Denied Dignity: An Intersectional Exploration of Doctor Harassment Against Transgender Women

Transgender people of color experience increased rates of harassment and violence in healthcare settings compared to their White counterparts. While these inequities are well established, limited research has evaluated the intersectional impact of both race/ethnicity and gender on healthcare experiences for transgender women. A series of logistic regression analyses were conducted to explore the association between race/ethnicity and the likelihood of experiencing verbal and/or physical harassment. Results indicate American Indian/Alaska Native, Latino/Hispanic, and Black/African American transgender women experience significantly higher rates of both physical and verbal harassment relative to their White peers. A total of 28.1% American Indian/Alaskan Native, 4.6% Asian/NH/PI, 17.4% Biracial/Multiracial, 24.4% Black/African American, 28.4% Latino/Hispanic, and 8.8% White transgender women reported harassment from doctors in the past year. The present study highlights the urgent need for reform to eliminate violence and harassment against transgender people in healthcare settings.