A recent study assessing the healthcare experiences of transgender people demonstrated a widespread presence of discrimination and unwelcoming surroundings that inhibited access to gender-affirming care (Cicero et al., 2019). In 2015, a U. S. Transgender Survey indicated that one-quarter of the participants avoided seeking health care when needed due to fear of being mistreated based on their gender identity (James et al., 2023). According to the World Health Organization, everyone, regardless of gender identity, is entitled to the highest attainable standard of health and must be treated with dignity and respect (Thomas et al., 2018). Nevertheless, many transgender people continue to experience negative actions and attitudes displayed by healthcare providers (Alpert et al., 2017).

Guidance was provided by the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) Standards of Care (2022) to assist healthcare professionals in delivering gender-affirming care to transgender persons (Coleman et al., 2022). Authors of the WPATH Standards of Care specifically focused on increasing healthcare education in health professional programs addressing the unique healthcare needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals and communities. Although the American Nurses Association has recognized the LGBT community as a minority group, there are no explicit requirements for LGBT content to be added to undergraduate nursing education courses (American Nurses Association, 2023). Since nurses interact with patients much more than other healthcare providers, health inequities experienced by transgender persons could be reduced if LGBT content was standardized and fully integrated into the curricula for pre-licensure and post-licensure nursing education (Brennan et al., 2012, Lim et al., 2015). In response, the National Nursing LGBTQ Health Summit was convened to address the role nursing and nursing education play in reducing sexual and gender minority (SGM) health disparities (Hughes et al., 2022).