Supporting transgender staff, clients and patients

Name: Sage Thomas
Pronouns: he/they
Role: Youth substance use clinician and registered nurse, Foundry Kelowna
Tenure with IH: Since 2019

IH Employee Experience (IHEE): As a transgender person working in health care, how does International Transgender Day of Visibility (TDOV) resonate with you?

Sage: As I’ve become more comfortable in my trans experience, and as I see trans rights erode in places like the U.S., it’s becoming more important for me to be visible as a trans person in general, and as a trans nurse in particular.

As a youth, I didn’t know any trans people, and I certainly didn’t see any trans folks in health care. My path shifted early in my nursing career when I met a Two-Spirit person working in health services. I was grappling with transitioning while in health care, and experienced internalized stigma and anxiety about the process. They were a grounding, encouraging presence and helped to expand my reality of what was possible for gender-diverse folks.

It’s essential to show people in our communities that there are many pathways and places where trans folks belong, in health care and beyond. Not only do we belong, but our trans experience is valuable. It can strengthen the health care we provide and can sensitize us to the subtle, necessary and often invisible needs of the people we work with.

IHEE: Do you feel that our work environment is becoming more inclusive for transgender employees? What progress have you seen? 

Sage: Yes and no. I have been particularly lucky working at Foundry Kelowna with a stellar group of people from Interior Health (IH) and the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) who make efforts to educate themselves, use people’s pronouns, and navigate the workspace with kindness. I’ve also seen waves of movement toward education at a higher level with trans folks leading the way. Additionally, we’ve created a 2SLGBTQIA+ group at IH to connect and work on projects that will move 2SLGBTQIA+ care forward.

However, a coworker from another IH team shared with me that their site is not as supportive for trans/gender diverse staff. For example, staff/clients’ pronouns aren’t used even if this is repeatedly raised. It's for this reason and hearing from other IH staff who've had similar experiences that I was interested in doing TDOV, to be honest. Overall, I do think that progress is being made, but I recognize that I might be in a bit of a bubble at my workplace and as a white trans man. 

I hope that we can make bigger strides to create safety so that more trans and gender-diverse folks with different experiences can speak openly about what’s working or not working for them at IH. I also hope that the necessary staff support can be cultivated to make work life comfortable for all of us.

IHEE: What can we do to create a more supportive environment for transgender staff, patients and clients?

Sage: Ask what is needed, as each person might have different needs in the workplace. Listen. The basics go a long way. If someone uses pronouns that you’re not experienced with, like they/them, practise with a colleague, friend or out loud to yourself. If you mess up their pronouns, a simple “sorry,” correcting yourself, and moving on is appropriate. Inform and correct other staff if they use the wrong pronouns so that trans people don't have to do as much emotional labour at work.

If someone’s gender presentation looks different than what you might assume for their pronouns, please respect their truth and do your best to honour the pronouns they use. And check out Trans Care BC’s great educational modules.

If you’re a 2SLGBTQIA+ IH staff member and want to connect, please feel free to reach out to me. If you want to be added to our Teams chat, let me know!

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