Ask a trans person!

[EnderD_503]

Originally Posted by always2late

I have a question...and I guess this is the forum to ask...I recently started grad school (yay!). Although classes started earlier this week, our class orientation for my cohort was today. During orientation we were taught how to use a new computer system contracted by the school in order to keep track of our clinical hours. As a Speech-language Pathology grad student, I will be seeing clients in a variety of settings. The new computer program allows us to enter information about the client, such as age, gender, etc... When it came to the prompt for gender, there was a drop down box containing the three acceptable responses. They were "male," "female," and "transgender." So...my question is, do you think this is appropriate? My thoughts on the matter are that if your client states they are male, or female, shouldn't that be how you identify their gender? Is it necessary to identify them as transgender when they identify as a particular gender? What are your thoughts?

I think its only right to identify a client as transgender if they explicitly identify themselves that way or say they're comfortable being identified that way on the drop down. Could be some trans people would prefer to just put in the sex they identify as rather than just "transgender." Some might like it, others might not.

But overall I think those drop down options are limited. Putting someone simply down as "transgender" isn't going to tell much about them as far as their identity to begin with, since many people under the trans umbrella will identify as transmale/transfemale/gender neutral/genderqueer. A lot of places seem to be changing their options to put in a transgender one, but I really think it needs to be expanded beyond that, otherwise its pretty pointless and almost stigmatising in my opinion. What I like at a few clinics I've been to lately is that they let you pen in your own identity under some kind of "other" option. So you basically get to put in whatever detail you feel comfortable with, if you feel like it at all. Others will actually have trans man, trans woman, intersex and gender queer/gender neutral categories in addition to male/female. I think that's better as it doesn't just lump all trans people into a faceless "transgender" category.