As an academic, Skylar Sookpaiboon knows how health care can fall short of welcoming members of the 2SLGBTQ+ community.

“What I learned during my studies was that the health care space wasn’t made for people like me – a person of colour, with multiple intersectionalities,” says Sookpaiboon, who recently defended their Master’s thesis on access to health care for racialized people within the 2SLGBTQ+ community.

Sookpaiboon says their own experience has been different at the Wellesley-St. James Town Health Centre, part of the St. Michael’s Academic Family Health Team, where they have been a patient since 2018. The clinic, which welcomes patients and staff with 2SLGBTQ+, transgender and non-binary flags, gender neutral washrooms, and many staff who have participated in Indigenous Cultural Safety training, opened in March 2021. It combines two previous clinics, the Health Centre at 410 Sherbourne and St. James Town Health Centre.

Dr. Gordon Arbess

Understanding that patients who visit the clinic have likely had negative experiences with the health care system and creating a safe, welcoming environment is so important to building trust, says Dr. Gordon Arbess, a family physician based at Wellesley-St. James Town Health Centre.

“We have to acknowledge that many of our patients face discrimination and stigma, either in their personal lives, home lives, or society in general, but also in the health care system,” says Dr. Arbess, who began his career at the Wellesley Hospital, which joined St. Michael’s in 1998 and inspired the clinic’s name.

The clinic provides care for over 13,800 patients and offers many specialized programs, including prenatal and post-natal care, a designated HIV program, addictions support, transgender and non-binary care, developmental pediatrics, home and community care, and mental health programs.

“I’m incredibly proud of St. Michael’s Hospital. People understand what it means to provide sensitive and genuinely compassionate care, especially for men who have sex with men, people who are transgender, or people living with HIV,” says Dr. Arbess, who is the Clinical Director of the St. Michael’s Family Health Team HIV/AIDS program. “For the most part, especially in the last number of years, there’s been a growing awareness of how to provide sensitive care. But despite those efforts, we still have clients who struggle and I believe it is crucial for us to understand and address outstanding challenges”.

Providing sensitive care goes beyond the actual medical attention a patient receives, and includes their full experience, says Dr. Thea Weisdorf, who is also based at Wellesley-St. James Town Health Centre. Dr. Weisdorf specializes in providing primary care to transgender and gender diverse individuals.

Dr. Thea Weisdorf

“There’s a real sense of privilege to have the trust of these patients,” she says. “We spend a lot of time thinking about how to make the primary care setting welcoming and safe. If they can see a Pride flag or a bathroom they can go to just when they walk in, or the clerical staff are using their authentic names, then that will help get them in the door.”

“We forget that some people won’t seek care if they don’t feel it’s a safe space for them to be, or where they’ll be called by the wrong name. We have a responsibility to make sure the space is inviting for everyone.”

Sookpaiboon says one of the ways the health care system can support 2SLGBTQ+ patients is among the most basic – respecting people’s names and pronouns.

“This might be something I overlooked, because St. Mike’s has been the one place that is really good at this and I know not a lot of places are. People’s pronouns and names might not match their government-issued IDs, but using our authentic name and pronoun means a lot to trans people who might be in the process of legally changing their names or may not have the option to do so – this is especially challenging for those born outside of Canada.”

Although 2SLGBTQ+ people experience many obstacles and barriers, it’s important to not solely focus on the hardships – and Pride Month provides an opportunity to do that, says Dr. Weisdorf.

“Pride makes me smile because it’s a place for people to be themselves and celebrate being themselves,” she says. “I’ve learned from my patients what I try to emulate – that being who you are and being authentic is a right that everybody should be able to enjoy.”

Dr. Arbess describes Toronto’s Pride Parade as a tremendous celebration and recognition of the progress we have made to date – and says that his attendance is a signal to his patients of his commitment to them.

“I’ve learned from my practice that patients want to see that members of their care team are allies and that we wholly support them, not just a patient – but as a person.”

More information about becoming a patient at one of Unity Health Toronto’s Academic Family Health Teams.

By: Jennifer Stranges