How to Welcome and Care for Gender-Diverse Patients

“Displaying our pronouns may be a message that you provide a safe space, but you still have to practice engaged allyship,” Dr. Rosengren said.

Taking a sexual history is important to diagnosis and can help you be a better doctor, but it requires a direct approach with clear language, she said. Some patients, might, for example, not consider oral sex as “having sex,” and “sexual partner” might mean different things to different people.

“When I take a sexual history, I use language that almost anyone can understand,” she said. This includes clear, direct questions, such as, “Do you use your mouth or use your bottom?”

“You can feel uncomfortable at first, but you really will get better at it,” said Dr. Rosengren. “And you will take an excellent and very inclusive sexual history if you use this explicit language.”

Dr. Rosengren said that when clinicians make an effort, they will find the care satisfying. “It’s really a pleasure to care for these individuals and to be on their healthcare journey with them,” she said.

Thomas Collins is a freelance medical writer based in Florida.