Community Experiences of Social and Nonmedical Gender-Affirming Care - Interview Study Among Transgender and/or Nonbinary Persons

Sep 30, 2026

Access to care that affirms an individual’s entire self is essential for gender-diverse people, yet research often overemphasizes medical routes while underexamining social and nonmedical supports. This qualitative thematic analysis used interview data from five participants in Nova Scotia, Canada, collected between October and November 2023. Findings highlight belonging, online affirmation resources (including TikTok), and the emotional burden of barriers such as cost and safety concerns. Participants also emphasized provider competence in respectful gender-affirming care.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages7

Reading Time18 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Background

Objective

Methods

Results

Conclusions

Keywords

Introduction

Background on gender-affirming care

Access barriers and social resources

Methods

JMIR FORMATIVE RESEARCH Boutilier Original Paper Community Experiences of Social and Nonmedical GenderAffirming Care: Interview Study Among Transgender and/or Nonbinary Persons | Bryah Boutilier, MA | | --- | | School of Health and Human Performance, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
Corresponding Author:
Bryah Boutilier, MA
School of Health and Human Performance Dalhousie University
6283 Alumni Crescent Halifax, NS B3H 4R2
Canada
Phone: 1 9025777936
[Email:](Email: brboutilier@dal.ca)[ ](Email: brboutilier@dal.ca)[brboutilier@dal.ca](Email: brboutilier@dal.ca)
Abstract | | Background: Access to care that affirms one’s entire self is essential, especially for gender-diverse individuals. Genderaffirming care includes medical, social, and nonmedical supports to affirm gender identity.
Objective: This study qualitatively examined the importance of social and nonmedical gender-affirming services as described by gender-diverse community members.
Methods: Thematic analysis was conducted on qualitative data from 5 participants (3 rural and 2 urban; 2 with doctoral-level education and 3 health professionals) with experiences accessing gender-affirming care in Nova Scotia, Canada, between October 2023 and November 2023.
Results: Participants included transgender and/or nonbinary individuals who highlighted the significance of social and nonmedical gender-affirming care over traditional medical interventions. Themes included the centrality of belonging, the use of online spaces such as TikTok for gender affirmation, and the emotional impact of barriers such as cost and safety concerns . Four of 5 participants emphasized the importance of social and nonmedical gender-affirming care over medical interventions. Participants stressed the importance of fostering a sense of belonging and accessing supportive communities, which is crucial in navigating transphobic environments without support. Many felt abandoned by public systems and resorted to passing as cisgender due to barriers such as cost in accessing gender-affirming resources . Internet platforms such as TikTok provided valuable guidance, supplementing limited access to medical gender-affirming care . Participants emphasized a crucial need for health care providers to understand basic gender-affirming care, including respect for preferred pronouns and gender identities.
Conclusions: This study found that members of the gender-diverse community significantly value social and nonmedical gender-affirming care services with respect to their well-being. The findings underscore the complex interplay among social support, health care access, and resilience in transgender and/or nonbinary individuals’ lives. This work can aid in exploring how best to educate health care providers in gender-inclusive care and enable increased access to all forms of care that can help affirm an individual’s gender.
JMIR Form Res 2026;10:e79179; doi: 10.2196/79179 | Keywords: gender-affirming care; social support; health equity; rural health; inclusive health care Introduction Access to care that affirms an individual’s gender identity is fundamental. Gender-affirming care encompasses a wide range of medical, social, and nonmedical services essential for supporting one’s gender identity [1] . These services include hormone therapy, surgeries, mental health support, voice training, and other medical interventions, but they also [https://formative.jmir.org/2026/1/e79179](https://formative.jmir.org/2026/1/e79179) JMIR Form Res 2026 | vol. 10 | e79179 | p. 1 (page number not for citation purposes) JMIR FORMATIVE RESEARCH Boutilier extend to social and nonmedical supports that are equally crucial, such as gear and feelings of belonging [1,2] . It is important to recognize that what may be considered cosmetic or aesthetic for cisgender individuals can be gender-affirming and vital for gender-diverse individuals [3] . For example, clothing, hairstyli

FAQs

What was the study’s main objective?

The study qualitatively examined how gender-diverse community members described the importance of social and nonmedical gender-affirming services.

How was the research conducted?

Thematic analysis was performed on qualitative interview data from five participants in Nova Scotia, collected between October 2023 and November 2023.

What did participants emphasize as most important for gender affirmation?

Participants highlighted the significance of social and nonmedical gender-affirming care, including supportive communities and online platforms such as TikTok, often more than traditional medical interventions.

Sep 30, 2026

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