AIDS 2014

Women who use drugs: Trans women and drugs

Nyah Harwood

Women who use drugs: Trans women and drugs

Nyah HarwoodCentre for social research in health, University

of New South Wales& International Network of Women Who Use

Drugs

HIV Statistics• Trans women have the highest rates of HIV of any group:

– A research project in Rome confirmed HIV seroprevalence rate of 74% among trans women who use drugs

– Also demonstrated that 100% of people in the sample population of travestis and transsexuals were HIV- positive after being in the milieu for more than four years

– Sao Paulo revealed an HIV seroprevalence rate of 78% among travestis who were imprisoned

– 62% HIV seroprevalence rate among trans women in Buenos Aires – Rio de Janeiro indicated 63.8% seroprevalence– Early 1990s Atlanta indicated HIV seroprevalence rates of 68% among trans sex

workers – Sex workers in Lisbon - HIV seroprevalence rate = 46.4% – Sex working trans women who use drugs in Sydney 21% (pre 2000)

(Namaste, 2000)

Epistemic violence and erasure

• Erasure of trans people • Social justice/harm reduction interventions– formulated around the perspectives of the most

marginalised

Shared goals

• Bodily autonomy– Access to ‘treatment’/medical care without

pathologisation– De/criminalisation– (bio)medicalisation/(de)pathologisation • DSM IV - Gender Identity Dysphoria• Substance abuse (disorder) • sex work

What can be done - (not so) Human Rights (?)

• “the matrix of gender relations is prior to the emergence of the "human”” (Butler, 1993). – In this way, one cannot be human without first

being ascribed a gender.

Conclusion

Critical thought in regards to the issue of sex/gender must be interwoven in the formulation of harm reduction praxis and not just an afterthought.