Trans Communities and Access to HIV/STD Testing

Background: Social support models of community care are integral to increasing the lifespan of trans and gender nonconforming individuals especially in regards to decreasing HIV seroconversion. Trans folks not only have the highest rates of HIV (25%), they also have the highest rates of depression, anxiety, and social stigma especially those whom have intersectional identities. They lack basic needs such as healthcare. All of which inhibit an individual’s ability to make appropriate decisions around safer sex, drugs and alcohol.

Methods: Qualitative research methods were utilized to create transcribed interviews that were analyzed against an extensive literature review.

Results: Results show that there has been a plethora of research on the disparities of trans individuals and access to HIV testing and healthcare. In general there has been little done about these disparities. Trans individuals rarely have the privilege of giving input on a national nor local level about how to change the systems that impact their lack of access. Furthermore any work that has been done is not looking at other sociocultural impacts. If a trans person does not expect to live for seven years then why should they care if they have HIV.

Conclusions:  Conclusion was unilateral that focusing on community driven solutions was imperative. That trans individuals need basic survival needs to be address before being able to access ongoing and longer term health care. Solutions that were created to address this are Rad Care and Embodied Meta Praxis. Rad Care is a fluid theory about how to address these problems and create resiliency through Embodied Meta Praxis. Embodied Meta Praxis is a community based participatory research methodology that is rooted in an advisory board of spokespeople for the communities that have a vested interest in the research. A focus on economic justice is utilized throughout.