Questions to ask the clinic before your appointment

• ‘Does <doctor> have any experience working with gender diverse patients? Was it a young person or an adult? Has the doctor undergone any gender diversity awareness training?’
• ‘Is <doctor> happy to provide gender-affirming care for my child? If not, can you please refer us to a doctor who is?’
• ‘Are your doctors authorised to initiate prescriptions for gender-affirming hormones, or just continue treatment plans initiated by another doctor, or neither? Do you follow the Informed Consent Model for hormones, or would you need a letter of approval from a psychiatrist or endocrinologist?’
• ‘Can you please find out if <doctor> is familiar with the care recommendations detailed in the Australian Standards of Care and Treatment Guidelines: For Trans and gender diverse children and adolescents? If they aren’t, may I please request that they review the document before our appointment.’

‘Can you please forward the following to <doctor>, I would like them to review these prior to our visit.’

• 10 tips for clinicians working with trans & gender diverse people: TransHub (ACON)
• What questions to ask: Providing care for trans people: TransHub (ACON)
• Supporting trans or gender diverse children and their families with gender affirmation: A guide for GPs and paediatricians: Emerging Minds

You can find more useful questions in our resource: Helpful Wording: Questions to ask your child’s health professionals.