Call For Nominations: Regional Steering Committee Members – Apply by 20th Nov (Extended)

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The Asia Pacific Transgender Network (APTN) is a regional network that is working towards the advancement of trans rights in the Asia Pacific region through research and evidence generation, legal, policy and programmatic advocacy, and public campaigning. APTN office was legally established in 2009 and has been operating as a registered entity as a Thai Foundation in Bangkok, Thailand. APTN currently works with more than 15 partners in 12 countries in the region.

APTN is currently seeking to appoint TWO new members to our Regional Steering Committee (RSC). The RSC, together with our Thai Foundation Board, functions as APTN’s primary governance body. RSC members must be from the Asia Pacific region, but can be based anywhere else in the world.


Application Deadline:  16 November 2020 20 November (Extended)

Key responsibilities

The RSC responsibility will be to represent the work of APTN and provide mission-based leadership and strategic governance. While day-to-day operations are led by APTN’s Executive Director (ED), the Board-ED relationship is a partnership, and the appropriate involvement of the Board is both critical and expected. Specific Board Member responsibilities include:

Leadership, governance and oversight

● Serving as a trusted advisor to the ED and guiding the projects based on APTN’s strategic plan.

● Reviewing outcomes and metrics created by APTN for evaluating its impact, and regularly measuring its performance and effectiveness using those metrics; reviewing agenda and supporting materials prior to board and committee meetings.

● Support the Thai Foundation Board in ensuring that fiduciary responsibilities and compliance are met.
● Contributing to an annual performance evaluation of the ED.
● Assisting the ED and RSC Co-chairs in identifying and recruiting other RSC Members.
● Partnering with the ED and other board members to ensure that board resolutions are carried out.
● Serving on committees or task forces and taking on special assignments
● Representing APTN to stakeholders; acting as an ambassador for the organization when assigned.
● Ensuring APTN’s commitment to a diverse board and staff that reflects the communities APTN serves..
● Support the ED in fundraising to carry out APTN’s strategic plan
● Attend at least 95% of all board and assigned committee meetings, including but not limited to; remote calls, physical meeting.
● Takes on a proactive approach and be informed about APTN’s mission, policies, programs and strategic priorities.

Person Specification
● Internationally recognised expertise in trans rights advocacy, with special reference to the Asia-Pacific region.
● Experience in advocating for the rights of trans communities in [a] location[s] of the Asia-Pacific region.
● Succinct understanding of the challenges facing trans people, especially Indigenous non-cisnormative peoples, and strategies for ensuring the fundamental rights and dignity of trans people in the region.
● Experience in national and international advocacy for trans rights, and for interrelated goals of gender justice, reproductive justice, and socioeconomic equality of peoples, with a special underlying emphasis
on SOGIESC issues.
● Proficiency in English, the link language that facilitates interactions across the region, as well as in one or more national languages of any country in the region.

● A strong commitment to policy development, planning and implementation in facilitating the rights of trans and gender-plural peoples.

● A strong commitment to South-South interactions, and locally-grounded approaches to trans rights as well as gender justice and human rights advocacy.
● An understanding of the importance of trans-inclusive intersectional feminist movement-building in the Asia-Pacific region.
● Experience in and commitment to working with people from a multitude of sociocultural backgrounds, nationalities, languages, work ethics, and approaches to gender justice advocacy.

Regional Steering Committee terms/participation
The length of time for Regional Steering Committee Members to serve is three (3) years with an annual rotation of responsibilities of offices. After the end of the first 3-year term, the members will resign and new members will be eselected. A member of the Regional Steering Committee can serve a maximum of two 3-year terms (6-yearso consecutively. Remote board meetings will be held on a monthly basis. Every December, the RSC Meetsc face-to-face Bangkok at the APTN Annual General Meeting and year-end activities. Please note that this is a governance, and therefore does NOT involve a regular remuneration. Costs associated with travel and event participation representing APTN will be provided, as confirmed by APTN.

Please submit your CV, cover letter and the compiled application form to RSC@weareaptn.org by 20 November 2020. Only shortlisted candidates will be notified.
 
Read more details by downloading the application.

DOWNLOAD

Universal Periodic Review: A Joint Report on Transgender Issues

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PRESS RELEASE

Universal Periodic Review: A Joint Report on Transgender Issues

Singapore, 22 October 2020 –  TransgenderSG and Sayoni have collaborated with the Asia Pacific Transgender Network (APTN) to submit a joint stakeholder report to the United Nations, in preparation for Singapore’s third Universal Periodic Review (UPR) in 2021.

The UPR consists of an interactive dialogue between the Human Rights Council and member states about steps taken to advance human rights in their respective societies. Civil society organisations are welcome to submit their own information on relevant human rights issues; this information can be referenced by any of the states taking part in the review.

In previous UPR cycles, Singapore received recommendations to decriminalise sex between men, eliminate media censorship of positive or neutral LGBTI content, and protect LGBTI Singaporeans from discrimination. These recommendations were all noted by the Singaporean government with no steps taken towards implementation.

