Transgender microaggressions in health care across South Africa: A deductive content analysis

Introduction: For transgender and gender-diverse (TGD) persons, encounters with healthcare providers can be harmful and can compromise medical outcomes. This harm, which is not always overt and direct in these interpersonal relations, can be conceptualized as microaggressions. Aim: This study explored TGD persons’ accounts of microaggressions in healthcare settings. Methods: Unstructured interviews were conducted with TGD participants who had experienced harm in healthcare settings in South Africa. Deductive analysis was used. Findings: Ten of the 12 taxonomy’s themes were present. Offensive terminology, prominent amongst the themes, was directed at persons with (trans) feminine expression or nonbinary presentations. Conclusions: We propose ‘Conflation of Trans Identification With Sexual Orientation’ be added to the taxonomy to make one of the categories less overinclusive and improve on the taxonomy’s contextual transferability.