part four: how to be a trans affirming provider

Welcome to part four of Functionality After Phalloplasty: how to be a trans affirming provider.

This unit will begin with a case study.

With this case study in mind, let’s get started.

People get phalloplasty for lots of different reasons — in fact, not everyone to gets phalloplasty is transgender. Cisgender phalloplasty occurs when trauma or injury has happened to the phallus, necessitating creation of the neophallus. This is to say, it’s a good idea to throw assumption out the window when working with clients after phalloplasty.

Some things to keep in mind:

People get phalloplasty who do not identify as men; they may identify as non-binary, genderqueer, or something else.

People getting phalloplasty may have partners of any gender.

Tips for working respectfully with people who have had gender-affirming genital surgery

Name and pronouns are important

It is important to remember that the client’s name is EPIC may not be the name they go by. This can be because their legal name is not the name they go by, or because the name on their insurance differs from their legal name. Either way, it is crucial to call the client by the correct name and pronouns. You can ask the client how they like the be referred to; do not assume information on their armband or in their profile is correct.

Don’t ask questions you don’t need the answers to

It can be tempting to ask the client questions about their surgery or their experience of gender when you are working together; however, interviewees who had previously gotten phalloplasty said they disliked feeling like they had to explain the surgery or their experiences as trans people to their providers. It can also make clients feel uncomfortable if they are asked too many personal questions. A good rule of thumb is to stick to questions you strictly need the answers to (i.e, when did the client get surgery? What exercises have they been doing during their inpatient stay?). If you have technical questions, check to see if an online resource (like this website) has the answers before asking the client. Generally speaking, it is considered inappropriate to ask clients questions about their gender or pronouns (i.e., “So you got this surgery but you use they/them pronouns?”). This may seem obvious, but clients often face these kinds of questions and report a lot of discomfort.