According to a new study published in The Lancet HIV, transgender women who receive gender-affirming medical care are less likely to contract and transmit HIV. Led by Dr. Andrea Wirtz of John Hopkins University, researchers followed 1,312 HIV-negative trans women in-person and online in six U.S. cities, including Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Miami, New York City, and Washington, DC, and through a digital mode in 72 smaller eastern and southern U.S. cities. The study revealed that about one in 200 trans women in the U.S. contract the immunodeficiency virus each year.
The study also found that study participants who sought gender-affirming and transition care were less likely to contract HIV or to die during the study. Researchers attributed this finding to the medical support that accompanies those services, which decreased women’s risks of HIV and death. However, the research also revealed that Black women were more likely to contract HIV over the course of the study. Latinx trans women and trans women who had been arrested within the last 12 months also had a higher incidence of death.
Risk factors that increased the likelihood of HIV and death included stimulant drug use, being in a relationship with a cisgender man, and living in the South. The study’s findings suggest a deficit of HIV education and access to medication, as nine women died annually from circumstances including murder and suicide, overdose, cardiac arrest, another health condition, and unknown causes. None of the deaths were related to HIV.
According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), as of 2019, 19 percent of new HIV diagnoses were among cisgender and trans women, and an estimated 14% of trans women in the U.S. are now living with HIV. The Human Rights Campaign calculates that trans women are almost 49 times more likely to test positive for HIV than the general population. Researchers said the study was a chance, beyond their focus on HIV prevention, to address those indicated risk factors as part of a holistic approach to help vulnerable populations.
As the study highlights, a singular focus on HIV prevention is a missed opportunity to address other threats to the lives of people prioritized in HIV services and programming. By highlighting the importance of gender-affirming medical care and education for trans women, the research sheds light on the need for more comprehensive healthcare for marginalized communities.