This joint submission by TransgenderSG, Sayoni and APTN is the first civil society report from Singapore to focus exclusively on transgender issues. The report references data from the first nationwide survey of Singapore’s transgender community, conducted by TransgenderSG, and a research study conducted by Sayoni, and addresses the following key areas of concern:

  1. The difficult process of legal gender recognition (LGR), including the prohibitive cost of required genital surgeries that can go up to SGD$150k for transgender men; such surgeries being unavailable in Singapore; requiring an invasive genital examination for surgical confirmation; the significant medical risks of surgery; the lack of MediSave or insurance coverage; and the violation of bodily autonomy in pressuring transgender Singaporeans to undergo major surgeries they may not want, need or be able to afford at the time. Transgender persons with incongruent legal gender documentation face heightened vulnerability to harassment, discrimination and violence. Lack of LGR is associated with negative mental health outcomes. Only 9.7% of surveyed transgender Singaporeans had managed to change their legal sex, including 53.8% of those who had transitioned more than 10 years ago.
  2. Discrimination, abuse, and restrictions facing transgender students. 77.6% of openly transgender students in TransgenderSG’s survey reported negative experiences in school ranging from bullying to sexual abuse. Less than a third agreed or strongly agreed that they felt safe at school, and only 24% said they had a staff member they could go to for support. School administrators have implemented unreasonable demands that pressure even high-performing transgender students to drop out of school, or sought to prevent them from transitioning or pursuing HRT, sometimes by contacting their healthcare providers without the student’s or their parents’ knowledge or consent.
  3. Discrimination against transgender persons in the employment sector. A joint research study by APTN and Curtin University found that transgender job candidates in Singapore faced the worst discrimination compared to Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam. TransgenderSG’s survey revealed an unemployment rate of 23.5% among transgender people not presently studying, including 14.3% of university graduates. The overall unemployment rate in Singapore was 2.9% over the same period. This affects transgender persons’ abilities not just to provide for themselves but to financially support their parents and other family. It is also a mismanagement of resources for a segment of highly educated Singaporeans to be persistently unemployed or underemployed.
  4. Discrimination and harassment in healthcare settings that discourage transgender persons from seeking necessary general healthcare, particularly in areas of sexual and reproductive health; and limited access to transgender healthcare, including restrictions for those under 21 that have driven transgender youths to dangerous and unregulated avenues to obtain the hormones and surgeries necessary for their well-being.
  5. Access to marriage, decent housing and shelter. Transgender Singaporeans who have transitioned but are unable to change their legal sex end up in a legal limbo where they are unable to marry anyone of any sex. This and restrictions against same-sex marriage lock the majority of trans people out of public HDB housing before the age of 35, and force many in abusive home environments to either tolerate domestic violence or become homeless due to a lack of alternative housing options. To date, only one homeless shelter openly accepts transgender residents.
  6. Violence against transgender or gender non-conforming adults, youths and children including physical, emotional and sexual violence from family members, the public or officials; immunity for actors promoting and practising “conversion therapies” known to lead to lasting psychological harm; and barriers to reporting and gaps in service provision for victims of such violence to seek relief or redress.

The submission also proposes key legislative, policy, and programmatic actions to ensure that the human rights, safety and dignity of transgender people in Singapore are upheld by both state and non-state actors.

“This joint report on transgender rights is the most important document ever produced to understand the impact of violence and discrimination against transgender persons in Singapore,“ said Jean Chong of Sayoni. “While state and non state actors have sometimes paid lip service to the inclusion of trans persons, it is nonetheless difficult to square this with the systemic failure in their policies which leads to the lack of protection for transgender persons. Singapore is a member of the United Nations, and in the Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, it states simply and clearly that, “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.” Trans rights are human rights. Nothing more and nothing less.”

“For a long time, the challenges and struggles facing the transgender community in Singapore have long gone unheard,” said a spokesperson for Transgender SG. “With this report, we want to shed some light on these issues and how even small policy actions can go a long way in enabling trans people here to live safe, fulfilling lives that will benefit not just them but the rest of Singapore.”

Through this joint submission, the coalition hopes to bring greater attention to the multifaceted discriminations experienced by transgender residents of Singapore, and urges the government to take concrete measures to respect, protect and fulfill its human rights obligations towards trans persons. 

Contributing signatories

Transgender SG 

Email: contacttransgendersg@gmail.com | Website: https://transgendersg.com/ 

TransgenderSG maintains an online information hub for the transgender community in Singapore and engages in advocacy work on the national level.


Sayoni 

Email: admin@sayoni.com | Website: www.sayoni.com 

Sayoni is a Singapore-based, feminist, volunteer-run organisation that works to uphold human rights protections for queer women, including lesbian, bisexual and transgender women. Sayoni organises and advocates for equality in well-being and dignity regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity/expression and sex characteristics.

Asia Pacific Transgender Network 

Email: samreen.s@weareaptn.org | Website: www.weareaptn.org 

The Asia Pacific Transgender Network (APTN) is a trans-led organisation that engages with a range of partners across Asia and the Pacific to support, organise, and advocate for fundamental human rights including gender identity; access to justice and legal protections; and comprehensive gender-affirming healthcare and policies.

For more information, please contact contacttransgendersg@gmail.com 

Dignity Amidst COVID-19: Trans Youth Leading The Response – Della’s Story

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The COVID-19 pandemic is an unprecedented human crisis that is claiming lives, destroying livelihoods and disrupting economies across the world. With the support of UNAIDS and Aidsfonds, the Asia Pacific Transgender Network (APTN) and Youth LEAD have worked together to increase the visibility and voices of trans and gender diverse youth leaders throughout Asia and the Pacific.

