2015 LGBT Health Forum
Wed, 15 July, 2015
11:00pm
Accent on the "T":
Taking Stock of Progress in Transgender Health and Rights
Summary
The past couple of years have seen increasing public awareness about transgender people, including the inclusion of transgender characters in television and movie roles and with well-known figures from popular culture coming-out as transgender, most notably Caitlyn Jenner. Transgender rights have seen advances, too, with more states and local governments adding gender identity protections and corporations adding gender identity to their non-discrimination policies. But there is much left to do, particularly in the domain of health. Transgender people still experience dramatically higher rates of homelessness and substance use; more negative health outcomes including higher rates of HIV/AIDS, depression, and anxiety, and have significantly more negative experiences with health care providers than cisgender people. This year’s Forum will provide a dynamic stage in the nation’s capital to debate, educate, and communicate the state of the transgender equality movement, as well as to plot a course for eliminating disparities and achieving equal rights for all regardless of gender identity and expression.
Panel
The 2015 LGBT Health Forum pulled together experts in the field to discuss progress and future actions to be made to advance the health and well-being of transgender people. Speakers and panelists included:
Mara Keisling, Executive Director of the National Center for Transgender Equality
Ilan Meyer, Senior Scholar for Public Policy at the Williams Institute for Sexual Orientation Law and Public Policy at UCLA's School of Law
Naseema Shafi, Deputy Executive Director, Whitman Walker Health