People who identify as transgender have a higher risk of mental health issues, often due to the stress caused by high rates of discrimination, stigma, abuse and other trauma.
As part of Wyandot's ongoing dedication to trauma-informed care, we have been taking steps to ensure that we treat the transgender people we serve in the most compassionate and affirming way possible. Part of this is acknowledging their preferred name and pronouns.
Using a transgender individual's former name (the one assigned at birth that no longer aligns with their gender) and incorrect pronouns can be traumatic on the person. Known as "misgendering" referring to a person with the incorrect name and pronoun is not only disrespectful, it can can cause stress and feelings of being stigmatized.
Unfortunately, it can be very easy to accidentaly misgender someone, especially if you are a health provider reviewing medical records. These records will often display their former name and pronouns in notes - especially if their former name is still their legal name.
In order to prevent accidentally using the incorrect name and pronoun, we have updated our digital medical chart form to display an "also known as" field next to a client's legal name. This gives our providers clear information on how to address the transgender people we serve in a trans-affirmative way.
Wyandot has an active Transgender and Gender Non-conforming (TGNC) work group at our adult facility, and a LGBTQIA+ (Lesbain, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer or Questioning, Intersex, Asexual, and others) work group at our child and adolescent facility. These groups, made up of Wyandot staff, help inform policies and procedures and give support to providers who are working with transgender clients.