Speaker:

Annie DeRolf, OTD, OTR

Description:

This course discusses sex and gender terminology, the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) standards and options of gender affirming care, occupational therapy’s role in healthcare for trans and non-binary identities, and organizational strategies related to creating LGBTQIA+ affirming healthcare environments.

Key Assumptions:

• Neither sex nor gender are binary.
• Being transgender or gender diverse (TGD) “is a matter of diversity, not pathology” (WPATH, 2012).
• Stigma attached to gender diversity can lead to prejudice and discrimination, even in healthcare settings, which contributes to “minority stress” and other disparities (WPATH, 2012; Meyer, 2003).
• Gender nonconformity ≠ gender dysphoria (WPATH, 2012).
• Hormone therapy and surgery are medically necessary to alleviate gender dysphoria in many people (WPATH, 2012; AMA, 2008; Anton, 2009; WPATH, 2008).

Course Objectives:

• Recognize essential differences between sex and gender.
• Discuss current standards of care for the health of transgender and gender diverse (TGD) people according to The World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH).
• Examine the role of occupational therapists in supporting health and wellbeing for TGD people.
• Identify organizational strategies for creating LGBTQIA+ affirming healthcare environments.