trans broken arm syndrome

trans broken arm syndrome (uncountable)

1. (LGBT, informal) The tendency of medical providers to center transness when caring for transgender patients, typically by connecting unrelated medical conditions or symptoms to the transition process, or asking for medical information (e.g. gender confirmation surgery status) that is not relevant to the patient's complaint.
   • 2016, Douglas Knutson, Julie M. Koch, Tori Arthur, T. Andrew Mitchell, and Meredith A. Martyr, "Trans broken arm": Health care stories from transgender people in rural areas‎, page 31:

     There’s this thing called 'trans broken arm,' right? You know, where someone might come into the doctor with a broken arm and if you’re cis or not presenting in a way that’s confusing for people, it’s a broken arm, but if you’re presenting as trans. there’s this whole other layer of, ‘Okay, so did you get the broken arm because you’re trans?’ I know that’s kind of a ridiculous statement, but there are layers that go on top of that [identity] that…you have to navigate. (Bailey).

   • 2018, Ruth Pearce, Understanding Trans Health: Discourse, Power and Possibility‎, page 111:

     Trans Broken Arm Syndrome appears to be most common among mental health service providers, many of whom appear to regard trans people's mental health as relevant only in terms of or in relation to transition.

   • 2019, Eris Young, They/Them/Their: A Guide to Nonbinary and Genderqueer Identities‎, page 217:

     It would also reduce the incidence of 'trans broken arm syndrome', where doctors attribute every ailment we have to our transition, even completely unrelated things like the flu or a broken limb.

   • 2021, Dagoberto Heredia Jr., Tyson L. Pankey, Cesar A. Gonzalez, “LGBTQ-Affirmative Behavioral Health Services in Primary Care”, in Jessica Lapinski, Kristine Diaz, editors, LGBTQ+Health: An Issue of Primary Care: Clinics in Office Practice, unnumbered page:

     Additionally, transgender patients navigate "trans broken arm syndrome" in medical appointments, wherein providers casually misattribute unrelated medical problems to their gender identity or aspects of their transition.

   • For more quotations using this term, see Citations:trans broken arm syndrome.