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Today, two blocks from our office, the National Park Service planned to evict Occupy D.C. protestors in McPherson Square and Freedom Plaza in accordance to a D.C. “no camping” rule. While many protestors have complied with the eviction notices, other demonstrators have ignored the National Park Service and have hunkered down in continued protest.

As reported by Gay City News, transgender people have been central figures from the beginning of the Occupy Movement, adding to a long history transgender people participating in direct actions.

According to Mara Keisling, “Because of this historical participation by transgender people in direct actions, NCTE wants to make sure trans people are well informed as they exercise their free speech and political power.”

The removal of Occupy D.C. encampments comes on the heels of Occupations facing increasing tensions from police authorities across the country, with one DC protestor being Tazed by a Park Police officer yesterday and over four hundred arrests in demonstrations in Oakland, CA and New York, NY last week.

The National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE) welcomes the conversations sparked by the Occupy Movement. Transgender people who face twice the rate of unemployment in the United States are among the 99% who will be well served by efforts to correct the imbalance of economic opportunity and political power in this country.

Keisling said, “From here in the nation’s capital, even when we’ve seen solutions to the problems and inequalities, we’ve seen them ignored. Our economic and political conditions worsen as our country goes in circles about the details of various policies and which powerful interests are in the way. And smart non-violent direct actions can be an equally powerful way to bring attention to policies that can help everyone.”

However, NCTE also urges transgender people and their allies participating to consider the consequences. Participating in direct actions may put transgender people at increased risk of mistreatment, violence, and arrest. This resource, which was co-created with our allies at the Sylvia Rivera Law Project, is a basic guide to understanding a range of factors including detainment procedures, identity documents, and the associated risks participating in a demonstration as an undocumented trans person, or as a trans person with a disability.

Keisling added, “From the Compton Cafeteria riots to Stonewall, transgender people have been at the forefront of our struggle for transgender equality, and the equality of opportunity for others in our country. That isn’t going to change and trans people should be aware of their rights and the risk they take when continuing to advance these rights through direct action.”

OutServe Magazine January 2012 Cover

Despite the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” open transgender military service remains banned due to outdated military medical regulations. Mara Keisling spoke with the author of the article, Katherine Miller, about how to change these regulations. Keisling noted the significant progress federal agencies like the Department of Veterans Affairs have made that could be foundational for the Armed Forces to begin making these changes.

Commenting on the article, Keisling added, “Stories of transgender service members are crucial to getting the military to end this ban. NCTE commends OutServe for telling these important stories, and I am hopeful that this will start the conversations that will lead to social and cultural changes making it safe for anyone who wants to serve our country do so proudly.”

The article, which will go live on Tuesday, January 31, 2012, can be viewed in its entirety at www.outservemag.com.

While the ban on open transgender service exists, NCTE urges current transgender service members to read our guidance issued with the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN) to understand the consequences of coming out.

In his plenary address, HUD Secretary Donovan said:

“I am proud to announce a new Equal Access to Housing Rule that says clearly and unequivocally that LGBT individuals and couples have the right to live where they choose [...] If you are denying HUD housing to people on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity, actual or perceived, you’re discriminating, you’re breaking the law, and you will be held accountable. That’s what equal access means, and that’s what this rule is going to do.”

The new rule makes several urgently needed changes to current federal housing and housing-related programs including: prohibiting owners and operators of federally-funded or federally-insured housing, as well as lenders offering federally-insured mortgages from discriminating based on gender identity or sexual orientation;and clarifying the definition of “family” to ensure that LGBT families are not excluded from HUD programs.

According to Harper Jean Tobin, NCTE Policy Counsel, “this is a major and urgently needed advancement in basic protections for transgender people. NCTE is calling on other federal departments to follow HUD’s common-sense approach and use existing legal authority to prohibit discrimination against LGBT people in the programs they fund and administer. We applaud Secretary Donovan and the Obama Administration for this much needed relief for transgender people.”

Mara Keisling added “We are very pleased that, just as he said at NCTE’s Awards Ceremony in November, HUD has clearly listened to our concerns with earlier drafts of the regulations and made them even stronger.”

In announcing the draft rules early last year, HUD cited The National Transgender Discrimination Survey conducted by NCTE and the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, showing that 19% of transgender and gender non-conforming people had been refused a home or apartment and 11% had been evicted because of their gender identity or expression. The study also showed that 19% of transgender people have been homeless at some point in their lives, and 29% of those had been turned away from homeless shelters and a majority were harassed when they could get in to a shelter.

NCTE’s Executive Director Mara Keisling said, “Access to the most basic health care means that everyone should have it, regardless of whether you can pay a ten or twenty dollar co-pay, and regardless of the religious affiliation of your employer. And that basic health coverage must include full access to preventive care and contraception.”

In a joint letter in December 2011, along with the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force and the National Center for Lesbian Rights, we asked the President to ensure that the religious exemption written into the Affordable Care Act does not deny important services to women. Keisling said, “Discrimination and disrespect has led to some of the worst health outcomes for transgender people. And these so-called ‘conscience clauses’ have allowed private religious beliefs to trump research-based practices, weakening the care given by doctors, and ultimately endangering public health.”

