Transgender experiences for extensive HIV study

HUNDREDS of transgender women in Buffalo City Metro who live with HIV will be studied by the The Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC).

Little is known about how many of South Africa’s transgender women have HIV‚ what experiences of stigmatisation they have and what their lives are like – and even how many there are.

The HSRC said this yesterday when it launched its first study of transgender people to hear their stories.

The study aims to recruit 300 transgender people in each of the metropolitan areas of Buffalo City, Cape Town and Johannesburg.

Leigh Ann van der Merwe from Social Health Empowerment (S.H.E.) Feminist Collective in East London said: “The transgender community is very pleased to be part of‚ and support‚ this study because we know it gives us a voice.”

South Africa has the highest number of people living with HIV in the world at 7 million.

The HSRC says it doesn’t know what the prevalence of HIV is among transgender people despite the fact that globally they are at a very high risk of HIV infection.

Communication campaigns on HIV treatment and prevention may not be reaching and influencing transgender women‚ as their experiences of marginalisation and of general life are not well known.

The point of the study is to have proper evidence with which to shape policy and make it easier to include this group in government’s efforts to reduce and treat HIV.

The Human Science Research Council’s Professor Leickness Simbayi, who will lead the study, said it was “an important first step in ensuring that transgender women have a voice – both in terms of how HIV affects transgender women‚ but equally about what can be done to help transgender women to protect themselves”.

The 900 people will be interviewed‚ listened to and given HIV tests‚ TB and other diagnostic tests. —