Challenges of Trans Genders in the Black Diaspora

1. Andrea Lamour-Harrington U.S. Positive Women's Network Challenges of Trans Genders in the Black Diaspora Andrea Lamour-Harrington Morris Home-Administrative Resource Coordinator U.S. Positive Women’s Network- Steering Committee lXX International AIDS Conference July 22-27, 2012 Washington, D,C. USA

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

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

4. Andrea Lamour-Harrington U.S. Positive Women's Network Surveillance Data is not uniformly collected on Trans genders in the Black Diaspora living in the US. 28% 15-42%

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

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

7. Andrea Lamour-Harrington U.S. Positive Women's Network Hardships of being Black, HIV Positive & Transgender in the U.S.

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

9. Andrea Lamour-Harrington U.S. Positive Women's Network Headlines “FEDS CHARGE TRANS Woman” “DA to Investigate Morris Death” “Police Advisory Commission revives a cold murder case”

10. Andrea Lamour-Harrington U.S. Positive Women's Network The House of La’mour

11. Andrea Lamour-Harrington U.S. Positive Women's Network The Morris HomeIn Memory of Nizah MorrisEstablished 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.

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

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