MARQUETTE, MI— Planned Parenthood in Marquette and Lansing are expanding care to include gender-affirming hormone therapy.
Dr. Halley Crissman is Director of Gender-Affirming Care at Planned Parenthood of Michigan. She says such care means embracing the gender identity people share with others and supporting people in expressing their most authentic selves. That means providing care to people of all genders without judgment or cisgender assumptions
“And it’s care that really acknowledges the trauma and injustices that the trans community has and continues to face.”
Planned Parenthood in Marquette and Lansing are specifically expanding services to include hormone therapy.
“For many gender-diverse people, gender-affirming hormone care improves gender dysphoria and supports gender euphoria by helping people to achieve their embodiment goals that best align with their identity.”
Crissman says trans and nonbinary people face numerous barriers to care, like access to insurance or knowledgeable providers, discrimination, and even violence in healthcare settings. She notes in rural communities, distance is also a barrier.
“So we wanted to acknowledge and recognize the needs of the trans and nonbinary community in Northern Michigan and the Upper Peninsula by selecting Marquette as one of our initial health centers in order to really work to decrease those barriers to care,” she says.
Care at Planned Parenthood is provided by trained and licensed medical professionals, just as in any other medical setting, but personnel are trained specifically to provide gender-affirming and hormone care and to focus on sexual and reproductive health care in a supportive environment.
Crissman says the trans and nonbinary community has been discriminated against and marginalized, and it’s important to Planned Parenthood to be patient- and community-centered in its approach to gender-affirming care. She notes offering gender-affirming hormone therapy is a way for Planned Parenthood to step up and better provide the care the community needs and deserves access to.
