Research numbers on Transgender Health

Comment by HELEN BRADY on August 4, 2012 at 10:05am

I guess if you add in the average age of suicidees it would make it quite low, if the 41% rate is correct. But look at the number of people on here and their ages. I didn't transition till 72, have a longevity gene, and could possibly live to 100.

Comment by Molly Vaughan on August 4, 2012 at 12:00pm

Thanks for your response Helen.  I think it is wonderful that you are 72, I hope I get there too!  Unfortunately the suicide rate does have a major impact on the life expectancy and it is part of the reason I want to draw attention to this issue.  Also are the deaths from STD's like AIDs as well as drug use, violence, murder, etc.  I think that as a group here in PE we would not be able to get an over all understanding because of the omission of those who have no internet access or who are not members.  For instance a transwomen I knew just died from blood clots caused by her hormone injections, she was 20, she was not on PE.  I also think the same issue arrises if I just used information from Health Departments since that too would only focus on those who participated in survey's designed by those departments.  I feel though that this would be safest since those numbers would be verified within the department.  I truly hope you get to be 100, that would be fantastic!

Comment by Rachel King on August 4, 2012 at 9:39pm

Molly, quiet applause for the thought behind this project but considering that few trans people make the transition, any and all figures that are published can never be accurate because of the fact of the low % who are openly trans.

It's not like cancer, for instance, in that statistics are able to be verified. Myself for an example, will only tell nursing staff of my being trans, (unless of course I am getting blood tests, where it is essential that my genes be known to staff for accuracy and my sake).

I attend the same medical clinic anyway, so it is an open secret of my being trans because this fact is on file but unless new staff are there, who take me on face value anyway, I am a woman to all.

 

Given this lack of verifiable statistics I hope if you go this path, you will not be attacked for being so inaccurate because I see great merit in visualising such misfortune that so many trans people face.

 

And I am a mere spring chicken of 63, who transitioned at 56 years living under a shadow.

Another one to blow the stats out of the water.

My bet is, 90% of Pe members are above this mythical 37 years of age.

" Only the strong transition," and we're a tough old bunch of birds.

In two year, Helen has beaten the odds twice, hahahaha, gotta love that.

Good luck on your project and your future.

Comment by Molly Vaughan on August 6, 2012 at 2:13pm

Thanks Rachel for you thoughts.  I agree with much of what you said.  Some of the numbers I have seen since posting this have actually been much lower than 36, a few higher.  Its a cloudy idea in some ways, since as you state clearly, some people will not show up on research simply because they choose not to.  Maybe I should just run my project like a political ad and not fact check anything, just go for the most scary number I can find.  Perhaps I can also get a gig with a super PAC then too.  

Comment by Joni Roberta on August 7, 2012 at 12:20am

Molly, good luck with your application. I hope you get the grant and would like to see what you create.

I did some searching tonight but didn't find anything very definitive. But, perhaps you'll find some of the resources I listed helpful.

Comment by Rachel King on August 10, 2012 at 8:01am

Well then Molly, I hope that you can find a way to make this work of yours a viable proposition and something that will stand up to the sceptics because any information that fills in another piece of the puzzle that is being trans, gets my 100% support.and adds to the knowledge we are garnering here on Pe.

You and your work are important.

Comment by Molly Vaughan on August 10, 2012 at 9:03am

Well I still can not get a actual number, but I kind of figure too that as an artist my job is to create discussion and prompt thought.  So as long as I can be as accurate to the information I have I think that I can go with ahead with my idea.  I might focus in on the tragic and horrible suicide rate because that number seems pretty solid.  I also am now considering doing something focusing in on blackmarket silicone injections.  Those statistics are also quite frightening and it is an issue that is never discussed in the public sphere unless there is an arrest of someone doing it, like there was here in Tampa last year.  I think that really only got a lot of attention because the person doing the injections was transgender and the victim was not.  Otherwise it probably would not have been reported on.  Still working on my thoughts right now, lots of work to still do.

Comment by Molly Vaughan on December 19, 2012 at 12:59am

I thought I would just update on this post that I received a grant for this project that will fund me through my initial research in the studio.  In the end with numbers were so hard to solidify that I chose to write my proposal about transgender murders in the US instead.  I found that there are some blocks (blocks, wtf) in major cities where there have been multiple transgender murders, with no arrests.  I am currently trying to find the best way to develop my imagery.  I know that it will use unobjectionable and very easy to read visual language to pull viewers in.  Then I can lead them to the horrible reality of the violence done at the locations I focus on.  I will be unable to travel to these locations but thought that the use of google earth as a way to visit them worked for both the technical access to imagery but also conceptually, since I often feel like I am a satellite outside my body.  Thanks for all the help ladies.  I hope to return to my initial idea perhaps for another project.

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