What questions to ask?

In providing care for trans people, clinicians often want to learn more about them, their bodies, and their life experience in order to provide the best care possible.

However, that questioning can inadvertently cross the line from being necessary, to being about one’s own personal interest or professional development. This is called ‘inappropriate curiosity’.

Researchers have defined inappropriate curiosity as when trans people are “asked intrusive questions about their personal lives and subjected to invasive physical examinations. Participants felt that these were irrelevant to why they had sought out medical care, and that their only purpose was to satisfy the personal interest of the healthcare practitioner1.”

Almost half of all trans and gender diverse people have reported experiencing inappropriate curiosity:

Adam Shepard writes for the BMJOpinion about recognising and reducing inappropriate curiosity:

If you provide care to trans people and want to avoid being inappropriately curious, then ask yourself: Why do I need to know this? If the answer is that it will impact the care that you will give, go ahead and ask the question or do the investigation. If you’re not sure why, then perhaps it’s better that you don’t.1

It can be reassuring for your patient to know not only what will happen, but what they won’t have to go through.

Physical examinations that are not absolutely necessary for medical purposes cannot be justified and can be considered sexual assault. Should an examination be necessary, explaining to a patient what is and isn’t required may ensure they are more comfortable and less anxious about the procedure.

Making a collaborative plan about the timing of difficult examinations or procedures can also build trust and improved engagement, including providing the option to re-book the examination to allow them time to prepare.