Potential contributory factors
- Depression
- Minority stress
- Discrimination
- Heteronormative expectations linked to gender
- Body dissatisfaction
- Perceived stigma linked to sexual orientation status
- Low self-compassion
- Specific social standards, such as thinness
What may be unhelpful
- Heteronormative assumptions in healthcare
- Not feeling affirmed in their gender
- Rigid standards of conformity about gender and sexuality
What may be helpful
- Feeling understood
- Compassion
- Connecting with other LGBTQIA+ people in care/treatment
- Feeling safe, accepted and celebrated within the community
- Trauma-informed practices
Gender-affirming eating disorder care
The following information is based on the work of Scout Silverstein, Dr Megan Hellner and Dr Jessie Menzel.
Gender-affirming eating disorder care has been shown to be helpful for those who are transgender and gender-expansive (TGE). A gender care note (GCN) can outline a person’s asserted identity, their pronouns, asserted name, safety, privacy, and support system. This note can outline a person’s asserted identity, their pronouns, asserted name, safety, privacy and support system.
Sample questions from the gender care note
“Is there one of those pronouns you prefer me to use most of the time?”
“Are there different contexts where you use one pronoun over the other?”
“How do you let others know which pronoun they should use?”
“Are you planning to share your name and/or pronouns with peers?”
“How might staff support you if misgendering occurs?”
“If we use your birth-assigned name and pronouns in certain situations, such as family sessions, would you like to check in before and after to process how that feels and re-orient ourselves?”
