trans broken arm syndrome

Noun

trans broken arm syndrome (uncountable)

1. (informal) The tendency of medical providers to center transness when caring for transgender patients, typically by connecting unrelated medical conditions or symptoms to the transition process, or asking for medical information (e.g. gender confirmation surgery status) that is not relevant to the patient's complaint.
   • There’s this thing called 'trans broken arm,' right? You know, where someone might come into the doctor with a broken arm and if you’re cis or not presenting in a way that’s confusing for people, it’s a broken arm, but if you’re presenting as trans. there’s this whole other layer of, ‘Okay, so did...2016, Douglas Knutson, Julie M. Koch, Tori Arthur, T. Andrew Mitchell, and Meredith A. Martyr, "Trans broken arm": Health care stories from transgender people in rural areas, page 31
   • Trans Broken Arm Syndrome appears to be most common among mental health service providers, many of whom appear to regard trans people's mental health as relevant only in terms of or in relation to transition.2018, Ruth Pearce, Understanding Trans Health: Discourse, Power and Possibility, page 111