National Survey Seeks Trans And Gender Diverse Australians’ Healthcare Experiences

The Trans Justice Project has launched a national survey seeking to understand the healthcare experiences, priorities and future needs of trans and gender diverse Australians.

The survey, titled ‘Imagining Trans Futures’, will collect information from trans and gender diverse people aged 18 and over who are living or have lived in Australia within the past five years. The findings will be used to develop a report outlining recommendations for improving access to gender-affirming healthcare.

The project said the survey aims to contribute to a blueprint for a healthcare system that is accessible, affordable and affirming for trans and gender diverse people.

Liz Duck-Chong, Research Lead for the survey and board member of the Trans Justice Project, said the project was focused on understanding community experiences and priorities.

“We are all healthier and happier when we have the freedom to make decisions about our own lives and healthcare,” Liz Duck-Chong said.

“Gender-affirming healthcare helps trans and gender diverse people to thrive. It gives us the freedom to be ourselves and to build good lives. But right now, that freedom is under attack from anti-trans lobby groups and politicians.”

“At the same time, many trans people are already struggling to access the care they need because of high costs, lack of availability, and discrimination,”

“This survey is a first step to fighting back against the attacks on our health care by building a vision for a trans health care system that works for all of us.”

The Trans Justice Project said the future report would provide recommendations for federal and state governments, including funding care, improving healthcare systems, investing in trans leadership and protecting access to healthcare.

A future report, informed from the results of this survey, will outline actionable recommendations for federal and state governments to fund care, fix the system, invest in trans leadership, and protect trans health care from political attack, said Trans Justice Project director, Jackie Turner.

“We will build our future health care campaigns around the findings and recommendations of this report as we continue to advocate for a trans health care system that works for all of us.”

“That’s why we need as many people as possible to complete this survey, and share their experiences and priorities with us. Doing this will help ensure that our work accurately reflects the community’s needs.”

The organisation said existing evidence on gender-affirming care was strong, but research examining the advocacy priorities of Australia’s trans populations was limited.

“While there is strong evidence of gender affirming care’s effects, outcomes and strengths, there is limited research on the advocacy desires of Australia’s trans populations, and those desires have not been analysed across demographic groups, such as location, cultural background, or gender affirmation needs.”

The survey will ask participants about their experiences with gender-affirming healthcare, barriers to accessing care, and the impact of healthcare on quality of life and wellbeing.

The survey is expected to take between 15 and 30 minutes to complete. Participants can skip questions they do not wish to answer, and can go into a draw to receive 1 of 6 $50 GiftPay vouchers, allocated at random after the survey period has closed.

The Trans Justice Project said survey responses would be kept secure, with personal details not shared with third parties and published information de-identified.

To keep your information safe, they will:
● follow all relevant privacy requirements
● keep it securely on a unique password-protected Proton Drive instance that is only
accessible to the project researchers
● take steps to prevent anyone from accessing information that identifies you
● keep it separate from anything that could easily identify you, like your contact information

“We encourage you to make sure your voice is heard by participating in the survey across the month of July, and sharing the survey across your networks. We want to hear from you!”