The Redrawn Fault Lines of Trans Rights Activism
It鈥檚 clear: We probably shouldn鈥檛 look to the current federal government to protect trans communities鈥攑articularly trans women鈥攆rom sex discrimination.
On Monday鈥攋ust two days before people honored International Women鈥檚 Day, which also reopened conversations about how trans women are often sidelined from discussions around women鈥檚 rights鈥攖he Supreme Court a major trans rights case, deciding to send the case back to lower courts for further consideration. And on Feb. 22, President Donald Trump Barack Obama鈥檚 Title IX mandate, which guided schools to protect trans students鈥 right to access the bathrooms and facilities that match their gender identities.
Kelsey [not her real name], a transgender college student who has not come out, reflected to me on how things have changed since Trump was elected: 鈥淭he whole world outside feels more threatening. In a lot of ways, I鈥檓 glad that I鈥檓 not out, and in a lot of ways, the political landscape is pushing me toward staying in the closet.鈥
The Washington Post Editorial Board : 鈥淭he White House just told transgender students they鈥檙e on their own.鈥
In light of this radical rolling back of trans rights, how can we as individuals, and as communities, support one of the most vulnerable populations in the country? 聽
First, we need to understand the full scope of what鈥檚 at stake. The mental and physical health of transgender students is at immediate risk. Transgender hotlines are experiencing in crisis calls. Transgender and gender nonconforming individuals are at exceedingly high risk of depression and suicide, with 41 percent reporting that they have at least once, nearly nine times the national rate, according to the Williams Institute. Moreover, at least seven trans people鈥攁ll women of color鈥 in the first two months of 2017 alone. The future for trans people, in other words, looks increasingly bleak.
Many were looking to Supreme Court case for hope, as a last chance to override 国产视频 action and to expand transgender rights. Yet as was made plain , we can鈥檛 rely on the courts to solve all of our Trump troubles.
Rather, we need to be proactive. As individuals, we need to examine our own role as bystanders and perpetrators, address our blind spots, and identify where we have influence to drive incremental change.
As a health professional, I鈥檓 starting with the healthcare industry, a field that鈥檚 currently wildly under-equipped to meet the needs of the transgender population.
Health care access is often a major issue for transgender people. Rowan Lowden, Outreach Director at the trans health care organization , explained to me that initial obstacles for trans folks include not having insurance, not knowing where to go, or lack of transportation to reach trans-competent health care centers, which may be hours away.
But the challenges don鈥檛 end once a trans individual reaches the doctor鈥檚 office. Horrifyingly, 19 percent of trans people have experienced outright discrimination by being denied health care service due to their transgender status. Even when a trans person finds a physician who will provide care, some 50 percent have reported having to teach their provider about due to widespread lack of training and evidence-based guidelines. Indeed, of medical schools cover sex reassignment surgery and transitioning in their curriculum. According to a study in the , 81 percent of endocrinologists, specialists in treating hormone-related conditions, have never received training on how to care for trans patients.
In my own experience, I鈥檝e been disappointed to find that electronic medical records tend to be inadequate for the needs of transgender patients. Often, gender fields are difficult or impossible to change, there is no distinction between gender identity and legal sex, nowhere to list preferred name or pronouns, and no options beyond male and female.
And even if an office attempts to change gender in their records to match patient鈥檚 gender identities, their well-intentioned action may result in incongruences with insurance claims or medication prescriptions down the pipeline, causing coverage to be withheld.
With all of these obstacles, it鈥檚 no surprise that 28 percent of trans individuals have delayed seeking due to discrimination and 48 percent have postponed care due to an inability to afford it.
Thankfully, there are at least some organizations working to address these barriers. at the Fenway Institute has created and shared resources like a transgender-inclusive that health care practices can use to address issues in medical records. Specialized health care centers like and the in New York City provide trans-competent health services to diverse underserved communities, regardless of ability to pay. For those who don鈥檛 live in cities with transgender health specialists, and are two health startups for trans people鈥攂y trans people鈥攖hat provide a platform for users to find trans-competent health care providers and to read reviews of their services.
It鈥檚 daunting. There鈥檚 a lot of work to be done鈥攊n health care and beyond. As Lowden said, 鈥淚t鈥檚 really hard to do activism at a time like this. It鈥檚 really exhausting. For me, for myself, it鈥檚 not complete terror. There is hope鈥ut this is also exhausting.鈥
But rather than get stuck before we even start, what if we find small ways to infiltrate our industries, our workplaces, our schools, and our communities to make this country safe for trans individuals, particularly trans women? Whether that means donating to organizations working toward these goals or asking our HR departments to incorporate gender-neutral terms, let鈥檚 start identifying ways to champion causes such as trans rights in our everyday actions.
On my agenda: drive initiatives for inclusive health records, bring additional trans health programming to medical school campuses, and encourage current and future physicians I know to learn about trans-competent health care and seek opportunities to provide care to trans people.
What鈥檚 on yours?