Racism and transphobia won’t keep these people down.
Petra Eriksson for BuzzFeed News
Navigating health care appointments and insurance while trans can be challenging enough, but it can be especially difficult for trans people of color.
According to the 2015 US Transgender Survey released late last year, one third of respondents who saw a doctor in the past year reported at least one negative experience related to being transgender. In addition to that, 40% of black trans people said they hadn't seen a doctor in the past year because they couldn't afford it while 26% said they didn't see a doctor for fear of being mistreated. These are only two of several factors that contribute to a range of health disparities among black trans people — among them, 19% of black trans women live with HIV compared to 1.4% of all trans people and 0.3% of the US population. Another one: 47% of black trans people have attempted suicide compared to 40% of all trans people and 0.6% of the US population.
For Black History Month, we're sharing the experiences of black trans people across the country in order to highlight the many obstacles they have to overcome just to stay healthy — both mentally and physically. For some extra input, we also spoke to Dr. Andrew Goodman, associate director of medicine at the Callen-Lorde Community Health Center.
Here are their stories:
Fusion / Via giphy.com
"I know I need to go to the dentist but I’m not going to go if they’re not going to use my preferred name."
“I’m working with this dentist. It’s not bad, but it’s not great. The dentist that I’m working with will text me to set up an appointment, and I’ve asked them repeatedly to refer to me by the name that I use and they forget it every time — they’ll still use my government legal name. Even when they see me, they’ll use my legal name but then refer to me with the correct gender. So I’ve ghosted on them a few times, and as a result of that, I know I need to go to the dentist but I’m not going to go if they’re not going to use my preferred name. It’s not a good feeling.”
—Yaz Burrell, 27, Brooklyn, New York, Trans Male
Yaz Burrell
"It went beyond what it seemed like a doctor would be interested in — I felt like an eccentricity when I was in his office."
“The first doctor I went to seemed knowledgeable, but ultimately he made me uncomfortable because he was obsessed with my facial hair and body hair. It went beyond what it seemed like a doctor would be interested in — I felt like an eccentricity when I was in his office. I was going to him to find out about hormone replacement therapy, and for your everyday checkup. After I stopped talking to him, I went about a year-and-a-half without seeing other doctors because I didn’t want to go out on that limb again.”
—Syd Robbie, 34, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Trans Man
Syd Robbie