Washington D.C., USA, 22-27 July 2012www.aids2012.org

Challenges of Trans Genders in the Black Diaspora

Andrea Lamour-HarringtonMorris Home-Administrative Resource Coordinator

U.S. Positive Women’s Network- Steering CommitteelXX International AIDS Conference

July 22-27, 2012Washington, D,C.

USA

Andrea Lamour-Harrington U.S. Positive Women's Network 1

Washington D.C., USA, 22-27 July 2012www.aids2012.org

Presentation Overview

Landscape of current US HIV Epidemic

Where Is the Data on Trans in the Black Diaspora

National Transgender Discrimination Survey

Trans Genders of Black Diaspora ; Worst Outcomes

Migrants v/s US Citizens

Battling Isolation with Chosen Families

Welcome to the Morris Home

Policy Recommendations

Andrea Lamour-Harrington U.S. Positive Women's Network 2

Washington D.C., USA, 22-27 July 2012www.aids2012.org

Landscape of the current US HIV/AIDS Epidemic

• The CDC reports 1.2 million people in the United States, living with HIV.

• Close to about half of those living with HIV in the U.S. are African-Americans. 

• African Americans only make up 12% of the total U.S. population.

Andrea Lamour-Harrington U.S. Positive Women's Network 3

Washington D.C., USA, 22-27 July 2012www.aids2012.org

Surveillance Data is not uniformly collected on Trans genders in the Black Diaspora living in

the US.

28% 15-42%

Andrea Lamour-Harrington U.S. Positive Women's Network 4

Washington D.C., USA, 22-27 July 2012www.aids2012.org

CDC Acknowledges short falls in data specific to Trans Gender Communities

August 2011, the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention, announced:

“Revising the National System for reporting HIV cases to capture sex assigned at birth. This is to

improve the likelihood of accurately identifying diagnoses of HIV infection among transgender

people.”

Andrea Lamour-Harrington U.S. Positive Women's Network 5

Washington D.C., USA, 22-27 July 2012www.aids2012.org

Factors potentially related to increased HIV risks, add to severity and the invisibility of the epidemic.

•Mental health concerns• Physical abuse• Social isolation•Economic marginalization•Unmet transgender-specific healthcare needs

Andrea Lamour-Harrington U.S. Positive Women's Network 6

Washington D.C., USA, 22-27 July 2012www.aids2012.org

Hardships of being Black, HIV Positive & Transgender in the U.S.

20% of the black respondents are HIV positive. (The general black population's HIV prevalence rate is 2.4 percent.)

32% of black transgender respondents have lost a job because of bias; 48 percent were not hired because of it;

34 percent were living in extreme poverty with household income of less than $10,000 a year

Almost 50 % admitted to selling drugs or performing sex work.

21% of those who were attending school as transgender people had to leave because the harassment was so severe.

41% have been homeless.29% of those who had been in jail or prison reported being physically assaulted. 32 % reported being sexually assaulted.

34% reported not seeking medical attention when injured or sick for fear of being discriminated against in health care settings.

26% of black transgender people are unemployed -- that's three times the rate among the general public and twice that of the rest of the transgender community.

Andrea Lamour-Harrington U.S. Positive Women's Network 7

Washington D.C., USA, 22-27 July 2012www.aids2012.org

Trans Genders in the Black Diaspora encounter even more Pronounced Bias and

Higher Negative Outcomes

• Seeking employment

• Applying for housing

• Traveling

• Emergency care

• Coming out as Trans

•Discloser of HIV Status

•Police Interactions

•Migrant Trans v/s US Citizens

•Isolation -Adoption of Chosen Families

•Praying Together

Andrea Lamour-Harrington U.S. Positive Women's Network 8

Washington D.C., USA, 22-27 July 2012www.aids2012.org

Headlines

“FEDS CHARGE TRANS Woman”

“DA to Investigate Morris Death”

“Police Advisory Commission revives a cold murder case”

Andrea Lamour-Harrington U.S. Positive Women's Network9

Washington D.C., USA, 22-27 July 2012www.aids2012.org

The House of La’mour

Andrea Lamour-Harrington U.S. Positive Women's Network 10

Washington D.C., USA, 22-27 July 2012www.aids2012.org

The Morris HomeIn Memory of Nizah Morris

Established April 2012, Phila Pa 19143

• Safe• Recovery-oriented

environment• For individuals in transition

from one gender to another• Other gender variants • From “the streets” • Shelter programs.

Andrea Lamour-Harrington U.S. Positive Women's Network 11

Washington D.C., USA, 22-27 July 2012www.aids2012.org

I support the policy recommendations of the National Center for Transgender Equality “Blueprint for Equality”

. • Counting Trans people in federal surveys

• Accurate ID to vote & travel

• Equal access to public programs

• Ending trans-violence

Andrea Lamour-Harrington U.S. Positive Women's Network 12

Washington D.C., USA, 22-27 July 2012www.aids2012.org

Thank you. We invite you to Join us at the Black Diaspora Networking Zone in the

Global Village for more discussion on shaping response tochallenges faced by

Trans Genders in the Black Diasporalopezlamour@yahoo.com

References:http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/transgender/http://www.transequality.org/Resources/NCTE_Blueprint_for_Equality2012_FINAL.pdf•http://www.endtransdiscrimination.org/news.html•http://www.thetaskforce.org/•http://transactivists.org/•http://www.thebody.com/content/64513/the-double-burden-of-being-black-and-transgender-i.html•http://news.medill.northwestern.edu/chicago/news.aspx?id=168375

Andrea Lamour-Harrington U.S. Positive Women's Network 13