This is the eighth in a series of feature stories about trans youth leaders and the strength they show amidst the challenges of COVID-19. Read the other posts in the series here: APTN x YouthLEAD’s Dignity Amidst COVID-19: Stories of Trans Youth Leaders

Della, a young trans woman activist living with HIV, protecting her community in Indonesia

I am Della from South Sumatra, Indonesia. I am a 23-years old transgender woman and a youth activist for people living with HIV in Indonesia. As a young trans woman living with HIV, I have been actively working in Srikandi Sejati Foundation support group. In this group, I am responsible for providing information related to health service access and guiding other trans women living with HIV throughout the process of accepting themselves and living their everyday life.   

Since I was six years old, I was sure about my gender identity. I used to spend long afternoons playing with my sister, wearing her clothes and feeling like I was a beautiful little girl too. Through the years, my sister has been my best friend; she helped to discover my feminine side and to realise that I was a trans kid. My sister was the first person to accept me as I am, showing me the importance of loving and appreciating myself without caring what others think. She helped me to explain to my parents how I was feeling and tried to make them understand that I was a girl. In the beginning, they rejected the idea and wanted to force me to wear boys’ clothes. Still, my sister was always there to support and protect me. I realised that after showing with confidence to my parents who I was, they started to accept me and support me as well.

My journey as a young trans leader started because of my interest in working with my community. Throughout the years, I have developed a vast network of young trans people that accepted me and came to me for guidance and support. In the beginning, I used to guide and support them because the majority of them were my closest friends. With time, the community has grown and other people started to come to me asking for support. I also learned to identify the needs of my community and realised that HIV was a big issue. So I decided to reach out to organisations and other leaders in Jakarta to learn more about it, and explore other support groups for young trans people living with HIV. After meeting one of the senior leaders in our community, “Debi”, I was invited to come to Jakarta to find better job opportunities. Once I moved to Jakarta, Debi taught me the importance of regularly undergoing STI and HIV testing and introduced me to Srikandi Sejati Foundation, who welcomed and provided me with free HIV testing and counselling.  After realising that I have HIV, I was baffled and sad. I struggled to let my family know about it and felt like I wasn’t ready for this. It took me almost one year to feel cheerful about life again. But through Srikandi Sejati Foundation’s support and guidance, I felt encouraged and empowered to continue with my life. I decided to become a change maker to prevent others from going through my same experience. I started working with Srikandi Sejati Foundation, informing my community on HIV and STI prevention and treatment. Nowadays, I feel so grateful for my life that allows me to use my story to inspire and protect others. I feel lucky and honoured to represent and protect our community in Indonesia.

Young transgender activists leading the response to COVID-19 

The COVID-19 pandemic has devastating economic impact on the trans community. Most of us work as sex workers or buskers (street performers) on the streets, and since the outbreak of COVID-19 and subsequent lockdowns, there are no customers. We are not allowed to go out to the streets, and most of my friends can’t afford to pay their rents and daily expenses. 

There are additional challenges for those of us who are living with HIV. Even though I never had any difficulty in accessing my medicines or medical services, and the government is making significant efforts to keep providing access to HIV treatment and medical check-ups, many of my friends cannot afford transportation to the medical centres to receive treatment. 

Together with Srikandi Sejati Foundation and the support from APTN through  its Aidsfonds COVID-19 response fund, we have been able to distribute food, hand sanitisers and masks, and provide some funding for travelling to access HIV treatment and medical check-ups. We have also been providing some workshops on health protocols for young trans women to teach them how to use preventative actions while working and protecting themselves and their clients from the coronavirus. Srikandi Sejati Foundation also worked with support from APTN to help trans women in five districts in DKI Jakarta province. Together, they have positively provided access to health services, food resources, adherence to antiretroviral (ARV) drugs consumption, and mental health support. As a result, 30 trans women have benefited from the project to remain empowered and safe during the pandemic. 

Della spreads information on HIV prevention and distributes condoms among her community

The COVID-19 pandemic has reminded our societies how vulnerable humanity is. For the first time, I feel like others understand the difficulties of living with a virus threatening your life. I hope that the pandemic teaches us not to discriminate or reject people for their medical conditions, as viruses don’t differentiate among people. The whole world has put together their efforts to protect their people from this virus. I believe that we can learn from this lesson and in the same way in the future, aim to put global efforts and collaborations towards HIV prevention. 

These recent years have provided incredible life lessons for me. I learned how to be a leader in my community and also how to overcome my fear of stigma and discrimination. As a trans youth leader activist for people living with HIV, I have finally accepted myself and my HIV status. I feel very proud of who I am today and feel very excited about the future and the opportunity of working together with other young trans leaders living with HIV, to protect and support our community. 

For all the young trans people living with HIV, I know that is not an easy process and that it might take you some time to accept your status. But I know that deep down, you have the courage to overcome this situation and reach out for help and support. You are not alone in this, and through the support of your friends, family and community, you will overcome this and will continue with your life. Take care of your bodies, your immune system and your communities. 

