The need to increase access to trans-inclusive versions of HIV/ST I avoidance and PrEP supply that target multilevel obstacles rooted in cissexism and structural racism is highlighted collectively by this work, according to Dr. Tordoff. The article also highlights the widespread effects of structural racism and cissexism on transgender people, which are practiced at different social and institutional levels and cause socioeconomic disparities as well as unfavorable health outcomes. In order to better understand how these inequities are spread throughout the healthcare system, Brian Minalga, Deputy Director of the Office of HIV/AIDS Network Coordination ( HANC ) at Fred Hutch and coauthor on this study, reviewed 41 significant HIV clinical trials over the previous 30 years. Despite an increase in HIV incidence in trans communities, they have generally been left out of clinical trials. Brian discovered that of the 171, 062 study participants, 1 % were transgender ( 340 ), 94 % of those 1, 340 people identified as transwomen, and 3 % as nonbinary. Trans people therefore do not have the same access to data or interventions based on evidence to guide their medical care as do cisgender people. For instance, some trans people have concerns about how HIV treatment and prevention medicines may impact gender-affirming hormone treatment, according to Brian. However, according to study study designs that fail to adequately include trans people and handle these kinds of study questions, doctors are generally unable to respond to these questions.
Transgender areas are different and heterogeneous, Dr. Tordoff continues. For learning how to better assist these communities, transversal research methods and data disaggregation by gender, race, and ethnicity are essential. She continued,” It’s critical to meaningfully contain trans people who have previously been left out of research in order to improve the overall health and wellbeing of transgendered areas.” Men who have sex with men is now included in the definition of” MSM,” which also includes transgender and gendered men.
Dr. Tordoff concluded by emphasizing that the STARS consulting panel, which includes author Brian Minalga, collaborated on this study on a community-based basis. Since research findings still have the potential to influence clinical encounters and public health decisions that impact trans people ( in Seattle or elsewhere ), community advisory boards like STARS can play significant roles in “addressing power imbalances in secondary data analysis.” Transgender and non-binary areas can also influence how data is interpreted thanks to their involvement in this project, which raises awareness of the significant medical issues that trans people experience.
Check out the most recent statement,” No Data No More: Manifesto to Align HIV Prevention Research with Trans and Gender Diverse Realities,” for HIV academics interested in better matching HIV studies goals with the interests and needs of the transgender community.
