Collection Highlight: Advancing Transgender Health Equity
Published in Social Sciences and Public Health
In 2024, International Journal for Equity in Health launched an article collection on Advancing Transgender Health Equity as a response to the ongoing influx of submissions on this topic. With the submission deadline fast approaching, we examine the current publications through an SDG lens, particularly SDG 3, which sets the mission of ensuring 'healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages'.
The collection covers various publications from the UK to the US, Lebanon to Brazil, and though each deserves its single focus and analysis, almost all indicate that transgender individuals consistently report poorer mental and physical health compared to cisgender peers. Discrimination, stigma, and systemic barriers are often key drivers of these disparities.
As we ponder SDG3's motto of 'healthy lives for all', we must consider trans experiences in this context. It is well-documented that, due to fear of mistreatment, transgender and LGBTQ+ individuals may be more likely to avoid or delay accessing healthcare, which can ultimately lead to severe health consequences, so how can we guarantee that all means all?
There is still a lot of work to be done on the healthcare provider level, as many providers underestimate their own discriminatory behaviours, perpetuating biases that are damaging trans lives. There is a need for both training and structural reforms that enhance providers' knowledge and cultural competence, as it is still reported that some trans-specialists have "to be convinced of their patient’s transsexuality to carry out treatment" and have "doubts about whether some transgender individuals were suffering from gender incongruence or not". Equally concerning and noted is the uncertainty among healthcare providers regarding the classification of transsexuality as a mental illness.
Though these circumstances seem dire, they only fuel the need to advocate for improved conditions. Through research, education and policy changes, we can better understand diverse experiences and guarantee safer and equitable interventions that advance health equity - or, at the very least, demand it.
With more publications to come, we will broaden the conversation to other communities, recognising that minorities and marginalised groups often navigate on common ground, either by shared challenges, solidarity, or cultural intersections.
International Journal for Equity in Health is a BMC Open Access journal that presents evidence relevant to the search for, and attainment of, equity in health across and within countries. This can include the discussion of political, policy-related, economic, social and health systems- and services-related influences, particularly concerning identifying and understanding the systematic differences or the lived experiences of one or more aspects of health in population groups defined demographically, geographically, or socially.
Advancing Transgender Health Equity is hosted by the Editors-in-Chief, Dr Ana Lorena Ruano and Dr Pablo Gaitán-Rossi, and the Associate Editor, Dr Angel Phuti.
Submit your paper by 15 September 2025.
Rita is a Senior Publisher in the BMC Open Access Academic Journals team, managing a portfolio of journals in global and public health. She holds a Master’s in Publishing and Editing, and a BA in Languages, Literature, and Cultures.
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International Journal for Equity in Health
This journal presents evidence relevant to the search for, and attainment of, equity in health across and within countries and publishes research which improves the understanding of issues that influence the distribution of health and healthcare within populations.
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