Changing Cis-tems:
Providing Trans* Affirming &
Inclusive Services
Funding for this project comes from Health Resource Services Administration
Grant No. XXXXXXX

About Us
Founded in 1985, our mission is to provide
services to those who are disenfranchised by,
poverty, HIV/AIDS, homelessness, and/or
gender nonconformity.
Funding for this project comes from
Health Resource Services Administration Grant No. H97HA24965

TransLife Center
TransHealth
TransHousing
TransSafe
TransLegal
TransWorks
.

Gender Binary

Gender Reality

Everyone is Unique
Gender Identity
Gender Expression
Sexual Orientation
Sex Assigned at Birth

Transgender Umbrella
So who is transgender?

Transgender Definitions
Transgender: a person whose sex, gender identity or
gender expression differs from the one assigned to them
at birth.
Transition: The period of time in which a person begins to
live in a gender role which is in accordance with their
internal gender identity. May include period of time where
person begins dressing, hormone therapy or getting
surgery to align their physical self with internal gender
identity.
“Trans” can be shorthand for transgender and
transexual and a number of additional gender-non-conforming
identities.
Source: Keatley, 2008. Killerman, 2013.

Transgender Cisgender
“Transgender” was first used as a way of distinguishing people
with no desire for surgery or hormones from transsexuals
(people who may want to legal and medical support to align
their internal and external gender).
Transgender or Trans* is currently used to include all people
who fall outside of mainstream ideas of gender.
Cis, is a word that is becoming increasingly popular to
describe people who are not trans or gender variant.
Cisgender is a description for a person whose gender identity,
gender expression, and biological sex all align (e.g. man,
masculine, and male).
Source: Keatley, 2008. Killerman, 2013.

The Research Transgender people are disproportionately likely to experience violence in the
home, on the street, and in health care settings (26% report being physically
assaulted at least once)
Transgender people are 4 times as likely as general population to live in
extreme poverty
Transgender people are more likely to be uninsured (19% of study reported
no insurance; among African American increases to 31%) and less likely to
get preventative care (50% reported not being able to afford it).
Recent study of more than 6,400 trans people in US, 41% of respondents
reported attempting suicide (a rate 25 times higher than general population)
CDC data shows new HIV infections among transgender people occur at
almost 3 times that of non-transgender men and 9 times that of non-transgender
women.
SOURCES: 2011 National Healthcare Disparities Report;
Centers for Disease Control, www.cdc.gov/hiv/transgender.pdf, 2011.;
Injustice at Every Turn: A Report of the National Transgender Discrimination Survey, 2011.

A Culture of Inclusion

Inclusion &
Affirmation mean…
Inclusion: Welcoming, respecting and valuing each person’s
unique characteristics and integrating them in an open and
supportive environment which helps build strong clients, employees
and agencies.
Affirmation: To recognize and accept a person as true and valid
and to hold them in positive regard as a member of the
community.

Practice Tips:
A word from the community
Problematic Preferred
Saying “transgendered” or
Transgenders
Transgender or trans
Using language like “sex change,” “pre-op,”
or “post op”
People's surgical status is rarely
appropriate to discuss
Not using a person’s preferred name &
insisting on using legal name
Use name that person prefers
Not using appropriate gender pronoun It’s Okay to ask pronoun preference
(he/his, she/her, or they/them”
Getting called “sir,” “guys,” “buddy” Gendered language should affirm a
persons gender ID
Displaying a judgemental attitude about
a person’s ability to “pass” in affirmed
gender
It’s not your place to judge anyone’s
appearance

Practice Tips:
A word from the community
Problematic Preferred
Outing a person or asking about their
trans status
Respect confidentiality; if you don’t
need to know, don’t ask
Excluding a trans person from services
b/c they are not “ideal” client
Include everyone!
Don’t ask trans client to choose
between hormones or treatment
Hormones are critical to a person’s
health (if they choose)
Work with a transgender person if you
“don’t approve” of trans people
Seek out clinical supervision if you
need support or have feelings about
working with trans people
Allowing staff and other clients to use
transphobic language or treatment
Interrupt transphobia and call it out
Making trans clients responsible for
educating staff
Agencies provide staff training and
education around trans identity

Our Partners

Questions/Comments?
Owen Daniel-McCarter: odaniel-mccarter@chicagohouse.org

Thank You!
Community Advisory Board
Atlantis Hoskin
Danielle Ruys
Aja Fe’Rae Blalark
Keisha Allen
Vickie Lawson
Victoria Archambault
Kourtney Berry
Staff
Josie Lynne Paul, LCSW, Director, TransLife Center
Channyn Parker, TransCare Coordinator, TransLife Center
Owen Daniel-McCarter, Esq, TransLegal Director, TransLife Center
Lex Lawson, TransWorks Coordinator, TransLife Center
Kevin Pleasant, TransHousing Manager, TransLife Center
.

References
Brill, S.,& Pepper, R. (2008). The Transgender Child: A Handbook for Families and
Professionals. San Francisco, CA: Cleis Press.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. HIV Infection Among Transgender People,
2011. www.cdc.gov/hiv/transgender/pdf/transgender.pdf
Garafalo, R., Deleon, J., Osmer, E., Doll, M., Harper, G. Overlooked, misunderstood, and at-risk:
Exploring the lives and HIV risk of ethnic minority male-to-female
transgender youth. Journal of Adolescent Health 2006;38:230-236.
Grant, Jaime M., Lisa A. Mottet, Justin Tanis, Jack Harrison, Jody L. Herman and
Mara Keisling. Injustice at Every Turn: A report of the National Transgender
Discrimination Survey. Washington: National Center for Transgender Equality and
National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, 2011.
Keatley, J. (2008). “Transgender People: Epidemiology and Treatment.” Slide set. Center of
Excellence for Transgender Health University of California, San Francisco.
2011 National Healthcare Disparities Report. January 2012. Agency for Healthcare Research
.
and Quality, Rockville, MD.

References
National Coalition for LGBT Health’s Disparities Working Group. HEALTH PRIORITIES SLIDE
Killerman, Sam. Comprehensive List of LGBTQ Terms & Definitions. It’s
pronouncedmetrosexual.com. Retrieved February 1, 2013 from
http://itspronouncedmetrosexual.com
Live Oak and UCAN (2007). Clinical Philosophy Training Series: Trauma, Violence and Loss, Module 3.
Chicago, IL: Live Oak and UCAN.
British Columbia Ministry of Health (2005). Harm Reduction: A British Columbia Community Guide.
.
British Columbia: Ministry of Health.
Transgender Law Center (2011). 10 Tips for Working with Transgender Patients (Brochure). San
Francisco, CA: Transgender Law Center.
Committee on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual , and Transgender Issues, NASW (2008). Position
Statement, Transgender and Gender Identity Issues. Socialworkers.org. Retrieved
February 1, 2013 from ww.socialworkers.org/da/da2008/finalvoting/do cuments/Transgender%202nd
%20round%20-%20Clean.pdf