Behind closed borders: Resiliency of trans people amidst COVID-19

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In line with the International Day of Action for Trans Depathologization, the Asia Pacific Transgender Network (APTN), ASHM, IHRI and FHI will host a webinar that will facilitate cross-country sharing of health practices, policies and laws, including pathologization that continues to deprive trans people access to gender-affirming and general healthcare and to live authentically as themselves, especially in this times of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Date: 22 October 2020
Time: Bangkok/Jakarta (13:00), Sydney/Melbourne (17:00),Brisbane (16:00), Auckland (19:00), Manila (14:00), Kathmandu (11:45), Colombo (11:30), Suva (18:00)
Duration: 90 mins

AGENDA

  1. Introduction: Joe Wong, Executive Director, APTN; Dr. Darren Russel, Adjunct Professor, Director of Sexual Health, Cairns Sexual Health Service (Australia)

  2. COVID-19 and its social, economical, health, rights and organising impact on trans people
    Moderator:     Kritima (Jemma) Samitpol, IHRI (Thailand)

Dr. Darren Russel, Adjunct Professor, Director of Sexual Health, Cairns Sexual Health Service (Australia)
Alegra Wolter, MD, GWL-INA (Indonesia)
Ar Arcon, Pioneer FTM (Philippines)
Chamindra Weerawardhana, Venasa (Sri Lanka)
Jack Byrne, Trans Health Research Lab, TransAction (New Zealand)
Rukshana Kapali, Trans Rights Collective (Nepal)

  1. Learning from COVID-19 to further optimize trans health: Dr. Nittaya Phanuphak, Director, IHRI (Thailand)
  1. Q&A session

  2. Key insights and takeaway from the region: Matthew Avery, FHI 360

6. Closing: Dr. Darren Russel, Adjunct Professor, Director of Sexual Health, Cairns Sexual Health Service (Australia), Joe Wong, Executive Director, APTN.

Registration is required to join the zoom webinar. Please click on button below to register.

Register Now

About ASHM:

ASHM International provides technical expertise in health workforce development for HIV, viral hepatitis and sexual health. Our specialist team engages globally with governments, non-government organisations, professional societies, community organisations, faith-based organisations and academic institutions. We provide tailored health workforce development and strengthen the capacity of health systems to enable high quality management of blood-borne viruses (BBV) and sexually transmissible infections for all including vulnerable and at higher risk populations.

In response to COVID-19, ASHM established the COVID-19, BBV and Sexual Health Regional Advisory Group. The purpose of the group is to provide health workers, civil society and other sector organisations with guidance during COVID-19. The group also provides a platform through our webinar series for sharing of lessons learnt across the region in maintaining and where possible strengthening HIV, sexual health and BBV prevention, testing, treatment and care during the pandemic.

About FHI 360:

FHI 360 (formerly Family Health International) is an international nonprofit working to improve the health and well-being of people in the United States and around the world. We team with governments and civil society to create jobs, educate children, provide lifesaving health care and bring about positive social change. We do this by using research and evidence to design and deliver programs that increase access to services, change behaviors and improve lives.

FHI 360 is currently implementing The Meeting Targets and Maintaining Epidemic Control (EpiC) project which provides strategic technical assistance and direct service delivery to achieve HIV epidemic control and promote self-reliant management of national HIV programs by improving case finding, prevention, treatment programming and viral load suppression. EpiC also offers technical assistance for emergency, mid-term and longer-term COVID-19 responses in many countries for instance in Africa (Egypt, Eswatini, Liberia, Nigeria), Asia and the Pacific (Fiji, Indonesia, Kiribati, Maldives, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand) and Latin America (El Salvador, Honduras, Panama, Paraguay).

About IHRI:
Institute of HIV Research and Innovation (IHRI) is a non-profit organization who has achieved recognition for its work, including clinical and operational research, policy mobilization and development projects for community health services, at national and international levels. These projects are beneficial to the public as well as the country and the region.

IHRI aims to be a leader in research and innovation concerning prevention of HIV and other health priorities, based on equity and community partnership, in order to advocate for the health-for-all policy changes.

Dignity Amidst COVID-19: Trans Youth Leading The Response – Maya’s Story

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The COVID-19 pandemic is an unprecedented human crisis that is claiming lives, destroying livelihoods and disrupting economies across the world. With the support of UNAIDS and Aidsfonds, the Asia Pacific Transgender Network (APTN) and Youth LEAD have worked together to increase the visibility and voices of trans and gender diverse youth leaders throughout Asia and the Pacific.

This is the seventh in a series of feature stories about trans youth leaders and the strength they show amidst the challenges of COVID-19. Read the other posts in the series here: APTN x YouthLEAD’s Dignity Amidst COVID-19: Stories of Trans Youth Leaders

Maya, a young trans woman living with HIV, using her personal story to advocate and support her community in India

I am Maya, a 27-year-old transgender woman and a trans youth leader activist for people living with HIV. I have been living in Delhi for the past ten years. As a young trans leader, I have been actively seeking equal opportunities and access to medical assistance and fundamental rights among the trans youth community living with HIV. I want to raise my voice and provide my community with awareness on HIV prevention and treatment but at the same time, fight discrimination and stigma against young trans people.

My story as a young trans woman living with HIV hasn’t been particularly easy. Since I was a child, life has put me through challenging situations. I didn’t enjoy the same benefits as other children and never had access to education. However, after facing so much injustice and difficulties, I still believe in fighting for my rights and my survival. When I was 16 years old, I decided to move to Delhi to look for a better life and opportunities because of the rejection and discrimination from my family. In the beginning, I was begging on the streets and working as a sex worker. That time, I felt welcomed and accepted by a community of other young trans women who later became my family and support in life. After feeling unwell for a couple of months, I decided to visit the doctor and realised that I was HIV positive. I tried to go back home to my family, but they didn’t accept me. The rejection and discrimination from my family were tough for me to understand. However, nowadays, and after many years, I can finally say that I have learned to value, appreciate and accept myself as I am. I am grateful and happy to know that my family is doing well, but I have decided to walk my path and have found a second supportive family of friends who love me and accept me for who I am.

