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Trans Health Priorities
There are many respects in which transgender people have the same health concerns as non-trans people. From a public health policy perspective, however, there are areas in which trans people have specific needs that must be addressed more actively and specifically than they generally are at present.
Fortunately, there is a growing number of transgender-identified public health specialists and allies who are addressing these important issues. NCTE is fortunate to be able to work with some of these great people as part of the National Coalition for LGBT Health’s Disparities Working Group.
As part of this working group, a trans Health Task Force, including NCTE Board Member Diego Sanchez and NCTE Executive Director Mara Keisling, has initiated several projects of great importance. These include facts sheets on FTM Trans Health and MTF Trans Health created for LGBT Health Awareness Week, a briefing on LGBT health issues for six presidential campaigns, and a document called “An Overview of the Top U.S. Transgender Health Priorities,” which was drafted and used to educate LGBT health providers and others.
This priorities document was created with input from a variety of knowledgeable trans people as well as allies, and based on an analysis of existent research. Thirteen primary public health priorities were identified and discussed in the document.
- Violence and Murder Prevention
- HIV/AIDS and other STD Prevention and Treatment
- Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment
- Depression, Suicidal Ideation and Suicide Prevention
- Lack of Health Insurance and Underinsurance
- Lack of Health Insurance Coverage for Trans Health Services
- Gender Identity Disorder (GID) as the Principal Diagnostic Means Determining Access to Trans Health Services
- Lack of FDA approval for Transgender Hormonal Therapy
- Widespread Injection Silicone Use
- The Continuing Misclassification of Sex Reassignment Surgery as "experimental"
- Lack of Training in U.S. Medical Schools for Trans Health Service Delivery and Working with Transgender Patients
- Medical, Mental Health and Substance Abuse Treatment Provider Insensitivity and Hostility to transgender people
- Tobacco Use
NCTE and the authors of this document understand that these are not the only significant health issues facing transgender communities. The issues included were selected because they were significant health issues and they fit into categories from the federal government’s outline for better American health (called Healthy People 2010).
And while each of us may not know trans people who are directly impacted by all of these public health concerns, transgender communities are very broad and varied, and collectively we are impacted greatly by each of these. NCTE will continue to work in coalition on important public health issues like these and others at the national level.
