Transgender, Genderqueer and Non-Binary Identities: Social and Structural Inequalities in Public Health

Whilst there have been advances in policy and practice, transgender and genderqueer (TGD) populations continue to experience health inequalities, often deriving from a misunderstanding or generalisation of TGD needs. TGD people, for example, those who are not cisgender, are often grouped with gay, lesbian, and bisexual individuals. This intersection of gender and sexual orientation is problematic as the emphasis often focuses on sexual orientation, leaving challenges faced by TGD people to be poorly understood. The dearth of empirical evidence about TGD healthcare facilitates such generalisations, meaning the impact for the individual needs a more detailed analysis. These knowledge gaps further perpetuate stigma and discrimination. This stigma is central to health outcomes and is a key driver of HIV disparities within TGD populations, highlighting the need for better knowledge about lived experience to improve services. This chapter recognises that transgender individuals are more likely to have multiple chronic conditions than their cisgender peers and discusses the inequalities that link interventions and outcomes for TGD individuals.