This experience has strongly impacted my life because after putting my life at risk, I learned to appreciate my life and protect myself. Through the support of Basera Samajik Sansthan, an organisation that supports and empowers trans people in India,  I have learned how to take care of myself. Through the support of the organisation, I have also been able to access HIV treatment and take care of my health. 

My personal experience and the challenges that I have been through have inspired me to prevent others from going through the same suffering. As a young leader for my community,  I want to protect other trans people and enable them to have a dignified life. Making use of the broad network that I have developed through the past years, I’ve been providing my community in urban and rural areas with STI and HIV awareness and prevention information. Working as a staff member for skills development at the Basera Samajik Sansthan, I have contributed to facilitate HIV treatment to young trans people living with HIV and provide various training to develop their skills in different areas, and in this way give them access to other forms of ensuring their survival.  I believe that the most valuable contribution that I have to give to my community is the moral and mental support for those who are in the process of accepting their HIV status. Through my work, I make sure that they can have the necessary support and guidance to keep moving on with their lives and prevent depression. 

Young transgender activists leading the response to COVID-19 

The COVID-19 pandemic has been one of the worst epidemics in the country. Despite a strong response at the outset of the pandemic, India has the world’s fastest-growing outbreak of COVID-19 in absolute numbers according to WHO, reporting more than 5·6 million infections. While the country is struggling to get its public health management on board, only the privileged are able to access healthcare facilities amidst this global pandemic. The trans community faces susceptibility to infections, weaker immune systems and lack of insurance. Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, our lives have been wholly destabilised. Today, a large number of my friends are putting their lives at risk, exposing themselves as sex workers and begging on the streets to access financial resources and provide for their families. The majority of us have been forced to leave our homes because we couldn’t afford our rent and are left in the streets and exposed to the deadly virus. 

During this period, I have been struggling a lot with my health; the COVID-19 pandemic has made it impossible for me to access my HIV treatment since most of the health centres don’t have the necessary resources to take care of their HIV clients. Most recently, I wasn’t feeling well, having a cold, cough, body aches and fever. Basara Samajik Sansthan took me to the hospital, and after running a COVID-19 test, I was diagnosed positive for COVID-19. I felt fragile and hopeless, but through the support of my community and closest friends, I have overcome this difficulty, and I am ready to help other young trans women going through the same situation. We have been able to grow and face the COVID-19 pandemic as a family. These difficult times have brought our community closer; some of us are sharing our rooms, distributing food and medicine with others. When I got sick, my friends were taking care of me, providing me with food and medicine.

  • Maya, receiving food supplies from the Basera Samajik Sansthan
  • Maya, accessing her medicines for her HIV treatment

Basara Samajik Sansthan has been supporting and taking care of my community.  Through their peer support programme, they have been distributing hand sanitizers and masks, but also giving access to free HIV and COVID-19 testing, which is supported by APTN through its Aidsfonds COVID-19 response fund. Basera Samajik Sansthan’s work has been to contribute to young trans people’s mental health to overcome the difficulties of the pandemic. Their counselling programme, yoga and meditation sessions, have created a space for us to speak out our fears and questions, but also a space to receive support, cheering us up, growing our confidence and reminding us that we are not alone in this process. Basera Samajik Sansthan was able to develop a small campaign in collaboration with a private health centre and provided 35 people with free HIV and COVID-19 testing in India. Solidarity has driven our actions and has also allowed us to survive during the COVID-19 pandemic.  

For all the young trans people living with HIV, please love and accept yourselves; you are in this world to contribute to your community and our society. During this pandemic, stay aware and protect and support your community; remember that together, we are stronger.

Asian Stigma & Discrimination Forum 2020 (Virtual)

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Our Senior Project Manager Raine Cortes will be speaking at the virtual Asian Stigma & Discrimination Forum 2020 on 14 October, a global educational program on strategies to reduce stigma and discrimination around #HIV.

As shown by the significant and increasing reports of cities and countries achieving the 90-90-90 targets and beyond for the majority, HIV is now a treatable infection. However, large groups of individuals either still remain undiagnosed, or are diagnosed but do not seek care. This is likely due to the fear of testing, receiving a positive diagnosis and attending an HIV center and the subsequent #discrimination which either does or is perceived to occur.

Learn how you can challenge and be part of the solution to #stigma and discrimination. 

Read more at: https://www.virology-education.com/…/asian-stigma-discrimi…/

Download the program at: https://www.virology-education.com/…/Program_Stigma-Discrim…

Registration is free for all #healthcare professionals, #advocates, #ngo representatives, #community representatives, and #policymakers.

Register Now

Recording

Virology Education aims at supporting the medical community in the process of discovering, researching, treating and ultimately curing infectious diseases. Our activities include the initiation and organization of real-time and online platforms for international interchange, knowledge-sharing and education for medical professionals.

World Mental Health Day and LGBTIQ’s Webinar

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On the occasion of World Mental Health Month 2020, UNDP Thailand and Equal Asia Foundation is launching Mental Health of LGBTI+ persons Month with a virtual webinar – a panel discussion, community sharing and roadmap for collaborative action.

The COVID 19 pandemic has had a devastating impact on our region and continues to do so. Besides the mortality and morbidity related to the pandemic, the economic slowdown, poor healthcare responses and lockdowns have resulted in historically marginalized communities including LGBTI+ bearing the brunt of this catastrophic event.

