Special Considerations for Brazilian Transgender Patients in the United States: A Commentary

Despite facing many social and structural challenges inside and outside of health systems, transgender and gender diverse (TGD) Brazilian immigrants in the U.S. are understudied, and their barriers to care are largely unnamed. In this commentary, we build on existing literature and our experiences at a safety-net community health system that sees a high volume of Brazilian patients to discuss challenges facing TGD Brazilian immigrant populations. We highlight that while Brazilian TGD populations face discrimination in Brazil, major challenges persist upon immigrating to the U.S., and include: difficulty updating identity documents and changing immigration status, barriers seeking general and specialized health care (including finding bilingual and bicultural providers), challenges navigating complex health and insurance systems, and a lack of community supports. We end by recommending more coordinated efforts between health care and community organizations to help ensure the health and wellness of TGD Brazilian immigrants in the United States.