To alleviate the impacts of COVID-19 policies, many initiatives have been developed by civil society organisations – NGOs, local governments, or citizens. A team of national researchers from the RESISTIRÉ project has collected and highlighted a set of particularly relevant initiatives in 27 European countries and in Iceland, Serbia, the United Kingdom and Turkey. These Better Stories cover eight specific domains: gender-based violence, the labour market, the economy, gender-pay and pension gaps, gender care gaps, decision-making and politics, environmental justice, human and fundamental rights.
This Better Story was collected by Marloes van Engen
Challenges faced by transgender people during the pandemic
COVID-19 had several consequences for transgender people around the world. There are several studies that have investigated the effects of covid on transgender people. One such study is the TransCareCovid-19 study. This is a study in which 7,000 transgender people from all over the world participated. Almost half of participants who are already in treatment reported that access to care has become more limited. Those registered as male at birth and those with low incomes had an even higher risk of limitations in transgender care.
According to Transvision’s website, There were 355 participants from Flanders and the Netherlands in this study. It is striking that 1 in 3 participants has a disability. Access to hormones was restricted in 7 out of 100 participants. Although many appointments with psychologists were cancelled, this quickly resumed in the form of phone conversations or video calls, according to half of the participants. A lot of anxiety and stress has been reported, with the hope that waiting lists for transgender care will continue to grow.
An initiative that provides support to transgender individuals
During Covid-19 lockdowns many operations of transgenders were cancelled. Transvision offered all kinds of help, such as help via a chatline, telephone, and by providing information, such as information how to bind breasts safely for trans men that have not been able to operate their breasts. The project aspires to an inclusive society in which every transgender person has access to the right care, at the right time, in the right place, by a care provider with the right expertise.