Keisling added, “Because of our concerns, President Obama and U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Sebelius took important steps to help women own their own healthcare decisions, and put science back at the center of medicine.”

Transgender Equality Reception

Friday, January 27, 2012

Blake Room, Level 2, Hilton Baltimore

401 West Pratt St., Baltimore, MD 21201

8:30 PM – 9:30 PM

Register here

Join our board members and staff as we preview what is next for NCTE and for our movement in the coming year. We will also be giving guests an exclusive first-look at the TONI Project (www.transstudents.org), a new online tool for transgender college students. Beverages will be served.

NOTE: You must be registered to attend the Creating Change conference in order to join us at the reception.

If you can’t make the reception, you can also connect with us at our exhibitor table, or at these panels:

Thursday, January 26th

10:00 AM – 11:30 AM
LGBTQ Youth Organizing: From the Intersections OUT!
NCTE Communications Manager Vincent Paolo Villano

Sex Justice Day-Long Institute
NCTE Policy Counsel Harper Jean Tobin

(Note: You must have registered for the day-long institutes to participate)

Friday, January 27th

9:00 AM – 10:30 AM
LGBT Aging Policy: An Overview of the Key Federal Policy Issues Affecting LGBT Older Adults
NCTE Policy Counsel Harper Jean Tobin

9:00 AM – 10:30 AM
Facing Trans*: Transgender Inclusion – Successful Steps at UNC-Charlotte
NCTE Executive Director Mara Keisling

And don’t forget to check out all the other great stuff we have planned including the first-ever Creating Change Lobby Day.

Anyone with a cervix can contract cervical cancer, so this means that lots of trans men and genderqueer/gender nonconforming people are at risk. But because trans people face widespread discrimination from health care providers and insurance plans, they often avoid seeking or cannot access preventive care. According to the National Transgender Discrimination Survey, nearly half (48%) of trans men reported postponing or avoiding preventive care out to fear of discrimination and disrespect. One in five trans men also reported being refused health care because of their gender identity. Cervical cancer is preventable through regular screening and treatment where necessary, which means that trans men who aren’t getting preventive care are likely at greater risk of developing the disease.

Trans men and genderqueer/gender nonconforming people are at risk of developing cervical cancer even if they do not have penetrative sex. The major cause of cervical cancer, the Human Papillomavirus (HPV), is transmitted through genital skin-to-skin contact with anyone who has the virus. This includes oral sex, sex with fingers or hands, genital rubbing, and sex with toys. So if you’re sexually active and you have a cervix, you may be at risk for cervical cancer regardless of who you are and you have sex with.

Here are four ways we can prevent cervical cancer among trans men and genderqueer/gender nonconforming people:

1.      If you have a cervix, keep it healthy. Here’s how:

• If you’re between 9 and 26, you can get vaccinated against most forms of HPV.
• Beginning at age 21 you should get Pap tests every two to three years (even if you’ve been vaccinated, and more frequently if recommended by your doctor), and sexual health screenings every year.
• Get HPV tests when recommended.
• Using condoms, gloves, and other barriers during sex can significantly reduce – but not eliminate - your risk of transmitting HPV and other infections.
• Visit http://www.checkitoutguys.ca for more info on cervical health for trans men. (Note, however, that some information on this site reflects Canadian medical guidelines that differ from those followed by U.S. health care providers.)

2.      Public and private insurance companies should ensure coverage for Pap tests and other preventive health care for transgender men and gender nonconforming people. Starting in late 2012, most plans are required by law to cover these screenings at no cost for individuals. But whether out of confusion or discrimination, trans men frequently have coverage for these crucial preventive screenings rejected by insurance plans. Plans should take steps, as the Medicare program has done, to eliminate these coverage denials. If you have problems with coverage, you can learn about filing an appeal here.

3.      Health care providers should provide culturally competent care. To treat transgender and genderqueer/gender nonconforming patients effectively, providers must be knowledgeable about their unique health needs and be able to communicate with them respectfully. The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) has formally urged OB-GYNs to provide routine treatment and screenings to transgender patients, including Pap tests. OB-GYNs, other providers, and health facility administrators should consult resources such as the ACOG statement and the Joint Commission’s field guide to serving LGBT patients to ensure that these screenings are given routinely, properly, and respectfully.

4.      The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services should continue working to add gender identity questions to federal health surveys. There is currently no data on cervical cancer among trans men. To combat this disease in our community, we need to know more about how it affects us. Data on the rates and demographics of cervical cancer among trans men will help us advocate for more competent health care and health policies.

This blog post was originally submitted as part of the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health’s blog carnival on Cervical Cancer Awareness Month.

As with other medical expenses, anyone seeking to deduct transition-related care from their gross income must be able to document that they incurred these expenses as treatment for a medical condition—in this instance, GID.  For more information about deducting transition-related care from your federal taxes, see NCTE’s factsheet, Federal Taxes and Transgender People: Frequently Asked Questions.

The IRS’s affirmation of this policy marks one of the strongest victories we’ve seen from the Obama Administration.  NCTE applauds the IRS, as well as our colleagues at Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders and the Human Rights Campaign, for their work on this issue.