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Author Information

Riley McGrath

Abstract/Description

Often, personal experience brings inspiration for a project, paper, or art piece. My experience as a transgender man and my education and advocacy work gave me the idea to contribute to the education of healthcare providers regarding the needs of the transgender community. Because of the fear of coming out and the fact that I aged out of pediatric care, I did not have a primary care physician for two years. I was afraid to go to a new medical practice because they would ask about my gender, assumingly in a way that would not be sensitive which would make me uncomfortable and dysphoric. As a person who identifies as a minority, this meant I didn’t have access to preventative healthcare, which could have led to significant ignored health concerns. I always advocate for representation in the work that I do and being a trans person working on trans health education makes me proud that I am able to give back to my community.

Note on the Author

Riley McGrath is a senior majoring in Psychology with double minors in GLBT Studies and Women & Gender Studies. His research project was completed during the summer of 2019 with the help of Dr. Theresa Jackson (Psychology) and with funding from the Adrian Tinsley Program (ATP) for Undergraduate Research. Riley has presented his research findings at the New England Psychological Association annual 232 BRIDGEWATER STATE UNIVERSITY | THE UNDERGRADUATE REVIEW 2020 meeting and on campus at BSU’s ATP Symposium and Mid-Year Symposium. Riley plans on achieving a Master of Social Work degree in order to achieve his goal of becoming a therapist for members of the LGBT community.

Rights Statement

Articles published in The Undergraduate Review are the property of the individual contributors and may not be reprinted, reformatted, repurposed or duplicated, without the contributor’s consent.

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