Banners and ANMF (Vic Branch) staff at the 2023 Pride March
‘There is a shift happening – that is quite threatening to the way we carry out care – when people start to think: you don’t deserve my respect because I don’t agree with you. What’s that going to do to the care you deliver?’
Mel Carron, a trans non-binary enrolled nurse whose pronouns are they/them, has experienced significant homophobic and transphobic discrimination and abuse throughout their career – from patients, from family members, and from colleagues. ‘You name it, I’ve experienced it,’ they say.
The examples they give range from heartbreaking to horrifying, and they are far from unique. These types of experiences also impact patients. Recent research from TRANSform indicates that one in two trans and gender-diverse people has experienced trans-related discrimination by a healthcare professional and one in three has delayed seeking healthcare due to anticipated trans-related discrimination.
‘If one in two trans and gender-diverse patients experience discrimination, it probably flows through that a very high proportion of staff are also experiencing discrimination.’ – Mel Carron
Enrolled nurse Mel Carron. Photo: supplied
Trans nurses’ experiences invisible
Now in its sixth year, TRANSform is Australia’s largest and longest-running trans adult health study. Led by trans researchers at the University of Melbourne’s Department of Medicine, the study launched in May 2020 with the aim of providing robust evidence to improve the health and wellbeing of trans and gender-diverse communities.
‘It’s a pretty shocking stat,’ says Mel, referring to the TRANSform findings. ‘But it’s data. There’s virtually nothing, however, on trans and gender-diverse nurses or health practitioners. We can extrapolate that if one in two trans and gender-diverse patients experience discrimination, it probably flows through that a very high proportion of staff are also experiencing discrimination. But it’s all extrapolation. That’s why I was so keen to participate in Sam’s study.’
Sam Petric is a registered nurse and PhD candidate, who is currently conducting queer-led research interviewing trans and gender-diverse nurses (including dual-registered nurses and midwives, as well as personal care workers) about their experiences at work.
Based on numbers of trans or gender diverse people in the general population, Sam estimates that between 5000- 20,000 Australian nurses are trans or gender diverse. But when it comes to their experiences in the workforce, especially with regards to discrimination and harassment, ‘the data isn’t there.’
While the specifics of her research are focused more on cultivating cultural safety principles for trans and gender-diverse nurses than on raw numbers, the raw numbers coming through are ‘quite shocking,’ she says.
‘With the research still underway and findings not yet published, early interviews suggest that many trans and gender diverse nurses have experienced significant workplace harm related to discrimination from colleagues, patients and broader transphobic systems.’
Registered nurse and PhD candidate Sam Petric. Photo: supplied
Respect is nursing 101
Sam’s previous research looked at cultural safety within Australian nursing schools and education institutions. Her current research aims to understand if those same or similar safety principles can be applied to trans and gender-diverse nurses, or if something altogether different is required.
A key issue is the acceptance – or lack thereof – not just of cultural safety but of the very existence of trans and gender diversity within society.
‘Nursing is a social profession that mirrors the broader community,’ Sam says. ‘The intense and often transphobic public debates we’re seeing right now don’t stop at the hospital doors – they influence how nurses connect with, relate to and care for trans and gender‑diverse people.’
‘I’ve lost count of the number of patients I’ve cared for who I didn’t agree with. But I still dealt with them respectfully and gave them the best care I could because that’s part of being a healthcare professional.’ – Mel Carron
Some people seem to believe that a denial of a person’s identity means you don’t have to engage with or be respectful of them, Mel says. ‘I think back on my career and I’ve lost count of the number of patients I’ve cared for who I didn’t agree with. But I still dealt with them respectfully and gave them the best care I could because that’s part of being a healthcare professional.
‘If someone’s really sick, they’re really vulnerable,’ they add. ‘So why choose that time to not incorporate respect, to think it’s okay to misgender someone, to deadname them, or to be offensive on a point of faith or culturally or racially inappropriate? That is the time that we should absolutely be trying to incorporate inclusive and culturally safe care.’
Sam agrees. ‘It’s about respect’, she says. ‘You don’t have to agree with everything but you should be showing basic respect. That is nursing 101.’
‘It’s not a fluffy extra,’ Mel emphasises. ‘It is critical and integral to our care of people. Because, otherwise, all you’re caring about is a condition in the bed, a set of symptoms; you’re no longer caring for a human being.’
