bodies may not always offer the clues that medical providers are trained to look for and make assumptions about. Yet, those assumptions can lead to important medical needs being overlooked; it’s also uncomfortable to get treatment from someone who isn’t paying attention to what you are really asking for.
Doctors who treat nonbinary patients often work from a place of treating risk factors, rather than making assumptions about how someone lives based on their appearance. Gender-affirming care for nonbinary people can be something as simple as including a space for pronouns on the patient intake paperwork. It can also include referring to body parts with gender neutral terms, such as “chest” instead of “breasts.” These seemingly minor accommodations add up to better healthcare and better relationships with providers.
Nonbinary Care Isn’t Always Transgender Care
We deserve respect and accommodation, whether we identify as transgender or not. While there have been some incredible developments in both medical and social acceptance, many medical care providers default to binary “cis or trans” thinking. They assume that because someone is nonbinary, they must be transgender. That isn’t always true, and we are still pushing for better representation and understanding of our community. Plume is ahead of the curve when it comes to creating inclusive, individual-centered care plans. (If you’re interested in becoming a member, you can check out what we have to offer here.)
There is a wide spectrum of medical support available to nonbinary people. Not everyone who is nonbinary wants or needs to use medication, surgery, or other treatments as part of their gender journey. Not every nonbinary person wants to use all of the options, either. The important thing is to know what your choices are. You might want to try gender-affirming hormone therapy (GAHT), experiment with chest binding, have a surgery consultation, or try other options. Within each option, you will find a spectrum of care. For example, while you might want to try GAHT, you could try “microdosing” or using a less-than-standard dose of hormone therapies like testosterone, estrogen, or an androgen blocker. Sometimes called the “nonbinary” dose, these smaller amounts of hormones create more subtle changes in your body than the full amount. You might also want to set your own pace for medical treatments, without specific goalposts in mind. Plume supports our members while they find what works for them. There is no cookie-cutter answer to what is going to help you feel comfortable, so feel free to sample, ask questions, and learn more as you grow into yourself.
Feeling supported while you try out different tools (or different genders or gender expressions!) will help you make better decisions about your wellness. You should always feel like you are heard, understood, and honored by the medical professionals helping you. At Plume, we know there are no rules about gender. You get to create the life you want to live. You get to experience the joy of loving your body. You get to be celebrated and affirmed by the people who love you.
