Monica Jones is a Social Work student at Arizona State University and activist. She is fighting for the rights of Trans Women of Color and needs your support tomorrow November 24th. Read this post from The Best Practices Policy Project for more info on Monica’s advocacy and how to support her here: http://www.bestpracticespolicy.org/2014/11/21/stand-with-monica-jones-november-24-2014/

 By SWRJ Advisory Council member Anita R. Gooding, MSW, LSW

Transgender Day of Remembrance 2014

The annual Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR) is occurring on November 20, 2014. The day is an opportunity to pause and remember trans* persons who were killed because of their identity. TDOR is also a time for advocacy and awareness of issues faced by those in the trans* community. However, responsibility for change and awareness needs to fall on everyone’s shoulders.

In the Philadelphia area alone I have heard three stories of individuals murdered because they were trans* or Gender Non-Conforming. I also recently learned of a 17-year-old trans* male who committed suicide because of stigma, depression, and lack of support. National statistics on trans* violence are staggering. A 2013 report by the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs found that trans* folks were one of the communities most impacted by violence. Their research shows:

Transgender people were:

• 3.32 times as likely to experience police violence as compared to cisgender survivors and victims.
• 2.46 times as likely to experience physical violence by the police compared to cisgender survivors and victims.

Transgender people of color were:

• 2.59 times as likely to experience police violence compared to white cisgender survivors and victims.
• 2.37 times as likely to experience discrimination compared to white cisgender survivors and victims.

Transgender women were:

• 2.90 times as likely to experience police violence as compared to survivors and victims who were not transgender women.
• 2.71 times as likely to experience physical violence by the police as compared to survivors and victims who were not transgender women.
• 2.14 times as likely to experience discrimination as compared to survivors and victims who were not transgender women.

As social workers we are tasked with understanding social diversity, respecting colleagues and consumers, promoting non-discrimination, and encouraging social and political action. The Transgender Day of Remembrance is a reminder that there is a lot of work that needs to be done to promote acceptance of all identities. Social workers can provide clinical support for those coming to terms with their gender identity, and resources to friends and family members of trans* folks. Most important, social workers can create safe, non-judgmental spaces that allow for judgment free exploration of self.

If you would like to learn more about the Transgender Day of Remembrance or participate in a vigil, please visit www.tdor.info.

*Never seen the asterisk before? Check out this website to learn more.

Our friends at Provide are hiring for positions in Alabama and Tennessee. Check them out and go to www.provideaccess.org for more information!

A little about Provide: Founded in 1992, Provide is a national organization working to increase access to abortion in some of the most challenging environments – especially rural communities and Southern and Midwestern states. We believe that anyone who cares for women has a role in ensuring accessible abortion care for all women. To support health and social service providers as they take on that role, we work in three distinct and complementary ways: 1) training physicians and nurses in uterine evacuation skills; 2) advocating for abortion education in nursing schools and professional nursing associations; and 3) training and supporting health and social service providers to offer abortion referrals to patients and clients.

Alabama State Field Coordinator (estimated start date: January 2015)

As a member of Provide’s Referrals Initiative team in Alabama, the State Coordinator will:

• Coordinate state/regional work to increase access to abortion and build state champions as described in Provide’s Conceptual Model for Referrals and Referrals Project plan, working with project leadership and a state-based team through:
• Outreach/assessment: As part of a team, research, identify, assess and recruit training sites and champions among community health, rural health, social services, perinatal health and primary care agencies, focusing on those agencies where there is the most opportunity to promote access through pregnancy options counseling and referrals for agency patients/clients.
• Training: As part of a team, provide introductory training to agency staff in pregnancy options, counseling and referral-making, and other reproductive health information and skills based content using materials developed by Provide.
• Technical Assistance: As part of a team, provide hands-on technical assistance to targeted agencies in the process of integrating or enhancing abortion referrals into their institution’s practice and policies, using the model approach to providing abortion referrals as a guide for establishing site-specific practice goals and for assessing and responding to facilitating factors and barriers.
• Champions: As part of a team, identify, recruit, prepare and mobilize site- and state- champions to promote institutional uptake of pregnancy options counseling and referrals practices and advocate for abortion within their institutions and profession.
• Work closely with the state team to ensure team members are utilized as co-trainers and in outreach, training, follow up/technical assistance, and champion development activities.
• Identify and strengthen abortion provider relationships to inform and include them in any referrals activities of interest.

Tennessee State Field Coordinator (estimated start date: January 2015)
As a member of Provide’s Referrals Initiative team in Tennessee, the State Coordinator will:
Coordinate state/regional work to increase access to abortion and build state champions as described in Provide’s Conceptual Model for Referrals and Referrals Project plan, working with project leadership and a state-based team through:

• Outreach/assessment: As part of a team, research, identify, assess and recruit training sites and champions among community health, rural health, social services, perinatal health and primary care agencies, focusing on those agencies where there is the most opportunity to promote access through pregnancy options counseling and referrals for agency patients/clients.
• Training: As part of a team, provide introductory training to agency staff in pregnancy options, counseling and referral-making, and other reproductive health information and skills based content using materials developed by Provide.
• Technical Assistance: As part of a team, provide hands-on technical assistance to targeted agencies in the process of integrating or enhancing abortion referrals into their institution’s practice and policies, using the model approach to providing abortion referrals as a guide for establishing site-specific practice goals and for assessing and responding to facilitating factors and barriers.
• Champions: As part of a team, identify, recruit, prepare and mobilize site-and state- champions to promote institutional uptake of pregnancy options counseling and referrals practices and advocate for abortion within their institutions and profession.
• Work closely with the state team to ensure team members are utilized as co-trainers and in outreach, training, follow up/technical assistance, and champion development activities.
• Identify and strengthen abortion provider relationships to inform and include them in any referrals activities of interest.

Qualified individuals should send resume, cover letter, and the names and contact information of three references to Provide via email to LaTischa Drake, Program Assistant, at ld at provideaccess.org. Please indicate “Alabama State Coordinator” or “Tennessee State Coordinator” in the subject line of the email.