Sebastián León-Giraldo

The project, titled «Transgender Perceptions on Gender Identity Omission in Colombian Death Certificates: A Qualitative Study,» aimed to investigate the barriers and consequences of accurately recording transgender identities on death certificates for the transgender and non-binary communities in Colombia. As the lead qualitative researcher, I designed the methodology, which included semi-structured interviews to gather in-depth insights from a diverse group of participants. This method allowed for flexible and open-ended discussions, enabling participants to share their experiences and perspectives in their own words.

Our research team, funded by Vital Strategies, included community researchers who played a crucial role in connecting with participants and ensuring that the study was culturally sensitive and grounded in real-world experiences. The data collected from the interviews underwent a rigorous coding process, where themes and patterns were identified and analyzed to understand the broader implications of gender identity omission.

The findings of this study will be presented at the Second Transgender Studies Conference in September 2024, highlighting the significant impact of our research. Additionally, we are currently in the process of writing a paper to disseminate the results more broadly, aiming to contribute to policy changes and improved practices in recording gender identities in vital records.