NSVRC Blogs

The Respect Together library contains some of the freshest and most up to date resources available. These include valuable resources for the Transgender, Nonbinary, and Intersex communities. With over 58,000 unique titles, the library boasts quality research, training materials, audio visual resources, and much more. Check out the titles below, along with the thousands of other great quality resources in the online catalog at www.nsvrclibrary.org.   Bodies and barriers: Queer Activists on Health Edited by Adrian Shanker   LGBT people pervasively experience health disparities, yet many are

  From invisibility to misclassifications and institutional biases, a variety of factors throughout history have prevented both transgender+ and intersex populations from being accurately recorded and studied in the medical field. Broadly speaking, how has that had a long-term effect on health outcomes (particularly sexual health outcomes) for older transgender+ and intersex people that grew up in that era of medical misinformation?   I would say that one of the main outcomes is that we don’t necessarily have a lot of long-term cohort-based studies around the community in general. Because

This is the second excerpt of a two-part interview. Be sure to read the first part here.     Oftentimes, uniformed service is a career people feel a strong passion for or find a sense of purpose and belonging in. When a transgender troop experiences sexual assault while serving and isn’t believed or sufficiently helped by their superiors, what should service providers know about the additional struggle of feeling institutional betrayal on top of sexual trauma?   In August of 2022, I was at the NOVA (National Association for Victims Assistance) Conference in Denver. I was attending a

This is the first excerpt of a two-part interview. Be sure to read the second part here.     SPARTA Pride is a non-profit dedicated to providing assistance to and advocating for current and former transgender members of uniformed services. Could you discuss how health equity, particularly with regard to physical and mental health for sexual violence survivors, is part of your mission?   In our work, we are proud to include all of the uniformed services, which encompasses organizations like NASA and NOAA. We also provide advocacy and support for future warriors and spouses/significant others

  When COVID-19 changed our lives in 2020, it became apparent early on that the burden would fall disproportionately on marginalized communities. While often described as “unprecedented times,” COVID-19 impacted the country on similar lines as pandemics throughout history, placing some individuals at higher risk of exposure, death, and deleterious impacts of infection and isolation. Similar to COVID-19, gender-based violence (GBV), including sexual and domestic violence, may be a result of imbalanced power dynamics and oppression, disproportionately affecting marginalized communities. At the

This is the second excerpt of a two-part interview. Be sure to read the first part here.   How might being a racial minority impact the experiences of a transgender/gender-expansive survivor in incarceration?   Intersectionality plays a role in people’s experience across the board. Whether that person is in detention or outside of detention. In particular, Black transgender women experience some of the highest rates of violence both in and outside of detention. Holding multiple oppressed identities means that if a person is being discriminated against, they’re being discriminated against on

This is the first excerpt of a two-part interview. Be sure to read the second part here.   When transgender/gender-expansive incarcerated people face restrictions on forms of gender expression like being denied the ability to shave or grow out their hair, get gender-affirming undergarments, or the dignity of being recognized by their chosen name instead of their legal name, how does this contribute to an environment that allows or outright encourages sexual harassment and assault?   One of the many challenges that trans and nonbinary people face in detention is a denial of their identity. I

  People self-reporting as transgender and nonbinary make up an increasing percentage of the population, from all ages, races, ethnicities, religions, and socio-economic backgrounds. Trans/nonbinary communities are diverse, with wide-ranging experiences and needs. To meet the needs of transgender communities, sexual assault service providers must learn about how race, immigration status, classism, gender, and more impact those communities. When sexual assault service providers are learning about transgender communities, it is imperative to learn about how race, immigration, class, disability

For the past 27 years, I have worked to respond to and prevent sexual assault. Working with survivors and providing prevention programming in communities provided a solid foundation for my work at the national level for the past 20 years. Before my current position, I worked as NSVRC’s Prevention Director. This position offered an opportunity for me to learn about the many ways health inequity is deeply intertwined with so many societal problems…including sexual abuse, assault, and harassment. This is why I am so proud that, in the first edition of The Resource I’ve overseen as the Director

This is the second excerpt of a two-part interview. Be sure to read the first part here.     Coming out to loved ones as a person with an eating disorder, as a gender-expansive or intersex person, and as a survivor of sexual assault are all moments that can cause intense emotions and an increased sense of vulnerability. For professionals treating clients who have done or continue to need to do all three in their lives, how can they create spaces that are welcoming, honoring of that bravery, and serve as a refuge to turn to when those moments occur?   Some providers want to be overly