Making a community connection with pride

A Pride Symposium held on the Wellington campus recently brought together a diverse range of organisations, staff, students and health professionals, all interested in learning how to improve healthcare for transgender and non-binary people.

The half-day symposium was held in March to coincide with the Wellington Pride Festival.

Dean and Head of Campus Professor William Levack says the event was a way of connecting the campus with the Wellington community, and of sharing the latest information on best practice in providing healthcare for transgender and non-binary people.

“This has become particularly important given the level of misinformation in this area,” he says.

William opened the symposium with a look back at history, pointing out transgender and non-binary people had always existed.

“Our transgender and non-binary whānau have always been part of our community, always been a part of humanity. The only thing that has differed over time is the degree to which they have been visible, or oppressed.

“It is important we consider them as part of our society and ensure we are providing good healthcare for them as well as for everybody else.”

Up next was a presentation on the latest findings from the ‘Counting Ourselves’ health survey, designed by, and for, trans and non-binary people in Aotearoa from Principal Investigator Dr Jaimie Veale from the University of Waikato – Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato and Co-Principal Investigator Jack Byrne. The latest on the survey can be found here.

It was followed by a discussion on access to healthcare for transgender and non-binary people with Dr Rona Carroll, a GP and Senior Lecturer in the Department of Primary Health Care and General Practice who has helped lead the updating of the national guidelines for gender-affirming healthcare. She was joined by Alex Ker, a researcher focusing on the social dimensions of trans people’s healthcare equity and social wellbeing, and Dr Kayla Mackie, a clinical psychologist who works to support access to gender-affirming care.

The last session of the afternoon was on curriculum development for the training of health professionals with four speakers: independent intersex (IVSC) consultant and part-time Otago Medical School lecturer Mani Mitchell (MNZM); Associate Professor Sara Filoche, the Head of the Wellington campus’ Department of Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Women's Health; Wellington campus student learning advisor Dr Trish Morison; and Cassie Withey-Rila, who talked about teaching fourth-year medical students about transgender healthcare.

William says the symposium was a positive event, attracting both a national audience online as well as community members who were not involved in the healthcare sector, but who came in person to listen and engage.

“It provided a good opportunity to contribute to some of the work that other people are doing in this area. It also highlighted how much work still needs to be done to improve health and wellbeing outcomes for this group.”

The symposium was the second to be held on the Wellington campus in association with the Pride Festival. It is expected to become an annual event, and will focus on different topics of interest to the rainbow community each year.