Publication Date
9-1-2021
Document Type
Article
Publication Title
Health Equity
Volume
5
Issue
1
DOI
10.1089/heq.2021.0022
First Page
707
Last Page
717
Abstract
Purpose: To explore sexual and reproductive health (SRH)-related word-use among sexual and gender minority (SGM) individuals in the United States. Methods: In 2019, we fielded an online quantitative survey on the SRH experiences of SGM adults. Eligible participants included transgender, nonbinary, and gender-expansive (TGE) people assigned female or intersex at birth, and cisgender sexual minority women (CSMW) in the United States. The survey asked participants to indicate if they used each of nine SRH terms, and if not, to provide the word(s) they used. We analyzed patterns in replacement words provided by respondents and tested for differences by gender category with tests of proportions. Results: Among 1704 TGE and 1370 CSMW respondents, 613 (36%) TGE respondents and 92 (7%) CSMW respondents replaced at least 1 SRH term (p-for-difference <0.001). Many (23%) replacement words/phrases were entirely unique. For six out of the nine terms, TGE respondents indicated that use of the provided term would depend on the context, the term did not apply to them, or they did not have a replacement word/phrase that worked for them. Conclusions: SRH terms commonly used in clinical and research settings cause discomfort and dysphoria among some SGM individuals. To address inequities in access to and quality of SRH care among SGM individuals, and to overcome long standing fear of mistreatment in clinical settings, more intentional word-use and elicitation from providers and researchers could increase the quality and affirming nature of clinical and research experiences for SGM people.
Funding Number
K12DK111028
Funding Sponsor
National Institutes of Health
Keywords
gender inclusive, gender-affirming, patient-centered care, sexual and gender minorities, transgender persons
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Department
Psychology
Recommended Citation
Sachiko Ragosta, Juno Obedin-Maliver, Laura Fix, Ari Stoeffler, Jen Hastings, Matthew R. Capriotti, Annesa Flentje, Micah E. Lubensky, Mitchell R. Lunn, and Heidi Moseson. "From 'Shark-Week' to 'Mangina': An Analysis of Words Used by People of Marginalized Sexual Orientations and/or Gender Identities to Replace Common Sexual and Reproductive Health Terms" Health Equity (2021): 707-717. https://doi.org/10.1089/heq.2021.0022
