City of Houston’s TG Task Force: 11/12/08
The City of Houston’s Transgender Task Force met at the TG Center on November 22 to identify strategies for addressing the the cause of the high HIV infection rates at its roots. The next City Task Force meeting will be held on November 12 from 7 to 9 PM at the TG Center.
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The City of Houston has asked Cristan Williams, Director of TFA, to put together a “Task Force” of local transgenders for the purposes of advocating for TG rights, creating equal access to social services, housing, medical care and cultivate funding opportunities for expanding TG services – all in support of reducing the structural mechanisms that are in place that seem to systematically move T- people into situations where they become HIV+, Hep C +, homeless, jailed and drug addicted.
Cristan Williams: ”The transgender community needs an advocate that can work from ‘within the system’. Here are several real-life examples of how the withholding social services really does lead to HIV infection and worse.
A case manager called about a TG who is currently in college, but was about to become homeless. This organization was helping this TG out of a life of sexwork. The case manager reported that the TG had been is school for some time and was doing well. The case manager called me because, even though the organization was willing to pay a shelter to house this transgender, ALL shelters refused her services. So, what will happen is that this TG will become homeless, drop out of college and return to the only option she will then have: sexwork. At that point, she is at high risk of becoming HIV+, Hep C +, wind up in jail, abused and/or drug addicted.
Here is another for instance… Covenant House kicked a TG youth out of their shelter because she was TG. On the streets, she began engaging in sexwork and became HIV+. A completely different TG youth was refused case management for her HIV by Covenant House because she was TG… so she went without healthcare and could have died. Cinnamon (a TG) was murdered just down from Covenant House several years ago. Cinnamon was on the street because no place would house her. Last year, a TG who was HIV+ was allowed to die from lack of emergency care here in Houston. Not long ago, the Star of Hope turned away a TG – forced her back into the streets, where she has not been heard from again.
The Task Force would act to stop all of this in a formal and systematic way.“
If you feel that you would be willing to help and would be willing to engage hostile service providers, systematic barriers and political opposition with a cool head and focused determination, please contact Cristan Williams at 713-520-8586.