On April 18, NACCHO marked the annual observation of National Transgender HIV Testing Day, which recognizes the importance of routine HIV testing, status awareness, and continued focus on HIV prevention and treatment efforts among transgender and gender non-binary people. HRSA’s HIV/AIDS Bureau has multiple initiatives underway to support transgender individuals living with HIV. Transgender individuals are a critical population served by the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program. Of the more than half a million clients served in 2016, 1.3 percent are transgender. While RWHAP transgender clients have lower rates of viral suppression as compared to the overall RWHAP client population, significant progress has been made in recent years. According to the 2016 RWHAP Annual Client-Level Data Report, 79.4 percent of transgender clients receiving HIV medical care are virally suppressed.
Below are a list of resources you can use year-round to improve service delivery and support for transgender and gender non-binary people in your communities:
- Transgender HIV Testing Toolkit
- Transgender Persons – CDC’s compilation of resources and fact sheets related to transgender health
- Transgender Health – Resource page from Fenway Health
- National LGBT Health Education Center – Program of The Fenway Institute
- Services and Advocacy for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Elders (SAGE) – Organization that provides services and advocacy for LGBT elders
- LGBTQIA+ – Resource with a list of articles, trainings, and online publications compiled by the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Resource Center at the University of California-San Francisco
- All Children-All Families: Benchmarks of LGBTQ Cultural Competency – from the Human Rights Campaign
- Center of Excellence for Transgender Health – Website that includes many resources on transgender health