Theodore Biggs-Engel on Systems Mapping and Gender-Affirming Care

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 careCommon misconceptions about gender-affirming care and its scope beyond medical transitionThe critical role of education in K-12 schools and healthcare settingsCurrent challenges in research and data collection affecting the transgender communityHow local organizations like the Rainbow Resource Center and Manitoba Clinic are making a differenceTheo 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" PresentationTheo recommends:Watching: "Disclosure" "Will & Harper Take a Road Trip" "I saw the TV Glow"Reading: "Detransition Baby" by Torrey PetersFollowing: Fae JohnstoneConnecting locally with: Norwest Coop, Rainbow Resource Centre, Klinic Community Health