We sit down with Theodore Biggs-Engel, a transgender activist, researcher, and fourth-year health sciences student at the University of Manitoba who is using systems mapping – a method for visualizing how different parts of complex systems interact and influence each other – to better understand gender-affirming care.As president of the Rainbow Pride Center and queer representative on the university's union board of directors, Theo brings both personal experience and academic rigor to the conversation about gender-affirming care in Manitoba. His work using systems mapping to analyze barriers to care recently placed fourth in a national competition.We're discussing:

• What systems mapping reveals about barriers to gender-affirming care
• Common misconceptions about gender-affirming care and its scope beyond medical transition
• The critical role of education in K-12 schools and healthcare settings
• Current challenges in research and data collection affecting the transgender community
• How local organizations like the Rainbow Resource Center and Manitoba Clinic are making a difference

Theo offers practical insights for allies and healthcare providers while sharing his personal journey as a transgender man in Winnipeg.

To learn more about this topic:

Watch Theo's "Map the System Canada 2024" Presentation

Theo recommends:

Watching: "Disclosure" "Will & Harper Take a Road Trip" "I saw the TV Glow"

Reading: "Detransition Baby" by Torrey Peters

Following: Fae Johnstone

Connecting locally with: Norwest Coop, Rainbow Resource Centre, Klinic Community Health