In order to respond effectively to this crisis, we need to adopt an intersectional approach that includes policymakers, healthcare providers, academicians, the profit and the non-profit sector. While there is a need to strengthen the supply side of the mental health ecosystem of LGBTI+ persons, it is also important to work on the demand side by destigmatizing mental health.

We hope that this panel will expand the stakeholder conversation around mental health and allied issues of LGBTI persons in Thailand by bringing together diverse perspectives, experiences and solutions.

Provisional Agenda:

10:00 AM – 10:30 AM – Participants logging in to the webinar

10:30 AM 10:40 AM – Welcome participants and objectives of the event (Ryan Figueiredo – Director of Equal AF)

10:40 AM – 10:50 AM – Introductory remarks (Renaud Meyer, Resident Representative – UNDP Thailand)

10:50 AM – 11:45 AM – Panel discussion
Moderated by Peeranee Suparak, SOGIESC and Child Rights Senior Officer, Save the Children

11:45 AM – 12:15 PM – Q & A and reflections (Facilitated by Ravin Ramachandran Nair, EqualAF) 

Panelists

1) Thitiyanun NakphorBoard, member, Asia Pacific Transgender Network (APTN)

2) Ryan Figueiredo, Director, EqualAF

3) Kritipat Chotidhanitsakul, Co Founder of TEAK

4) Priyoth Kittiteerasack -Asst Prof, Mental Health and Psychiatric Nursing Dept, Thammasat University


Registration is required to join the zoom webinar. Please follow the link in the poster below to register.

Register Now

We look forward to everybody participation in this collaborative event and be animated to do more in this space because this is ‘Everyone’s business’.

Denied Work: Social Media Tool Kit

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National Coming Out Day is coming up on Sunday, October 11th 2020. In line with this day, APTN has developed a social media campaign officially releasing the results of the 2019 Denied Work report conducted in partnership with Curtin University, and supported by UNDP’s Being LGBTI in Asia and the Pacific programme.

This Social Media Tool Kit contains graphics and recommended copy that can be used on social media, to highlight the inequalities discovered in the Denied Work study when it comes to the employment of trans and gender diverse individuals in Southeast Asia.

For each country-specific day, we have both English and translated graphics available. If anyone would like to help translate the other posts into your local language, please reach out to Cole at cole.young@weareaptn.org.

We invite you to join us in this campaign. The suggested publishing period for the graphics and copy in this Social Media Tool Kit is over 6 days, from the 5th of October to the 11th of October 2020, which is National Coming Out Day.

Relevant Hashtags: #DeniedWork #weareAPTN #StandingUpForTransRights #NationalComingOutDay #NCOD #ComingOutDay #BeingLGBTI 


Download the Tool Kit
Download the Graphics

Day 1: Introduction

Employment discrimination in trans communities is a human rights and public health issue. Yet, few jurisdictions in the region have effective anti-discrimination legislation to provide protection against discriminatory hiring practices, including forcing transgender persons to come out as part of the job interview process. 

This Introduction highlights key findings from the regional Denied Work report.

Download the English graphics

Day 2: Malaysia

In Malaysia, state-enacted Islamic laws in all 13 states explicitly criminalise the gender expressions of transgender people, and gender affirmation surgeries are haram (forbidden). For many trans people, presenting themselves in their gender identity for the purpose of employment causes penalties such as fines, arrest, and detention.

These graphics highlight key findings from the Malaysia Denied Work report.

Download the English graphics

Download the Malay graphics

Day 3: Singapore

While Singapore has one of the more progressive legal landscapes for trans people in Southeast Asia, anti-transgender bias and discrimination are not against the law. Sexual orientation and gender identity are not clearly understood by the general public, and one study of LGBT people broadly reports that 15% of LGBT employees report experiencing some sort of discrimination in employment.

These graphics highlight key findings from the Singapore Denied Work report.

Download the English graphics

Day 4: Thailand

Thailand has a long cultural history with respect to trans feminine people (people who were assigned male at birth and transition to live as women), known in Thai language as kathoey (กะเทย) or colloquially as “ladyboys”. There is no similar history for trans masculine people (people assigned female at birth who transition to live as men), who are distinct from toms (ทอม)(people who are assigned female at birth and female-identified while expressing a masculine gender presentation). 

These graphics highlight key findings from the Thailand Denied Work report.

Download the English graphics

Download the Thai graphics

Day 5: Vietnam

Vietnam has a cultural history of respect towards trans people, particularly in the context of cultural and traditional roles. However, in more recent times, transphobic stigma and discrimination have taken root. Furthermore, sexual orientation and gender identity are not explicitly separated as concepts in general discussion; trans feminine people (assigned male at birth who transition to live as women) are often considered to be a more visible and extreme form of gay men, whereas trans masculine people are largely invisible.

These graphics highlight key findings from the Vietnam Denied Work report.

Download the English graphics

Download the Vietnamese graphics

Day 6: Recommendations

Trans people commonly report being discriminated against in relation to jobs. As is evident from the data in our Denied Work reports, discrimination is apparent even at the first step in recruitment – the application. More must be done to break down existing barriers and create a fairer environment for trans and gender diverse people seeking employment.

We call for stakeholders to take up these 6 recommendations for approaches to reduce discrimination in job hiring based on gender identity.

