Why every transgender person should know their HIV/AIDS status
Activist Mallery Jenna Robinson offers words of wisdom and encouragement to the trans Poz community.
This blog will focus on the impact of HIV/AIDS on transgender people. In honor of National Transgender HIV Testing Day (April 18), we explore the changing infection rates in the transgender community and talk about how you can get tested for free.
On April 18, we highlighted one simple way to put yourself first: know your HIV status and learn more about HIV/AIDS in the transgender community. National Transgender HIV Testing Day calls attention to the importance of knowing your status and taking charge of your health. As trans people, we know it can be hard to access healthcare. Skipping it is easier, and so often we just let it slide and hope for the best. But our health and the health of our communities matter.
While many people act as if the AIDS Epidemic is over, many of us in the trans community are living with and affected by HIV. HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) and AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) are part of daily life for us. The epidemic isn’t over!
With that said, HIV/AIDS is not the “death sentence” it once was. New advances in medicine and treatments like PrEP make it possible to live a full, long life with undetectable HIV. According to the CDC, adult and adolescent transgender people made up 2% (601 people) of new HIV diagnoses in the United States. and dependent areas in 2018. That means that HIV is a fact of life for many of us and the folks we love. Awareness helps lower transmission rates, and knowing your status is just one way of taking care of yourself and your community.
HIV/AIDS Transmission Rates Are Dropping in the Trans Community
Historically, transgender people have been one of the groups most affected by HIV/AIDS. Race and gender identity, especially marginalized identities, are a factor as well. Transgender women have one of the highest prevalences of HIV of any group. Most new HIV diagnoses in 2021 were among Black transgender people. According to the CDC, Black transgender women experienced new HIV diagnoses at a rate 5 times higher than white transgender women in 2018, while Hispanic/Latina transgender women experienced new HIV diagnoses at a rate 3 times higher than white transgender women.
While these numbers are high compared to the general population, within the transgender community, HIV infection rates are slowing. In fact, new reports show that HIV infects more heterosexual people and is more virulent—not because more straight people are contracting HIV, but because of a sharp, sustained drop in diagnoses among gay and bisexual men with a 71% fall since 2014.
Plume provider Jazmyn Price (she/her) says, “The past decade is marked by significant progress in creating public/patient awareness and investment in the importance of safe sex practices. This, combined with availability of daily oral PrEP (Pre-exposure prophylaxis) use and its destigmatization has reduced HIV transmission and acquisition rates.”
The best way to prevent HIV is to know your status, test frequently, and practice safer sex and syringe use. Focused awareness campaigns that support transgender HIV testing have helped lower infection rates and help everyone stay healthier. Preventative treatment like PrEP makes a huge difference. For folks taking PrEP daily or consistently (at least 4 times per week), the risk of acquiring HIV is reduced by about 99%. Consistency matters! The efficacy of oral daily PrEP is super dependent on medication adherence. Take PrEP every day, as close to the same time as possible, to ensure you have the best coverage.
Treatment (which may include PrEP) helps HIV-positive (Poz) people remain “undetectable.” Undetectable means that there is so little viral load of HIV in the person’s body that it cannot be measured. Partners should still take precautions, but “undetectable” status means that the chances of transmitting HIV are extremely unlikely.
Where Can I Get Tested and Learn More About My HIV Status?
At this moment, Plume does not have the capacity to order HIV testing. However, you can get a free at-home HIV test any time you want! Here’s a word from transgender and HIV advocate Mallery Jenna Robinson. Mallery (she/her) is an Afro-Caribbean trans woman who has lived with undetectable HIV for over a decade. Listen to her incredible message:
How Does PrEP Work With Gender-Affirming Hormone Therapy?
Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) is a medication that prevents HIV transmission. On this medication, an HIV-negative person has a 1% likelihood of contracting HIV after exposure. We don’t currently prescribe PrEP, but we hope to offer this service in the future! You can check out the Ready, Set, PrEP program to find out if you qualify for free PrEP. If you live in California, you can buy PrEP and its partner medication Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP) at your local pharmacy without a doctor’s prescription or insurance pre-approval.
PrEP can be taken along with the medications that Plume prescribes for gender-affirming hormone therapy (GAHT, sometimes also called HRT or hormone replacement therapy). Your hormones and other prescriptions will work the same and are just as effective. (Folks using PrEP do need to have their kidney function monitored. This isn’t a special test, since we monitor kidney function for some GAHT medications, like spironolactone.)
PrEP doesn’t change the way any of your gender-affirming medications work—and neither does your HIV status. Jazmyn says, “Plume can and does provide GAHT to folks who are HIV-positive and receiving outside HIV treatment. There is no difference in the delivery of gender affirming care for folks who are HIV positive.”
If you’re Poz, we love you and you are welcome at Plume!
National Transgender HIV Testing Day is a great reminder to put yourself first. That means getting tested, knowing your status, and talking about it with the folks you love. Your next step might be an appointment to start PrEP, or learn more about HIV treatment. It might mean following through with routine lab testing, to ensure you’re staying healthy. However you choose to care for yourself—today and everyday—know that your health, happiness, and wellness matter. When you feel good, you make the world a better place—just by being yourself.
Plume provides gender-affirming care to trans and nonbinary people in 37 states across the United States (and growing). Learn more about our services here.
