Making HIV services more friendly for transgender people

Introducing… Melody and Sazi

Two activists with advice for improving sexual health services for transgender people.

Step one: Stop religious stigma and discrimination

Melody: We come across numerous community members on a daily basis stating that they've been denied access to HIV treatment or prevention services. This is mainly because service providers, nurses or doctors would use religion as a frame to discriminate against the queer or the trans community, stating that HIV is a punishment from God.

Some of them are at the point of just giving up, not trying to access services anymore.

I've had a few friends and some close family members that that has just been like, I can't. I won't go back. I'd rather die. But then I always try to motivate them to go back, because this might actually save your life.

Step two: Build health care workers’ knowledge

Sazi: Firstly should be empowering the health care workers with the knowledge about such a sick standard because most of the time it becomes also that saying they are not homophobic and not transphobic, just that they lack knowledge.

Step three: Keep patients’ information confidential

Melody: There's a lot of shaming involved because people feel ashamed when they're HIV positive and then also not having that confidentiality when you have tested HIV positive not to have that information kept confidential and your information is leaked. And then one to three. Everybody knows that you're HIV positive.

Step four: Make services inclusive and gender neutral

Sazi: Everything must be just gender neutral whenever accessing services, because whenever we speaking of HIV services is the same criteria for women and men.

Melody: Healthcare providers should firstly have an inclusive intake form that states your preferred name as opposed to your name registered on your identity, documents. So that our community members can feel valued and included.

And then also have gender neutral bathrooms.