Download the English graphics

Key Links & Contact Information

Asia Pacific Transgender Network

Instagram: @weareaptn
Twitter: @weareaptn
Facebook: www.facebook.com/WeAreAPTN
Website: www.weareaptn.org

UNDP’s Being LGBTI In Asia

Instagram: @beinglgbtiinasia
Twitter: @beinglgbti
Facebook: www.facebook.com/beinglgbtiinasia
Website: medium.com/being-lgbti-in-asia

Dignity Amidst COVID-19: Trans Youth Leading The Response – Suhani’s Story

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The COVID-19 pandemic is an unprecedented human crisis that is claiming lives, destroying livelihoods and disrupting economies across the world. With the support of UNAIDS, the Asia Pacific Transgender Network (APTN) and Youth LEAD have worked together to increase the visibility and voices of trans and gender diverse youth leaders throughout Asia and the Pacific.

This is the sixth in a series of feature stories about trans youth leaders and the strength they show amidst the challenges of COVID-19. Read the other posts in the series here: APTN x YouthLEAD’s Dignity Amidst COVID-19: Stories of Trans Youth Leaders


সম্প্রদায় এবং হস্তান্তর নারীবাদী জোট
সুহানী মল্লিক – ভারতে একজন ট্রান্স মহিলার কর্মী

Community and the trans feminist alliances
Suhani Mallik – a trans woman activist in India 


I am from Kolkata, the capital in the Indian state of West Bengal. I am a 27-year-old trans woman and sex workers’ rights activist. Through my work, I seek equal opportunities and access to fundamental rights among the trans community. As a member of Samabhabona, a transgender-led collective, I raise our voice against violence, discrimination, injustice and stigma. We believe that working together with other activists will enable us to ensure a good life and provide empowering experiences to young trans people and sex workers.

My journey as a trans activist started after graduating from the science faculty and becoming aware of the existence of Samabhabona. After realising that there was a whole community of trans women working together and supporting each other, I knew that I wanted to be part of it. I became an associate and started to work actively in the development of a young trans-led feminist collective of trans people that wanted to create a network within a national level. Samabhabona’s priority is working with intersectionality and addressing the various kinds of oppressions that members within the community face. This includes queer people who suffer from caste, class, gender, and race oppression. Samabhabona aims to start an ongoing, inclusive dialogue to begin talking about the politics of transfeminism. We want to give a wake-up call to society to respect our rights and enable access to proper working and living conditions. 

We also support other social movements in our city, intending to build more inclusive communities. There is a need for us to align the LGBTIQ movement with other social movements, people who often face discrimination, and other rights-based groups who understand LGBTIQ (especially trans and queer) politics. We try to lend support to workers’ issues and feminist groups and movements, such as the Adivasi, a movement lead by different indigenous people, and the Dalit, who have been oppressed and considered as the lowest caste of people in Indian society. 

My passion for being a change-maker and uplifting the community has inspired me to actively work together with other activists in writing blogs, making videos and joining forces to protect our rights, but also to develop and establish a uniquely supportive community. I have worked together with other activists to write and film videos to reach out to our community. These tools have enabled us to address multiple issues that affect our community, such as the lack of safe spaces, acceptance and political representation. Through our work and dedication, we have increased our visibility; providing our community with reliable and useful information, while also supporting other neglected groups of our society, such as trans sex workers. 

One of the main issues in our community is the lack of political spaces for trans women. Since then, I’ve been working to create trans-driven dialogues where we can talk about politics. Making informative material and organizing activities and workshops to empower our community on their own rights and political discourses are our primary objective. Our goal is to create equal intersectional trans discourses on a parliamentarian level to ensure safe spaces and progressive policies to protect our rights and benefit our communities. 

Our initiatives and activities have been supported by different sister organisations and trans-related initiatives, such as APTN. They have been incredibly helpful, and with their support, we were able to celebrate Transgender Day of Visibility (TDOV) on the 31st of March and implement a relief fund to protect our community from the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Young transgender activists leading the response to COVID-19 

The COVID-19 pandemic has been one of the worst epidemics in the country. With India’s population of more than 1.3 billion people at a significant population density compared with the rest of the world, the lack of access to health services and overall low socioeconomic status has put our community in a very challenging situation. As of September 9, India has the world’s second-highest number of COVID-19 cases.

The majority of trans people in India used to ask for charity on the streets, participate in religious dances or work as sex workers to ensure their daily sustenance. However, since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, their lives have been wholly destabilised. Today, a large number of trans women are putting their lives at risk to access financial resources and provide for their families. The worst affected are those whose lives and livelihoods are severely affected by the lockdown and physical distancing. Sex workers and trans people in our country have always been at the margins, ignored and ostracised by society. There is no access to proper testing, health services or treatment. The majority of them have been forced to leave their homes because they couldn’t afford their rents, therefore being left in the streets and exposed to the deadly virus. 

To reduce the negative impact that COVID-19 is having on our community, we have been able to relocate trans women who have lost their homes, as well as those suffering from domestic abuse or difficult situations into our shelter home. We have also been able to provide online support to guide trans people on how to avoid being expelled from their houses by their landlords. In total, we have been able to reach more than 700 people, providing them with a monthly package of financial support and food rations for their homes. We aim to prioritise trans people with children and/or elderly dependents who are also most at risk of this disease, as well as those who are living with HIV. 

I would like to take this opportunity to ask all the trans activists to stand up for their communities and find ways to support trans people who are going through difficult situations. 

