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Archive for ‘Spotlight’

Advocacy: National & Local Pathways

February 6, 2019 | By NAP, News,Spotlight

As part of his State of the Union address Tuesday night, President Trump announced a ten-year plan to end HIV as an epidemic in the United States by 2030.

We agree with the President that now is the time to take intentional steps towards ending HIV transmission through tools such as: U=U, PrEP, and rapid treatment for people diagnosed with HIV. However this administration has targeted communities in ways that worsen the U.S. epidemic, including cuts to the Affordable Care Act, budget cuts in HIV research, and attacking the human rights and safety of transgender people.

Ending the HIV Epidemic: A Plan for America

The four key strategies outlined by Ending the HIV Epidemic: A Plan for America, Diagnose, Treat, Protect, and Respond reflect how far science has advanced in preventing new HIV infections. We are committed to monitor this plan and push for inclusivity in ending the epidemic.

In Nebraska, we have several current legislative opportunities to advance overall health and wellbeing for our community. While these initiatives do not address HIV directly, these important bills provide protections to the LGBTQ communities, which are disproportionately affected by the HIV epidemic.


Warner Chamber at the Nebraska Unicameral
Photo: Nebraska Unicameral Information Office

LB 167 & LB 168 – Conversion therapy

  • Ban advertising and profiting of conversion therapy statewide
    • Conversion therapy means practices or treatments that seek to change an individual’s sexual orientation or gender identity, including efforts to change behaviors or gender expression or to eliminate or reduce sexual or romantic attractions or feelings toward individuals of the same gender.
    • This does not including counseling that provides acceptance, support, and understanding of an individual
  • Classify placing a minor in conversion therapy as child abuse

LB 627 – Prohibit Employment Discrimination

  • Gender identity and expression and sexual orientation will be protected classes, prohibiting employment discrimination

Nebraska AIDS Project is submitting letters in support of both of these legislative bills.

Both of these bills are scheduled for hearings on Thursday, February 7th at 1:30 pm with the Judiciary committee.
We urge you to contact your senator and testify in support of these bills.

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Beyond Pronouns: Trans & HIV+

April 16, 2018 | By Brent Koster, Community,Featured,News,Spotlight

I recently attended a meeting in which a number of public health administrators gathered to collaborate on the concept of reducing sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in the state of Nebraska and I was excited and encouraged when introductions around the room begun by saying your name, your job title and employer, and your preferred pronouns. While the concept of stating preferred pronouns during an introduction is nothing new, I’m always very aware of how providers of health care respond to the increasingly popular trend to share their pronouns as casually and frequently as they share other fundamental truths about themselves, such as their name or employer. It always seems there is at least one person in the room who is new to the concept or reluctant to share something they feel is obvious to a room full of strangers or casual acquaintances, further defining the role that privilege plays in how we see ourselves and the world around us. But the truth is that gender identity is rooted in fundamental truth, regardless of whether your personal gender expression is “obvious” to others around you. As an employee in the public health sector, I know that much has been said and done to increase awareness for trans identities during the past 5-10 years. Public representation is vastly important to increasing awareness and individuals such as Laverne Cox and Caitlyn Jenner, while not representing the trans community as a whole, have given the masses a “face” to associate with normalizing what was once considered an identity associated with shame, or at very least, confusion. As I type this piece, Microsoft Word continues to draw a staggered, green line under the word “trans”, once again reinforcing that there are still miles to go in terms of how we talk to and about trans identities.

Trans women make up one of the fastest-growing populations of individuals newly diagnosed with HIV each year, steadily increasing since 2009. Living in a world that is still struggling to build acceptance for both transgender identities AND people living with HIV, I wondered about the lives and challenges experienced by someone who is both trans and HIV-positive. We asked someone to help us talk about being trans and HIV-positive. We’ll call her Shevett, a pseudonym she selected to protect her identity.

NAP: Briefly describe your experience being diagnosed with HIV for the first time. Was the person caring for you at the time experienced and knowledgeable about HIV? Were there any challenges at that time related to being trans?

Shevett:  I came out as a transgender woman in 1986. I first learned I was HIV positive in 2012. I was initially distraught and allowed the tears to flow but soon realized this is a part of my life now and I have to cope with it. I immediately thought of my older sister who had also been diagnosed as HIV-positive many years ago. I was fortunate to have a loved one who supported me and knew how to guide me from lived experience. I met my current boyfriend around the same time of being diagnosed. He embraced both my Trans and Positive identities and we have been in a loving relationship for nearly six years. In general, I am a very private person so I’ve chosen to disclose my HIV status only to people that are close to me.

NAP: If you are participating in any medical or treatment related to trans care, have you experienced any limitations or side effects in how you positively receive that care on top of HIV care?

Shevett: I am not currently engaged in trans-related medical care due to past experience with adverse side effects of hormone therapy. I don’t feel like I’ve experienced any barriers with health providers in relationship to either my trans or HIV-positive status.

(note that this may largely be linked to establishing care with providers who are well-informed on trans issues and HIV, this experience may not be the same for everyone)

NAP: What would you say the most interesting or difficult social stigma issues have been as it pertains to being trans and HIV+ ?

Shevett: I was fortunate to have a network of supportive friends, family, and romantic partners but I acknowledge that not everyone is so lucky. Many people face workplace and housing discrimination for being Trans and/or HIV positive. Due to the lack of awareness in the community, some family members, friends, and sexual partners will not take the news well when they learn that someone they love is Trans and/or HIV positive. The violence against the transgender community creates a constant fear for survival.

