Center Voices

ANALYSIS &

INSIGHT

Data from the Los Angeles Police Department indicate a 21 percent decrease of reported crimes involving a transgender victim in 2020 as compared to the previous year. The drop could be attributed to trans victims’ fear of law enforcement. Additionally, people who identify as trans often deal with additional hurdles, as reported by Crosstown:

Excerpt: “Many from the communities we serve, that of the most marginalized— homeless, low-income, trans, queer, Black/Brown—have hesitation in seeking justice through the legal system. They’ve seen someone they know who didn’t have the best experience or they didn’t have the best experience themselves in the past. I think we can do better when it comes to protecting and servicing trans women of color.” SKYLAR MYERS

Client Advocate, Anti-Violence Project Legal Services

Read more at bit.ly/antilgbtqbias

Like other populations, many LGBT Latinx people may discover challenges when coming out, whether to themselves or to their families. The Center is available to help—some of the programs and services can be provided in Spanish—as reported by KVEA-TV Telemundo:

Excerpt: “I want you to know that tomorrow is better. Give yourself a chance to be happy. There are always options, and there will always be people who care and see you. Please, if you can do one thing, go to the internet and look for the Center. Find the programs we have, find our number, and call us because we are here. You are not alone.”

ERICA E. RODRIGUEZ, AMFT

The pandemic’s effect on the transgender community, compared to the broader public, is unequal. Virtual platforms, such as Zoom, have made it simpler for members of the Center’s Trans* Lounge programming to connect with each other globally, as reported by Los Angeles Magazine:

Excerpt: “Seeing people from all over the world in our online programming just drives home the fact that the struggle is the same everywhere. Not only are we dealing with the pandemic but we’re dealing with our authenticity, our identity, our visibility, our access to healthcare… and we’re under political assault.”

Read more at bit.ly/pandemictrans GINA BIGHAM

Manager of Trans* Lounge & Education Empowerment Programs Cultural Arts

The Center and its research partners announced the release of their groundbreaking report on health research priorities among transgender and non-binary communities nationwide. Providing better healthcare to these communities should be a priority, as discussed in Channel Q’s The Morning Beat with AJ and Mikalah:

Excerpt: “Historically, the little research that has been done in the trans population has been focused on HIV, sexual risk behavior, and some suicidality. That is such a narrow, limited, and flat focus on a community that is so complex and diverse in so many ways. What is important about this study is that we are asking trans and non-binary folks: What are their health concerns? What areas would they like to see studied? And what we learned is that they have this very broad and holistic notion of what health is and what healthcare is to them.” RISA FLYNN Director of Research Health Services