Each year, from November 13 – 19, we recognize Transgender Awareness Week to help raise the visibility of transgender people and address issues members of the community face. The week is a time to educate and learn, share stories and experiences, and advance advocacy around the prejudice, discrimination, and violence that affects the transgender community.
We also observe Transgender Day of Remembrance each year on November 20. This day honors the memory of those who have lost their lives to acts of transphobic violence and highlights the transgender community’s power and strength in the face of adversity.
Despite increased visibility, transgender people still face barriers every single day. Discrimination occurs in health care, housing, in the workplace, at school, in restaurants, restrooms, the airport, and in their interactions with law enforcement. Black trans women in particular face higher rates of violence and hate crimes due to the combined forces of racism, misogyny, and transphobia. According to the Human Rights Campaign, 2021 has already seen at least 36 transgender or gender non-conforming people fatally shot or killed. Many more incidences of murder and violence against transgender people go unreported, sometimes due to misgendering of the victim.
Transgender people are Planned Parenthood’s patients, supporters, and staff. We are proud to stand with them and to ensure they have access to quality and compassionate health care. We all deserve to live full, healthy, and authentic lives free from discrimination or judgment.
Planned Parenthood services include cancer screenings, STI testing and treatment, birth control, and gender-affirming hormone therapy, as well as sex education inclusive of transgender people’s identities and experiences. We believe that people of all gender identities and expressions deserve civil and human rights, including the right to high-quality, affordable health care and accurate education and information so they can live full, healthy lives.
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