What we do
Our Trans Health Advocacy program works to help Trans Kentuckians access the healthcare they need, as well as reaffirm our autonomy and community. Our program aims to put a focus on the intersectional barriers Trans Kentuckians face when accessing healthcare such as structural and interpersonal racism, classism, ableism, and sizeism.
Community and Provider EducationUtilizing our community knowledge from over 5 years supporting Trans Kentuckians accessing healthcare and centering skills based bioethics principles like empathetic care, we provide training medical providers and other healthcare workers who want to ensure they are providing the best care to their Trans patients.
We also create resource guides for patients that fill existing resource gaps and provide immediate answers for commonly asked questions like how to get a legal name change in KY, you can find those here. In addition, we coordinate monthly community events that center inter-community discussion and education. You can keep up with our events on social media. 
Advocacy and Emotional SupportWe are here to be a support person through seeking health services. This can include providing resources and recommendations, advice for communicating with providers, or talking to decompress after a difficult healthcare experience.
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Assistance for Gender Affirming ItemsIn addition to funding gender-affirming care, our program recognizes the many ways Trans Kentuckians can find affirmation, including through clothing and items. We purchase these items for Trans Kentuckians include. This includes things like clothing, binders, gaffs, packers, and breast forms.
If you'd like to request financial assistance, fill out this form and we will get to back to you as soon as possible 
Advice and Assistance Navigating InsuranceWhile none of us are lawyers, we all have experience navigating insurance for ourselves and others in our community, and are willing and dedicated to researching and working with you to create a plan for getting your care covered.
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Financial Assistance for Gender Affirming Care
This initiative provides financial support for trans folks who face barriers accessing gender-affirming care. Many trans people face employment and housing discrimination in addition to problems accessing care. The Trans Health Fund at the Kentucky Health Justice Network recognizes these challenges and is getting funds to trans people who need them.
If you'd like to request financial assistance, fill out this form and we will get to back to you as soon as possible 
Legislative AdvocacyThis year we have added a legislative advocacy piece to our work, fighting for legislation that protects the rights of Trans Kentuckians and against the legislation that attempts to cause us harm. You can learn about the bills we're watching this session here.
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Why we do it
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Many medical providers in Kentucky lack knowledge about transgender people's health needs. From results of our 2014 survey and experiences from those in the community, we know that seeking health care is a difficult and often triggering or traumatic experience for trans and gender nonconforming (GNC) individuals.
KHJN, in collaboration with partners like the T STAR Lab, investigates how trans, genderqueer, and gender non-conforming people in Kentucky access healthcare, and how to ensure healthcare is affordable, responsive, respectful, and inclusive for these communities. In TSTAR and Kentucky Health Justice Network's 2014 survey of trans and gender nonconforming or nonbinary Kentuckians, we heard from over 80 people about the barriers they have faced to accessing quality, competent and affordable gender-related and primary care. We conducted this survey to paint a clearer picture of what projects like the National Trans Discrimination Survey already tell us: that we need to do better by our trans siblings. View trans health fact graphics at our Facebook page. |