Trans Women Less Likely to Contract HIV With Gender-Affirming Care

Trans women who seek gender-affirming care are less likely to contract HIV, according to a study posted in The Lancet HIV.The research also revealed that 0.55 percent of trans women in the US contract HIV yearly, and those who didn’t receive gender-affirming care were more socially or economically vulnerable.

“Poor reporting and misgendering trans people has, too often, meant that data on HIV prevalence among trans and gender diverse communities is unreliable,” Matthew Hodson, executive director of Aidsmap, told PinkNews. “Recent reports on new infections among trans women, and HIV incidence among trans men, are helping to build a more accurate picture and highlight that trans people remain more vulnerable to HIV than the general cis population.”

An Aidsmap report also showed that discrimination and stigma contributed to many deaths due to hate crimes and poor access to healthcare. It also showed that 14 percent of trans women are currently living with HIV in the US.

“Trans communities experience high rates of intimate-partner violence, economic dependence, drug use, insecure housing and poor emotional health and are more likely to be involved in sex work,” said Hodson.

In order to help mitigate future cases, he suggest that organizations combine gender-affirming care with sexual health to improve the access needed for preventative medication.

““Trans-led services understand trans bodies and can provide assurance that trans people will be welcomed,” Hodson said. “Combining gender-affirmative healthcare with sexual health can improve engagement and may lead to better uptake of HIV prevention tools such as PrEP.”