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By Carlos Diego A. Rozul The HIV and AIDS epidemic has long been attached to the LGBTQI+ community since the early 1980’s. [ 1 ] As of December 2017, the HIV/AIDS and ART Registry of the Philippines has reported that 87% of sexually transmitted cases of HIV are men having sex with men (MSM). [ 2 ] Globally, there is limited data on the prevalence of HIV infection among transgender people as most epidemiological surveillance systems only ask for a person’s sex at birth, making transgender women fall under the MSM category. [ 3 ] A meta-analysis by Baral and colleagues in 2013 [ 4 ] revealed that the average HIV prevalence among trans women in several North American, Latin American, European, and Asian countries was 19.1%, significantly higher than the general population. Other studies, found that transgender persons have higher risk of HIV infection than MSM. [ 5 ] What is the essence of a trans woman? There are many qualities to trans women that make up who they are as a group and ...

By Ruben Jay C. Alvarez Jr. If you happen to be part of the LGBT community and an advocate of diversity and inclusion, you definitely have an idea of one of the spectrums of the rainbow, the transgender people. With all the heat that is going on inside the senate regarding the passing of the Anti-Discrimination Bill and the hatred and bigotry flowing on social media, it is good to have a glimpse on some of the things we need to understand about our friends from the transgender community. We may not have experienced their struggles, but that doesn’t mean we need not be empathetic; that is humanity. I talked to Yanyan and Bubbles, both LoveYourself volunteers, and asked them to share a part of their life with us, plus tell us why the new Victoria Health and Wellness Center that focuses on transgender persons is such a groundbreaking project. When did you realize that you are a transgender woman? Yanyan: I was a late bloomer. Years ago, I experienced depression, which I believed was due...

Lili Elbe was the first recorded trans woman in modern history. Undaunted by stigma and the risks of the operation during her time, her desire to achieve complete sex reassignment ended tragically as she succumbed to infection.  Nevertheless, her pioneering spirit and tremendous courage and love for life is a testament to the indefatigable spirit of transgender people. It is in appreciation of this strength of character that LoveYourself embarks on yet another undertaking with the launch of the Victoria Health and Wellness Center in Malate, the Philippines' first HIV testing and health clinic geared towards transgender people. Who are the Transgender People? Transgenders are people who have a gender identity or expression different from their assigned sex. Transgenders are one of the groups most affected by the HIV epidemic, with worldwide HIV prevalence ranging from 8% up to as high as 68%. [ 1 ] Transgender people worldwide suffer from high levels of stigma, discrimination, and ...