Gender, Sexuality, and Inclusion of All Families in Midwifery Practice
November 22, 2017
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In this introductory level workshop, Jaqxun Darlin, CPM, LDM and Jamarah Amani, LM, explored how providing client-centered care for lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and other queer spectrum clients improves and enhances the care we can provide for all families seeking midwifery care. LGBTQIA individuals face many obstacles to healthcare access including a lack of knowledgeable care providers, other people’s lack of awareness of identity issues, and outright prejudice and discrimination. This leads to underutilization of healthcare and contributes to health disparities and poor outcomes, especially by individuals with intersecting marginalized identities.
As midwives and birth workers, we are in a unique position to offer culturally sensitive care to this client population, while making simple changes that benefit all families we care for, regardless of identity. Information presented in this workshop is practical and evidence based, with resources and tools that will help you up your individualized care game!
Jaqxun Darlin, CPM, LDM is a midwife and educator in Portland, Oregon, at Every Body Midwifery & Health and midwife at the Canyon Medical Center, and is the Director of Professional Development for the Midwives Alliance of North America. Jaqxun has over 15 years of experience providing direct health care to queer and transgender people and educational resources to health care providers and community members.
Jamarah Amani, LM believes in the power of birth and that every baby has a human right to be breastfed/chestfed. Her mission is to do her part to build a movement for Birth Justice locally, nationally and globally. A community organizer from the age of sixteen, Jamarah has worked with several organizations across the United States and in Africa on various public health issues, including HIV prevention, infant mortality risk reduction, access to emergency contraception and access to midwifery care. She is director of Southern Birth Justice Network, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization working to end shackling of incarcerated women who labor and birth in chains.
Further resources on this topic:
Birth For Every Body: Includes links to resources to learn more about gender and birth for patients and providers, including some trainings available for CEUs.
Fenway Institute and the National LGBT Health Education Center: Webinars, learning models and reading on LGBTQ health for providers
UCSF Center for Excellence in Transgender Health: Up-to-date protocols for primary care recommendations and current research
Southern Birth Justice Network: Jamarah Amani’s organization for birth justice through which you can contact her.
To contact Jaqxun Darlin, please email her at everybodymidwifery@gmail.com