State‐Level Transgender‐Specific Policies, Race/Ethnicity, and Use of Medical Gender Affirmation Services among Transgender and Other Gender‐Diverse People in the United States

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/162794/2/milq12467.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/162794/1/milq12467_am.pd

Online Transgender Health Information Seeking: Facilitators, Barriers, and Future Directions

Transgender people face difficulties accessing healthcare from providers, and thus often turn to online sources to seek health information. However, online platforms may not properly support trans health information seeking, and health information found online may be limited in accuracy. To examine how online platforms can best support trans health information seeking, we conducted online focus groups with trans people (n = 26) about their experiences with online health information and their needs and desires for online health information seeking platforms. We found that trans people face both facilitators and barriers to finding accurate, actionable information online. Facilitators include online community discovery, group privacy features, and the dual synchronous and asynchronous nature of online content. Barriers include platform censorship, misinformation, hate speech, and lack of tools to flag inaccurate content. We provide recommendations for how platforms can support trans health information seeking by ensuring that medical information is accurate, accessible, easy to locate, and relevant to a diverse set of trans identities and experiences.University of Michigan MCubed ProgramPeer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/165417/1/AugustaitisOnlineTransHealthInfo.pdfDescription of AugustaitisOnlineTransHealthInfo.pdf : Main articleSEL

Community-Led Response to Address Economic Vulnerability due to COVID-19 with, for, and by Transgender Women of Color: A Qualitative Pilot Evaluation

PURPOSE: Intersectional stigma fuels inequities among transgender women of color, which have been exacerbated by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). This study evaluated a community-led emergency assistance program for transgender women of color. METHODS: We conducted a pilot program evaluation (n=8). RESULTS: Retention was 87.5% over the follow-up. Funds were primarily used for bills, food, and housing. Requesting and receiving funds was described as somewhat to extremely easy. Participants identified the need for economic empowerment components in future programming, specifically gender affirmation, skill-building for education and employment, and entrepreneurial opportunities. CONCLUSION: Findings highlight the need to invest in community-led strategies to address inequities experienced by transgender women of color

Transmission Risk among Youth Living with HIV in the United States

Purpose: HIV treatment as prevention is effective for reducing the risk of HIV transmission and the messaging campaign, undetectable = untransmittable, is gaining recognition. As youth living with HIV (YLWH) who have condomless sex may acquire and potentially transmit other sexually transmitted infections (STIs), the purpose of this study was to assess potential differences in transmission risk of HIV and other STIs among YLWH to inform subsequent HIV and STI prevention efforts. Methods: A cohort of 600 HIV behaviorally infected youth aged 13-24 years who were engaged in medical care completed an audio computer-assisted self-interview including questions about demographics, HIV disclosure, mental health, substance use, and sexual behaviors and beliefs. HIV viral loads and the presence of other STIs were abstracted from medical records. A viral load <200 copies/mL was considered undetectable. Univariate and bivariate analyses were conducted to examine differences by viral load and STIs. Results: Participants were categorized into four groups: (1) undetectable without STIs (55.2%); (2) undetectable with STIs (14.2%); (3) detectable without STIs (22.8%); and (4) detectable with STIs (7.8%). In comparison to the other three groups, youth in the undetectable group with STIs reported more favorable sexual risk reduction attitudes and beliefs, internet use for finding sex partners, anal sex with male partners, and condomless anal sex with male partners. Conclusions: YLWH with undetectable viral loads and other STIs engaged in higher risk behaviors. To realize the promise of the messaging campaign, undetectable = untransmittable, efforts must focus on sustained viral suppression and prevention of STIs among YLWH