Photograph by Bonnie Heath
Mandy Smith, a certified family nurse practitioner, has had their share of difficulties as a queer person working in healthcare. Although Smith, who is nonbinary and uses they/them pronouns, has never experienced any overt hostility, they felt for a long time that being fully true to themselves might compromise their sense of safety at work. Throughout nursing school and later, working in various hospitals, Smith always felt the need to “perform” in front of patients and colleagues.
“That’s been a really interesting part of starting [All Y’all],” Smith says. “Providing affirming care to other people . . . It’s been so affirming for me. I get to show up at work every day as exactly who I am, not holding anything back.”
All Y’all, which opened last September, is one of Atlanta’s first queer-run primary care providers that specializes in gender-affirming care such as gender transition support. While the practice is open to all adult patients, Smith is most passionate about ensuring that transgender individuals have a safe space to receive healthcare.
This is more important than ever in the wake of new anti-trans legislation across the country. Twenty-seven states have now passed laws restricting gender-affirming care for transgender youth, and research by the Human Rights Campaign found that more than half of transgender adults have considered moving states in response to gender-affirming care restrictions.
About 46 percent of All Y’all patients are transgender or gender expansive, and Smith believes that as a nonbinary person themself, they are uniquely well suited to be those patients’ practitioner. “There’s just something about knowing that the person across from you has walked some of the same road you’ve walked,” Smith says. “I think it helps to foster trust and a sense of safety, and for a lot of patients, it’s the first time they’re really getting to experience that in a healthcare setting.”
Since All Y’all launched last year, Smith has built a loyal patient base from neighborhood word of mouth and small community events they have organized. Smith hosts a regular series called “TEA on Tuesday,” where people can learn more about testosterone and estrogen administration (hence the “tea”), view demonstrations, and use practice pads to learn how to inject the hormones. In the long run, Smith hopes to establish a scholarship fund that will support queer-identifying people pursuing careers in healthcare, to help foster the next generation of affirming providers.
While All Y’all will continue providing specialized resources for LGBTQ+ individuals, Smith welcomes all kinds of patients. “A lot of people—regardless of who they are, where they come from—have had traumatizing medical experiences,” they say. “That’s truly where the name [All Y’all] came from. I’m really passionate about taking care of my queer community, but I want to take care of everyone. Everyone deserves to be affirmed.”
This article appears in our May 2025 issue.
