by: 
Jordan
JordanFriday, December 2, 2011 at 2:25:00 PM EST
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We observe World AIDS Day each and every December 1 to memorialize those who have been lost to AIDS and to disseminate true information about the disease and to destigmatize those who have it. Although anybody can get HIV/AIDS, it has been a major issue among gay males. However, AIDS has also had an impact on the trans community.
From Daily Kos:
Ms. Bushong has managed to stay involved in activism; she is a member of Illinois Alliance For Sound AIDS Policy (IL ASAP), and has chaired Illinois Gender Advocates. She has beaten long odds against her and she is a hero.Helena Bushong was diagnosed with AIDS in 2002. She probably had been HIV+ since 1985. She also has Hepatitis C and is a survivor of spinal cancer.
But she has one hell of a strong backbone.
This past week she was interviewed about being transgender, black and poz. Do yourself a favor and go see what she has to say for herself. The video is not embeddable.
However, not many people are as lucky as Bushong. It is estimated that 27.7% of all male-to-female transfolk have HIV or AIDS, and this could be attributed to several issues.
-Due to economic marginalization, as well as homelessness, sex work often becomes the only option for transwomen; thus, having to risk infection just to be able to survive.
-Due to drug use, there is a higher risk of transwomen being infected by spent needles.
-A tendency to seek body modification from unlicensed entities (ie: pump parties)
Another issue in the trans community is the interaction of AIDS/HIV medication with hormones, one should really check with a physician to see which medications are right for you.
Also, many trans people have experienced homelessness, and shelters are not viable options for many members of the trans community. However, for anyone experiencing homelessness and seropositivity, this can be a very dangerous combination.
The Philadelphia Gay News reports:
This goes on to talk about how shelters may take away medication, may have bedbug infestations which, although generally only a nuisance for some people, can throw a person's body into chaos. Furthermore, shelters may confiscate HIV meds or disallow them at certain times, considering that the regimens for HIV meds may be very restrictive, it is too hard for shelters to work around them.According to the National AIDS Housing Coalition, there are currently more than 140,000 households across the United States in which an HIV-positive individual is struggling with unstable housing. As Philadelphia grapples with an HIV-infection rate five times the national average, the intersection of HIV and housing issues is rapidly coming to the forefront of the discussion on HIV/AIDS in the city.
NAHC cites housing as one of the key factors in ensuring those diagnosed with HIV/AIDS have access to adequate treatment, and identifies housing-assistance programs as being integral in reducing long-term behavior risks for HIV.
Max Ray, an ACT UP activist who’s been involved in the group’s effort to press for funding for HIV housing opportunities, explained that stable housing is essential to proper treatment of the disease, especially considering the conditions that exist at some homeless shelters.
The PGN further reports:
That is 229 Philadelphians who cannot wait for housing. On several occasions, I have protested mayor Michael Nutter's refusal to fund AIDS housing initiatives, even though, in general, it is considerably less expensive to rehouse people into one bedroom apartments than to keep them in a cot in a gymnasium. It is time to end all housing waiting lists, not just for the trans people with AIDS/HIV, not just for people with HIV/AIDS in general, but for everyone, for shelters are an acute and expensive solution.One of the largest combatants to HIV homelessness is the federal Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA), established in 1992.
HOPWA, administered in Philadelphia by the Office of Housing and Community Development, provides housing subsidies for those with the disease who pay more than 50 percent of their monthly income on rent.
OHCD spokesperson Michelle Sonsino Lewis said there are currently 229 Philadelphians on the HOPWA waiting list.
-Jordan Gwendolyn Davis
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