Update on Transgender Studies: Transgender Resources and Neighborhood Space (TRANS) and the Transitions Project

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Update on Transgender StudiesTransgender
Resources and Neighborhood Space (TRANS) and the
Transitions Project

• Jae Sevelius, PhD
• Project Director
• Tooru Nemoto, PhD
• Principal Investigator

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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.

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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.

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TRANS was developed to provide

• Community space
• Health education workshops and support groups
• Referral services
• Outreach
• Special events

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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

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Demographics of current TRANS participants
(preliminary)
MTF (n363) N () FTM (n140) N () Total (n503) 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)
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The Transitions Project

• Capacity Building Assistance for HIV Prevention
  Among Transgender Communities
• Supported by CDC Grant No. U65/CCU924898-02

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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

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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 CDCs DEBI
  program)
• Phone and e-mail TA
• GenderNet Web-based newsletter and network for
  service providers, researchers, and program
  directors

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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)

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For more informationJae Sevelius, PhDProject
Directorj.sevelius_at_ucsf.edu415-597-9183