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Two Sides of One Coin: Examining passing privilege vis a vis transgender oppression
TEACH 2 is a respondent-driven sampling study of HIV/AIDS and risk behaviors in San Francisco, conducted in 2013. A sample of 233 adult transfemales participated. Univariate and bivariate analyses were conducted to assess the construct of passing privilege vis a vis transgender oppression and racial differences. Transgender oppression includes 9 items across three domains: internalized body dissatisfaction, interpersonal violence, and institutional discrimination.
Transfemales of color (ToC), 68.6% of the sample, report less transgender oppression across 8 out of 9 items compared to White counterparts. ToC reported less incidents of being fired from a job (X2=5.35, p<0.05), being denied housing (X2=7.79, p<0.01), problems with accessing medical services (X2=9.43, p<0.005) all due to their gender identity. ToC also reported being clocked less (X2=12.07, p<0.001), less verbal and physical abuse (X2=6.02, p<0.05; X2=7.20, p<0.01), and less dissatisfaction with their upper and lower body (X2=8.84, p<0.005; X2=5.73, p<0.05).
This study assess passing privilege vis a vis transgender oppression, discussing the intersection of transgender and racial identity. These results suggest that passing privilege may be an important construct in interrogating social mechanisms driving the acquisition of HIV in trans* communities.
Learning Areas:
Diversity and cultureEpidemiology
Public health or related research
Social and behavioral sciences
Learning Objectives:
Describe the construct of passing privilege vis a vis transgender oppression.
Identify racial disparities in transgender oppression.
Demonstrate the salience of intersectionality in multiply oppressed minority health research.
Keyword(s): Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT), Social Justice
Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am a PhD Candidate in Medical Sociology who designed this secondary analysis. This work is part of my dissertation work on the health of transfemales. I am also a Research Coordinator at the San Francisco Department of Public Health working on the first NIH-funded longitudinal study of HIV risk and resilience among transfemale youth.
Any relevant financial relationships? No
I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.