For us, it is essential to stay united throughout this crisis; we need to motivate each other to find solutions and embrace these difficult times. I am hopeful that after this pandemic, we might understand the importance of community and solidarity. For every trans person that is reading this story, please remain vigilant, the COVID-19 pandemic is still a threat to our lives and the lives of the ones we love. Please take care of yourself and take the necessary precautions to protect your community.

Roundup Of Workshop #4: Safety & Security Tips For Public Campaigning

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Written by Smita, Illustrated by Upasana Agarwal

The fourth and final session in the #SkillsforChange: Public Campaigning for Advocacy and Social Change online workshop series commenced on 21 August 2020 and looked at digital security and safety in the context of public campaigning. This session was done in partnership with Point of View, a non-profit based out of Mumbai, India, which works at the intersections of gender, sexuality, technology, digital rights, and digital security. Point of View’s work at this intersection is in the form of research, input into policy spaces, on ground workshops on digital rights and digital security, and publications at the intersection of sexuality, gender, and technology.

The session directly dove into discussing what we talk about and what we don’t talk about when we talk about digital security. With the digital security conversations still being largely located in global north economies, many digital security practices that are recommended often only help those who have had access to technology, and those who speak English. This leaves out large sections of the population who are users of technology and creates a hierarchy in terms of who deserves to be secure and who just has to deal with the violence and privacy concerns that may arise when using technology and the digital space.

With smartphones becoming an integral part of our lives, and with so much of ourselves being online, digital security is not only about protecting profiles on social media and dating apps, but about protecting the people and the bodies that are entwined with the tech. Dr. Anja Kovacs of the Internet Democracy Project looks at the need to put bodies back into data in her research, “Body as data in the age of datafication.”

“Once we start looking at digital security as not just means to protect our data or profile but as a way to protect a part of ourselves, our approach and thinking around this becomes more embodied.“

Smita

The need to combine our feminist and intersectional politics, lived realities, and movements with the tools when thinking about digital security was also highlighted. For example, asking queer and trans participants in a workshop to not use WhatsApp because it is not safe is easy, but not sustainable. This is because this digital security recommendation disregards the ground reality that the people’s communities may primarily be on WhatsApp, so they cannot afford to move away from it. Another example is that many of the secure messengers and tools are often not accessible to persons with visual impairment. This clearly shows that blanket recommendations and tech solutionism is an unsustainable model of digital security.

“It is essential that we address patriarchy, capitalism, xenophobia, queerphobia etc., the core causes behind online violence and privacy violations to have a holistic approach to digital security.“

Smita

Rather than giving tools to the participants, the workshop focussed on how to plan for digital security intentionally when planning a campaign. The participants, in smaller groups, discussed the risks, the likelihood of the risk, its impact, mitigation strategies, and who are our allies and who can we ask for support in case the risk occurs to build a risk assessment matrix.

The final part of the session looked at the data involved in an online campaign. This part emphasised on the need to be mindful of the kinds of data which we may be collecting in the course of a campaign, and is this collected with meaningful consent of those who are sharing their data with you. This is particularly important in campaigns which may involve contributions from the larger community. Then there is the question of how will data be stored, and what happens to all this information once the campaign wraps up.

In the plenary, participants highlighted the risks that are present for organisers as well as people who may take part in a campaign. One of key points highlighted by all the groups on how the risks and the impact of the risks will vary vastly from country to country, or even within the country. A group strategising digital security around a campaign on mental health and LGBTQI persons also pointed out that this could lead to reverse stigmatisation of saying that LGBTQI persons are ‘mentally unstable’ or ‘mentally ill’, which is a very specific risk that would not have come up in a overbroad digital security conversation. Some of the risks that were repeated were crackdown from the state and government authorities, attacks from anti-LGBTQI and religious bodies within the country, harassment from trolls online, and the risk posed to an organisation’s funding if the donors do not understand digital campaigns in the same way as the organisers.

The discussions highlighted the need for planning solidarity and digital security well before the digital campaign is launched, especially mindful cross-border solidarity in cases where the threats may be from a particular state or government or in cases of internet shutdowns.

The final part of the session looked at the data involved in an online campaign. This part emphasised on the need to be mindful of the kinds of data which we may be collecting in the course of a campaign, and is this collected with meaningful consent of those who are sharing their data with you. This is particularly important in campaigns which may involve contributions from the larger community. Then there is the question of how will data be stored, and what happens to all this information once the campaign wraps up.

Part of this is also to acknowledge the power dynamics which are present in a campaign, within an organisation among people working on the campaign, as well as between organisers and contributors. Meaningful clear consent and space to withdraw consent by contributors is of paramount importance. This cannot be just about a signature on a piece of paper, but need to be rooted on ethical feminist values and practices. 

A participant asked about how to account for burnout and safety of people working on a campaign, which immediately showed an inclination and urgent need to think about holistic security, one which covers both the online and offline spaces. One of the suggestions was to see if the organisation can have mental health support, if possible.

The session also emphasised on the need to take a prevention is better than cure approach, where the campaign planning takes into account the mental health of the people involved to prevent burnouts and safeguard mental health and not just look at treatments, particularly in campaigns around violence.

At the core of it, the final session of the series stressed on the fact that a campaign does not come above the people, and when we talk about digital security, we are talking about actual people here, and we must think about it with as much sensitivity, care, and love.

This workshop was the last in a series of four workshops about Public Campaigning for Advocacy and Social Change. Click here to find out more about the series, resource persons, and read the other blogs.