NAP: Anything else you’d like to share?

Shevett: I have a message for young, trans women today who tested positive and that is “keep your head held high and keep on living a fabulous life”. No matter who you are or how you identify, it is not our place to judge someone for who they are or what they have experienced. Lastly, I’d encourage everyone to get tested and protect yourself.

 

Wednesday, April 18th is National Transgender HIV Testing Day. Visit any NAP test site to get tested, scheduling is easy and can be done 24/7 with online access.

 

London Woolman is the Interim Executive Director of the Nebraska AIDS Project.

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How To Be A Trans Ally – Don’t be Weird. Be Normal.

March 26, 2018 | By Aubrey Ludwig, Community,News,Spotlight

I was asked to help contribute to this blog entry about “How to Be A Trans Ally”, and I sat down, wrote, rewrote, and really struggled with completing the task. What could I possibly write that hasn’t been written dozens of times before? What’s the shortest, clearest, easiest way to get my point of view across, and what did I want the main message to be? Here’s where I’ve landed – I don’t feel that figuring out how to treat a Transgender person is some big mystery at all. How can you act as a Trans ally? Well, in my opinion, it’s simply this- just treat me, and any other Trans person, and their gender identity just like any other person, or persons on the street. Be cool, be respectful, acknowledge it, and then go about the day. My gender identity is a factor in my life but isn’t the end all be all of who I am nor does it define me as a person any more than a cis gender person’s gender identity defines them. At the risk of basically just saying “Hey guys, just treat me like any average person” because of my gender identity, I’ve come up with a few examples that illustrate my point.

Accepting Penny as Penny
So, I guess I’ll start with a question- How often in conversations with a cis gender person do questions about that individual’s body, gender identity, pronouns, or any personal information come up? I’d venture a guess and say, not very often. I’d suggest steering away from that type of subject matter with a trans person as well. If you do feel that you’re unclear about which pronouns to use, or how to address someone, the best thing you can do is just ask them. Once you’ve been informed don’t bring it up again, or ask a bunch of questions, that person has just told you how they’d like to be addressed so just follow their lead. It’s only slightly different from having a cis gender friend whose name is Penelope but goes by Penny. Nobody digs at Penny. No further questions are asked. It’s just accepted, it’s just Penny.

“What’s Real?”
Continuing with this example of your cis gender friend Penny, you know her, you accept her, you address her as she’s asked you to, and you respect her. I’m sure that you wouldn’t ask Penny invasive questions about her body, or appearance? Questions like, if she’s wearing extensions, or if she’s had any alterations to her body. You probably just look at her and say, “Yep, that’s Penny.”  I’d suggest using the same approach when it comes to a trans individual. You may feel that some of these questions are harmless, but in my experience when I’ve been questioned about my appearance it feels as though someone is saying to me, “What parts of you are real, and which have you altered to give the appearance of being a woman?” My hair, my eyelashes, and my body do not define or make up my womanhood in any way, and if you were to take those things away I’d still be a woman. It’s all real when it comes to what’s on the interior, and I am a “real” woman – same as cis gender Penny.

This Isn’t the Most Interesting Thing About Me
Every morning when I wake up, I’m aware of my gender identity. I know that I’m a woman in the same way that good ol’ cis gender Penny wakes up and knows she is a woman. Being trans isn’t something I feel any shame about, but it’s also something I don’t want to have to acknowledge regularly for your benefit. I do not want or need to have daily conversations about it because it’s only one factor of my life. Being trans doesn’t put a limit on what I can and can not do; who I’m able to be;  what I am able to do, and it’s not even the most interesting thing about me. At the end of the day, my gender identity is pretty irrelevant. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a woman, and I’m very happy and proud to be one, but being a trans woman shouldn’t raise your barriers, open up any other line of questioning, or result in treatment that you wouldn’t apply to any cis woman.

Don’t be Weird, Be Normal
Everyone’s got their own sack of rocks. Every day is a little different – somedays you barely notice the weight, and other days the weight is so overwhelming it feels like it’s going to drag you down to depths you don’t want to even think about. My baggage is not the same as yours, but we all have rough days. Approach me the same way you’d want someone to approach, handle, and discuss whichever sack of rocks you happen to be carrying. Everyone is going to have a slightly different take and these suggestions are mine-only. I’m not speaking for any other transgender person…there isn’t one “transgender experience” umbrella that we all fall under, but ultimately I believe the best way to be a trans ally is to treat me/us with the same respect you would any other person. You won’t have to worry about tightrope walking what may or may not be considered offensive. You won’t be reading entries about how to be a trans ally, and maybe we won’t even need to write blogs about what it means to be a “trans ally” because by treating trans folx the same way you would any other cis gender person, you’ll already be one.

For More Information
Trans Day of Visibility (TDOV) is a day dedicated to celebrating the accomplishments and victories of transgender & gender non-conforming people while raising awareness of the work that is still needed to save trans lives.  For more information about TDOV, click here: http://www.transstudent.org/tdov

Events happening locally in Omaha: https://www.facebook.com/tdovomaha/

Aubrey Gartner is a Guest Services Receptionist at the Nebraska AIDS Project office in Omaha.

 

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