Region Skåne Found Guilty of Discriminating Against Trans Man in HPV Screening Program

The Swedish Discrimination Ombudsman (DO) has ruled that Region Skåne discriminated against a trans man by excluding him from the official HPV screening program, which is currently based exclusively on female personal identification numbers. According to the DO, all individuals with a uterus aged between 23 and 70 should be automatically invited to participate in the screening designed to detect human papillomavirus (HPV), a virus known to cause cervical cell changes that can lead to cancer if untreated. However, because the program only calls people registered with female identification numbers, trans men with male IDs are left out. In this case, Region Skåne informed the trans man that he would need to contact healthcare services himself to receive screening. The DO determined this to be discrimination and also noted further discrimination when the man was falsely assured of automatic follow-up care after the HPV-positive test result. As a remedial measure, the DO has demanded that Region Skåne pay the trans man 35,000 kronor in compensation. Region Skåne has until October 21 to respond to the ruling. This decision emphasizes the need for healthcare systems to adapt their processes to be inclusive of transgender individuals, ensuring equitable access to preventive care regardless of gender identity.