Reproductive Justice Framework
Reproductive Justice (RJ) is a framework that emerged from Black women-led and -centered advocacy in the 1990s. It evolved from the effort to broaden the abortion-centered reproductive rights movement of the 1990s by integrating social justice and human rights. RJ applies an intersectional analysis to social issues, which means it demands recognition of the full context of a person’s life and the unique social conditions we each navigate and live within. Consequently, the RJ framework demands centering the voices and experiences of marginalized individuals and communities. It is a necessary and radical framework that has ignited a global movement.
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Discrimination in Healthcare facing Trans and Non-Binary People in Georgia
Moving through the healthcare system can be a difficult or traumatic experience for people who identify as trans and/or gender non-binary (TGNB). The health and overall well-being of TGNB persons in the United States, in the regional South, and in Georgia in particular, are disproportionately adversely affected by stigma and discrimination, which is perpetuated by various institutional and structural systems. The healthcare system is one such system.
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Non Discrimination Protections for TGNB People: An Overview
Legal non-discrimination protections for TGNB folks in employment, healthcare, and day-to-day life are critical to achieving health equity. This is because each of us are affected by social determinants of health, which are the conditions and social factors in which we interact, live, work, play, and worship, and which ultimately have an impact our health and wellbeing. Some examples of social determinants of health include experiences with racism, homophobia, transphobia and other forms of stigma and discrimination, housing instability, access to education, financial instability, and exposure to environmental hazards. SPARK’s approach via the reproductive justice framework is to apply an intersectional analysis and recognize the impact that social determinants have on health. This way, we can work to promote comprehensive policy and systems change that supports the whole person and our diverse and intersecting identities, as individuals and as integral members of our families and communities.
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Policy Recommendations
TGNB folks individuals do not have the same access to healthcare as their cisgender counterparts. There is a healthcare crisis facing TGNB people and it is rooted in and resulting from structural discrimination and inequality. The result is that TGNB folx experience severe health and wellness disparities, which in turn affects enjoyment of life and the ability to work and contribute to one’s families and communities. The situation demands attention and urgency. Recommended Reading: Discrimination in Healthcare against Trans and GNB people in Georgia. We can improve and in some cases save the lives of trans and GNB folx by recognizing and improving the social determinants that ultimately impact trans and GNB people’s health and wellness. In order to make sure every person can live a long, meaningful, autonomous, joyful and healthy life, we must continue to fight for real change to take place throughout the structures and institutions that we all inevitably pass through and interact with.
Resource Guide: Programs, Initiatives, and Organizations that Support and Advocate for Comprehensive Healthcare for Trans and Non-Binary People
Achieving comprehensive, affirming healthcare for transgender and non-binary people in Georgia is an achievable goal that will bring us closer to securing reproductive justice for all. Champions, allies and affected folx who are looking to join the advocacy to achieve improved healthcare outcomes can and should engage with the local and national programs, initiatives and organizations working to improve healthcare navigation and access for TGNB people, including the following: