PRESS RELEASE
Contact:
Michaé Pulido
michaep@translatinacoalition.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
The TransLatin@ Coalition Responds to the Governor Newsom’s Budget
California must address the specific needs of
trans, gender non-conforming, and intersex (TGI) people
LOS ANGELES, CA - The TransLatin@ Coalition is a national advocacy organization that provides direct supportive services to transgender, gender non-conforming, and intersex (TGI) people in Los Angeles. We applaud Governor Newsom’s proposed budget, as it allocates funding to life-saving services and initiatives for many people and industries, but fails to address how these specific funding sources will specifically cater to benefit the lives of TGI people. The proposed budget must intentionally address the discrimination TGI people face in society and allocate funding that will support TGI communities across the state and be able to change the landscape and livelihood of our community. There is mention of funding allocation for housing, workforce development, health services, and many other social services that TGI people do not have access to. It is important to recognize and understand that TGI people need to be included and have resources allocated if we are going to change the positionality of TGI people in California.
The Williams Institute estimates that in the state of California, at least 220,000 individuals identify as Transgender. TGI people, especially transgender women of color, experience unemployment and poverty at higher rates than the general population. The report The State of Transgender California conducted by The Transgender Law Center in 2008 highlights that “transgender Californians surveyed experience unemployment and poverty at twice the state average. One in four earn wages below the national poverty level. Almost half report some loss of employment as a result of their gender identity.” This report also states that 30% of transgender Californians reported that they have postponed care for illness or preventive care due to disrespect or discrimination from doctors or other health care providers. Over 40% did so because of economic barriers.
Further, The State of Trans Health Study conducted by The TransLatin@ Coalition states that almost 19% of the respondents were homeless or living in temporary housing, while over 50% of the participants reported having experienced anxiety. In the United States Transgender Survey (USTS) where nearly 28,000 transgender individuals in the United States participated in, nearly one-third (29%) of respondents were living in poverty and almost 50% reported have been victims of sexual assault. Many members of the TGI community find ourselves in dire economic situations due to the combination of discrimination accessing life saving and supportive services in emergency and permanent housing, workforce and economic development, health care, mental health, education and spiritual and religious places. Due to these disparities that our community constantly faces in our society, we are forced to engage in underground work which is necessary and vital means of survival which lead us to be criminalized and ultimately incarcerated. In order to address these disparities in our community, there must be opportunities facilitated by our Governor’s administration to ensure that TGI people are supported throughout the multiple initiatives that our Governor and his administration are proposing.
Bamby Salcedo, President / CEO of TransLatin@ Coalition says that “ It's important that the Governor's budget reflects and supports the lives of all Californians. 2020 is the year that our state government understands the importance of being inclusive and invests in TGI lives. We want to make sure that we bring these issues to the forefront and that there is an intentional investment in the lives of our community. There cannot be more excuses, people must understand how institutional violence manifest in our lives. 2020 is the time to invest in our Trans lives!”
To ensure that our community are considered and our issues and needs across the state, The TransLatin@ Coalition is advocating for the creation of a “Transgender Wellness & Equity Fund” across several different CA departments and agencies. These funding recommendations are additions to already existing language, fall under the Governor’s administration, and are critical to the advancement of the TGI community across California. We urge Governor Newsom and his administration to, at a minimum, adjust their Budget and explicitly allocate funds that will support to change the landscape and the livelihood of TGI Californians.
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