Stuff Digital Edition

Healthcare worker hopes to help others

Hanna McCallum

Not once did Sam Tabak hear the words ‘‘transgender’’ or ‘‘nonbinary’’ used throughout their degree in nursing.

The 21-year-old is a healthcare worker and remembers feeling ‘‘crippling vulnerable’’ when they had to discuss their sexual health with a GP, when they had not yet come out as non-binary before their second year at university.

‘‘If I remember how vulnerable I was at that time, I hold onto that in my practice and I cannot wait to be that person for someone else . . . to thrive and do better [to] meet the needs of queer people, trans people and non-binary individuals,’’ they said.

Tabak was one of 180 attendees at a transgender health training day yesterday, run online by the Professional Association for Transgender Health Aotearoa (Patha).

This weekend it is holding a second national symposium to address transgender health and gender affirming healthcare, attracting more than 300 delegates.

The event was meant to be held at Christchurch’s Tu¯ ranga central library but was transformed into being an entirely virtual event because of Covid-19.

Patha was established in 2019 after the first transgender health symposium was held at the University of Waikato that year.

It has more than 170 members who work professionally for transgender health in clinical, academic, community, legal and other settings.

It aims to promote the health, wellbeing and rights of transgender people.

Patha president Dr Jaimie Veale said the event aimed to highlight the steps needed to improve general health outcomes for Aotearoa’s transgender population, which includes binary and non-binary transgender people.

‘‘Local research shows that many transgender people avoid health services because they fear discrimination or lack of respect,’’ Veale said.

The symposium also includes a training workshop specifically for, and led by, general practitioners with a focus on prescribing gender affirming hormones and supporting transgender patients.

‘‘Trans people, takata¯ pui people, intersex people exist, and these communities have really diverse needs and different needs from cis people (those whose gender identity matches their sex assigned at birth),’’ Patha symposium coordinator Kerry Donovan Brown said.

‘‘It’s about addressing those needs and supporting difference and diversity in our communities, just like you’d do for any other part of the community who have diverse needs.’’

Keynote speakers at the symposium include reconstructive and plastic surgeon Dr Rita Yang, takata¯ pui scholar, activist, and Green Party MP Dr Elizabeth Kerekere, and Sydney-based community health director Teddy Cook.

News

en-nz

2021-09-25T07:00:00.0000000Z

2021-09-25T07:00:00.0000000Z

https://fairfaxmedia.pressreader.com/article/281659668188740

Stuff Limited