Transcript Drug Use and HIV Risk Behaviors Among Transgender Women

Update on Transgender Studies:
Transgender Resources and
Neighborhood Space (TRANS)
and the Transitions Project
Jae Sevelius, PhD
Project Director
Tooru Nemoto, PhD
Principal Investigator
Defining “transgender”
Transgender individuals do not identify
with the gender they were assigned at
birth, to varying degrees.
 The transgender community includes
diverse individuals with a variety of
gender identities and expressions, and
some may seek means of physical
transformation.

Transgender Resources and
Neighborhood Space (TRANS)
TRANS was developed based on initial
research with 332 male-to-female (MTF)
transgender women of color in San
Francisco.
 Needs included housing, employment,
gender-sensitive and knowledgeable
health care, and emotional support.

TRANS was developed to provide:





Community space
Health education
workshops and
support groups
Referral services
Outreach
Special events
TRANS has expanded to
provide:
Community space and workshops for
female-to-male (FTM) and genderqueer
people
 Support groups for substance use
(TransRecovery)
 Drug Treatment Readiness
Enhancement Program (DTREP)
 Jail outreach

Demographics of current TRANS
participants (preliminary)
MTF
(n=363)
N (%)
FTM
(n=140)
N (%)
Total
(n=503)
N (%)
Housing situation
Housed
Shelter
Institution
Homeless
283 (79)
41 (12)
9 (3)
24 (7)
125 (89)
7 (5)
2 (1)
6 (4)
414 (82)
49 (10)
12 (2)
31 (6)
Education
Less than high school
High school/GED/Tech
Some college
College degree or above
111 (31)
112 (31)
80 (22)
54 (15)
18 (13)
16 (11)
40 (29)
66 (47)
131 (26)
129 (26)
122 (24)
124 (24)
Ever used injection drugs
103 (29)
30 (21)
133 (27)
Ever used hormones
285 (79)
71 (51)
356 (71)
HIV positive
100 (29)
3 (2)
103 (22)
The Transitions Project
Capacity Building Assistance for HIV
Prevention Among Transgender
Communities
Supported by CDC Grant No. U65/CCU924898-02
Mission of the
Transitions Project

To increase the capacity of CBOs and
health departments to provide effective
and culturally competent services to
high risk, racial/ethnic minority
transgender individuals
Technical Assistance (TA)
Services

One-day transgender sensitivity and skills
building workshops for providers
 On-site TA for CDC-funded agencies
implementing adapted interventions (part of
CDC’s DEBI program)
 Phone and e-mail TA
 GenderNet: Web-based newsletter and
network for service providers, researchers,
and program directors
Interventions to be adapted
for transgender communities

Mpowerment (Kegeles et al., 1996)

Sisters Informing Sisters About Topics
on AIDS (SISTA) (DiClemente & Wingood, 1995)

Healthy Relationships (Kalichman et al., 2001)
For more information:
Jae Sevelius, PhD
Project Director
[email protected]
415-597-9183