Transfolk and U.S. Health Care

This U.S. survey included over 6,400 trans women, trans men, and people imperfectly grouped together as “gender non-conforming,” from all 50 states, plus the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. That makes it really big news, and a really important resource for information.

Sadly but far from surprisingly, there’s a lot of bad news. From the key findings of the report:

• Survey participants reported very high levels of postponing medical care when sick or injured due to discrimination (28%) or inability to afford it (48%);
• Respondents faced significant hurdles to accessing health care, including:
  • Refusal of care: 19% of our sample reported being refused care due to their transgender or gender non-conforming status, with even higher numbers among people of color in the survey;
  • Harassment and violence in medical settings: 28% of respondents were subjected to harassment in medical settings and 2% were victims of violence in doctor’s offices;
  • Lack of provider knowledge: 50% of the sample reported having to teach their medical providers about transgender care;
• Despite the barriers, the majority of survey participants have accessed some form of transition-related medical care; the majority reported wanting to have surgery but have not had any surgeries yet;
• If medical providers were aware of the patient’s transgender status, the likelihood of that person experiencing discrimination increased;
• Respondents reported over four times the national average of HIV infection, 2.64% in our sample compared to .6% in the general population, with rates for transgender women at 3.76%, and with those who are unemployed (4.67%) or who have engaged in sex work (15.32%) even higher;
• Over a quarter of the respondents misused drugs or alcohol specifically to cope with the discrimination they faced due to their gender identity or expression;
• A staggering 41% of respondents reported attempting suicide compared to 1.6% of the general population, with unemployment, low income, and sexual and physical assault raising the risk factors significantly.

  — Feministe

Thought for the day

The point here isn't that [Juan] Williams endorses hate crimes -- he does not. The point is that prejudice, by its very nature, makes broad leaps in logic. Prejudice is not wrong because it is uncivil, impolite or unsympathetic. It is wrong because it is weak thinking. In the case of Williams, it means believing that a terrorist would be so stupid as to board a plane dressed in a dishdasha and clutching the Koran. In the case of Sodi, it meant that all swarthy looking people with turbans are the same.

Finally, it must be said -- in the broader context -- that Juan Williams simply isn't Shirley Sherrod. Juan Williams' father, to my knowledge, was not murdered by anti-American Islamic radicals. Juan Williams did not grow up watching his mother face down the Al'Qaeda on the front porch. Juan Williams did not have his entire life absorbed by the fight against Islamic terror. Juan Williams makes a career amicably discussing bigotry with bigots. Shirley Sherrod made a career, and a life, of confronting bigotry -- perhaps most admirably, her own.

— Ta-Nehisi Coates, "The 'High-Tech Lynching' of Juan Williams"

Three Candidates : Two Platforms

Did my civic duty today. I voted for Joe Pants for mayor.

I ended up waffling a bit on councilor: I've most intended to vote for Mike Layton. I even gave Mike Layton's campaign money. Toward the end of the campaign, I started really liking everything I was hearing about Karen Sun, and I was really torn. In the end, I voted for Layton.

The axe drops

"Rob Ford elected mayor."

Oh shit.

Going all Polyanna

On the positive side, it looks like Mike Layton won Ward 19 by a landslide, with Karen Sun in second place. Sean McCormick trailed.

On the negative side, Rob Fuckin' Ford.

But, on the positive side, I'll get more mileage out of this user icon.

On the negative side, I think Ford plans to start filling in the subway tunnels before the week is over.

On the positive side, a number of dead weights on the council are gone.

On the negative side, Elizabeth Moon is likely to be guest of honour at city hall.

On the positive side, I'm in a really cool ward that still believes in progressive politics (witness Mike Layton and Karen Sun!)

On the negative side, Rob Ford is going to sell Ward 19 to Buffalo to pay down the debt.

On the positive side, roads will be safer for cyclists.

On the negative side, it'll be because there'll be no cyclists.