How I Started Working With Trans Folks—and Why I’m Committed to Gender-Affirming Care

When I started physical therapy school, I knew what “transgender” meant, but I hadn’t knowingly met an out trans person. To be honest, I wasn’t well informed. The trans experience didn’t really register on my radar beyond knowing what the “T” in LGBTQ stood for.

Then came a classmate and close friend—someone deeply rooted in queer culture, surrounded by trans and gender-expansive friends. She challenged me to think differently about who physical therapy could serve, and how the field could become more welcoming for trans folks.

That was the beginning of my ongoing journey toward trans-inclusive, gender-affirming care.

I started with language- shifting toward gender-neutral and affirming terms. I read everything I could about gender-affirming surgeries and how hormone therapy interacts with body systems. As I learned to become a pelvic health therapist, I also learned to care for folks in trans bodies with respect, curiosity, and skill.

Even in PT school, when we were assigned to develop a business plan for a future clinic, my team’s centered on treating folks in all bodies and identities. The idea for Groove was seeded long before I was a licensed practitioner—it was always about creating a space where everyone belongs.

Beyond the technical knowledge, I realized the most important part of this work was internal. I had to examine my own biases, confront my blind spots, and expand my understanding of gender beyond binaries and assumptions.

I sought out trans and gender-expansive voices – activists, thinkers, artists, and educators. I learned from people like Marsha P. Johnson, Leslie Feinberg, Alex Iantaffi, Mira Bellwether, and Lucie Fielding. I read novels by trans authors and listened to podcasts that shared first-hand experiences of trans-ness, identity, and embodiment.

Wanting to help isn’t enough. You can’t offer meaningful, affirming care without understanding the lived realities of those you serve. These lived realities go beyond oppression, loss and harassment. I also want Groove to be a place that centers trans and gender expansive joy, pleasure and embodiment.

My learning is ongoing, and so is my activism. Being in solidarity with trans and gender-expansive folks means putting skin in the game as a cis provider.

I advocate loudly in professional spaces for inclusive, affirming care. I collaborate with local trans-led organizations. I financially support mutual aid organizations and community initiatives. And I work every day to ensure that Groove is a place where trans and gender-expansive clients feel seen, respected, and open to reconnect with their bodies on their own terms.

Now, more than ever, trans and gender-expansive folks need providers who are both compassionate and informed.

If you’re a client or a professional who wants to learn more about what trans-inclusive, gender-affirming care looks like in practice, reach out here.