You may have heard the term ‘trans broken arm syndrome’ – but just what does it mean?
When it comes to accessing healthcare or medical treatment, marginalised groups have it tough, and trans people are no exception.
Accessing vital and ‘life-saving’ medical treatment such as hormone replacement therapy (HRT) or puberty blockers can range from incredibly difficult to downright impossible, especially in the UK right now, given notoriously long wait times for first appointments at NHS gender clinics or the indefinite blanket ban on puberty blockers for trans under-18s.
However, barriers to accessing healthcare for trans and non-binary people don’t start and stop at start at HRT: trans people have bodies and minds that need as much general care as anyone else.
One of those barriers – colloquially dubbed ‘trans broken arm syndrome’ – can contribute to trans people’s struggles to access any type of healthcare.
What is ‘trans broken arm syndrome’ and how can you identify when it is happening?
‘Trans broken arm syndrome’ is a colloquial term used to refer to a form of medical discrimination where healthcare professionals, either consciously or subconsciously, always relate a trans person’s concerns or needs to their gender identity.
It typically occurs when trans people, particularly trans youth, request or try to access medical care that’s not related to their trans identity. Their concerns can often be minimised and they can face excessive and inappropriate questions about their gender identity or experiences of dysphoria.
The term, while not an actual medical condition, gained its name from activists and academics studying trans access to healthcare, because it can happen for almost any health concern, even a broken arm. It is also referred to in academic fields as “Gender-related medical misattribution and invasive questioning” (GRMMIQ).
According to Google Trends, the term has seen sporadic usage as far back as 2004, when the search engine was created, and has likely been used as a colloquial term beforehand.
In 2023, researchers in the Virginia Commonwealth University’s (VCU’s) Department of Psychology analysed the commonality of trans broken arm syndrome, defining it as the “incorrect and explicit misattribution of gender identity or medical transition as being the cause of an acute complaint” or “invasive and unnecessary questions regarding a patient’s gender identity or gender transition status.”
Nearly one-third of trans and gender-diverse (TGD) respondents to a questionnaire on their experiences within healthcare said they had experienced a form of GRMMIQ at some point during their transition. The results were also associated with the patient’s “outness” to healthcare providers, which they said increased the likelihood of a form of gender-related discrimination.
Forms of discrimination cited by respondents included assumptions of “disordered thinking and being,” a particular focus on aspects of their transition, ignorance on aspects of gender dysphoria and “incompetence” in handling those aspects, as well as a general “dismissiveness” of the patient.
“Together, these results enhance the understanding of an underexplored aspect of medical discrimination faced by TGD individuals while highlighting commonalities across different experiences,” the study concluded.
Why does ‘trans broken arm syndrome’ happen and how can we stop it?
The long and short answer to why trans broken arm syndrome is so common comes down to a general lack of understanding from healthcare professionals on what being trans is or how it relates to gender dysphoria.
While there are many reasons this form of discrimination happens so regularly, experts have argued that a lack of “LGBTQ+ affirming” medical practices contributes to the issue, as well as a general lack of mistrust in the healthcare system.
In March 2024, NurseJournal argued that issues like trans broken arm syndrome is not only a barrier in itself, but can contribute to other barriers within healthcare for LGBTQ+ people, including a fear of being refused care based on “perceived or actual sexual orientation or gender identity” or the costs of healthcare should a patient struggle to find a “culturally competent” public healthcare provider.
It can also contribute to stigma around raising issues such as sexual abuse and violence or anxiety and depression with medical professionals.
NurseJournal writer and nurse career coach, Keith Carlson, wrote that overcoming these barriers is “vital” for healthcare systems across the globe, especially for trans youth, who often rely on healthcare providers as a private source of information from parents or guardians who they may be feel uncomfortable or unsafe coming out to.
This can be done, Carlson says, by creating an “inclusive, welcoming environment” for LGBTQ+ patients which involves remaining aware of “changes in LGBTQ+ concepts, terms, and definitions” as well as issues like trans broken arm syndrome.
“The LGBTQ+ landscape in the 21st-century United States is not unchanging or static. The development of language and identity is fluid and will continue to evolve over time,” he wrote. “Ongoing and up-to-date training is crucial for the healthcare system and its providers to remain aware of best practices and clinical approaches for LGBTQ+ youth.”
It’s key to understand that trans broken arm syndrome, while serving its own challenges to the trans community, is not an exclusive form of discrimination. Other marginalised communities, particularly non-white, disabled, or fat people, also face similar forms of discrimination.
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