Planned Parenthood Pasadena and San Gabriel Valley (PPPSGV) is now offering transition-related care through their new TransCare program. The program, launched April 1st, includes general services such as STI testing, wellness exams, and cancer screenings, as well as services tailored to transgender patients, including hormone therapy, assistance with legal name and gender marker changes, and referrals to facilities that provide gender-affirming surgeries.
Transgender people often face unique barriers when attempting to access healthcare. A trans person may fear being misgendered or even harassed by a doctor or nurse, or being denied care simply because of their gender identity. In addition to these concerns, accessing transition-related care can be particularly difficult. According to the National Center for Transgender Equality’s 2015 U.S. Transgender Survey:
Less than half (45%) of respondents reported that they received transition-related health care within 10 miles of their home.
Respondents were three times more likely to have to travel more than 50 miles for transgender-related care than for routine care.
In the San Gabriel Valley, transportation can be especially challenging. Between severe traffic congestion and limited public transportation options, getting from the SGV to a healthcare provider in Los Angeles that offers transition-related care might seem impossible. That's why it's so important that transgender SGV residents can now access competent healthcare without having to travel far.
Learn more:
If you haven't heard, the Westboro Baptist Church (an American church known for its anti-LGBT speech) decided to protest Monday morning (February 25, 2019) at Sequoyah High School where Rose Queen Louise Siskel, a member of the LGBTQ community, attends school. At the same time, Neighborhood Unitarian Universalist Church as well as other local LGBT organizations will be peacefully demonstrating.
This just proves that there are groups with clear intentions of spreading hate and we must continue to spread love and support within the SGV and throughout our nation.
Read the full article by the Pasadena Star News:
Lunar New Year is celebrated across many Asian countries including Vietnam, Laos, China, and Singapore. How does it feel celebrating the new year with your family? (If you celebrate at all.)
For me, as a Chinese American, Chinese culture can sometimes feel distant. My family gets together over a large meal to celebrate the new year for good luck and fortune, and happiness and wealth. You know, all the good prosperous wishes. I reply back to them with a slight bow, "Happy New Year" or "Gung Hay Fat Choy" as I receive hong bao (a red envelope) from aunts and uncles. As far as Mandarin goes, wo bu ke yi jianghua. I sit at dinner with my extended family all around me wondering what would happen had I come out to everyone. The New Year is supposed to be a happy occasion and I'm left wondering if my coming out would be celebrated or silenced? What would they say or would my parents tell anyone at all? Will my parents feel ashamed? I can't quite imagine what would happen but I suppose we'll find out when the time comes.
Being part of the Chinatown parade is more than visibility. Don't get me wrong, it gives us huge exposure to the thousands of people who attend. But to see that I am a part of this collective of fellow API LGBT members & allies also reassures me that I'm not alone. This is why SGV LGBTQ Center exists. It provides a local safe space so I can navigate through understanding who I am and how to be comfortable as I am. I write in hopes of reaching others in the community who are going through, or have gone through, a similar journey. It's quite complex growing up in an Asian community and an Asian household as it is for any other ethnic community. For anyone struggling, please reach out to us because we're here to support you. So many great local orgs including API SGV PFLAG exist to provide resources so we can be at peace with some of the things that may be eating us up inside.
Wishing all of you a Happy New Year.
Cassandra T.