Article detail · 2025
Navigating Gender-Affirming Healthcare in Adverse Political Climates: Experience from a University-Based Transgender Clinic in Türkiye
- Year
- 2025
- ISSN
2227-9032- Type
- article
Data source split
- YÖKSİS YÖKSİS article record
- OpenAlex OpenAlex enrichment (abstract, citations, topics)
Abstract
English (OpenAlex)
BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Gender-affirming care is a complex, multidisciplinary process that has gained increasing recognition worldwide. This practice report presents the unique clinical model developed at the Kocaeli University Hospital Gender Dysphoria Clinic, one of the pioneering centers in Türkiye. METHODS: An experience-based descriptive approach was adopted to capture two decades of clinical experience, institutional processes, and socio-political challenges not fully reflected in systematic reviews. The article reflects on the authors' direct practice in a university-based transgender health clinic in Türkiye, structured around the multidisciplinary team model, patient pathways, institutional processes, and the sociopolitical context of care. RESULTS: The Kocaeli University model integrates psychiatry, endocrinology, surgery, nursing, social work, and legal consultation. Since 2004, the clinic has evaluated and treated hundreds of transgender individuals and produced numerous theses and peer-reviewed publications. Key strengths include a structured board system, the training of psychiatry residents, and close interdepartmental collaboration. CONCLUSIONS: This model illustrates how gender-affirming care can be effectively implemented in a challenging sociopolitical context. Sharing this experience may inform global practices and support the dissemination of multidisciplinary approaches to transgender health.
Topics
- LGBTQ Health, Identity, and Policy
- Sex and Gender in Healthcare
- Feminist Theory and Gender Studies
Primary topic LGBTQ Health, Identity, and Policy