For Immediate Release:
Transgender American Veterans Association (TAVA)
www.tavausa.org
Contact: Monica Helms – President, TAVA
E-mail: president@tavausa.org
Alt Contact: Denny Meyer – Media Director, TAVA
Phone: (718) 849-5665
E-mail: media@tavausa.org
Palm Center: Nathaniel Frank, Ph.D., Senior Research Fellow
frank@palmcenter.ucsb.edu
Phone: (805) 893 5664

Aug. 21, 2008, USA --The Palm Center at the University of California, Santa Barbara has released the findings of a survey, conducted by Transgender American Veterans Association (TAVA), that shows that transgender veterans are being turned away and being mistreated in high numbers by Veterans Administration medical facilities. The survey of 827 U.S. military veterans and active-duty personnel mark the first major empirical findings on transgender people in the military. This represents a strong sampling from what is estimated to be approximately 300,000 veterans in the US who identify as being transgender.

The Palm Center analysis of the data, released today, showed that over a third of survey respondents reported having experienced some form of discrimination in the workplace and 10% of respondents were turned away from the VA due to being transgender, while many reported other forms of discrimination including lack of respect from VA doctors (22%), non-medical staff (21%), and nurses (13%). In addition, among those who served under the “don’t ask, don’t tell policy,” 1 in 5 were questioned by an officer about their sexual orientation, a violation of the military’s DADT policy. A third reported there were suspicions about their sexual identity; indicating that officers were confusing that with gender variance.

“I find it very disturbing that our proud veterans are being turned away by the VA because of who they are,” stated Monica Helms, President of Transgender American Veterans Association. “We served our country honorably and proudly and the VA medical benefits we earned should not be denied or diminished simply because of the direction our lives took after discharge from active service.”

Other figures found in the survey also paint a bleak picture of how transgender veterans are being treated. VA medical services offered to other veterans are routinely denied transgender veterans, such as paps smears, mammograms, prostate exams, psychotherapy and hormone treatments. Also, respondents reported they were more likely to be turned away for treatment related to transgender health issues.

“This important survey and analysis of Transgender Veterans lives,” remarked Angela Brightfeather, TAVA’s Vice President, “is yet another timely contribution to the growing and irrefutable evidence, reflecting the discrimination and marginalization experienced by all Transgender people in America today.”

Besides asking about the military history of transgender veterans, the survey’s questions covered issues outside the discrimination they faced in the military and the VA. One of the areas covered in the survey was employment discrimination. Nearly one third of the survey participants reported having experienced discrimination in the workplace, with 31% reporting that they believed they had not been hired for a job specifically because they were transgender. A full 15% reported that they had been fired from a job for being transgender (with 40% of those people having been fired more than once). Nearly 10% reported experiencing open, blatant discrimination from an employer or prospective employer; they were explicitly told that they were being fired (or not hired) because they were transgender.

On June 24, 2008, a House Congressional Hearing took place to talk about employment discrimination in the transgender community. The findings in the survey greatly enhances the findings of that hearing.

The entire White Paper report for the Transgender Veterans Survey can be found at the TAVA web site. Dr. Jeanne Scheper from The Palm Center at the University of California, Santa Barbara coordinated the report and it was analyzed by Dr. Bonnie Moradi, Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of Florida. Dr. Gary Gates, Senior Research Fellow at the Williams Institute, University of California acted as a consultant and provided guidance for White Paper. Professors Karl Bryant, PhD, of State University of New York, New Paltz, NY and Kristen Schilt, PhD of University of Chicago wrote the White Paper report. Please contact TAVA for more details about the survey.

Survey White Paper Report: http://www.tavausa.org/Survey_Results.html

OK, it's late, I'm tired so someone set me straight on this, are Tranny's or the freak activists bi***ing that the VA will not pick up the tab for Tranny related medical procedures?

This is what happens when VA medical becomes a welfare institution.

Welfare is something given to you that you didn't earn. When you spend 4, 10, 20, 30 years serving your country, if you lost both legs in combat, if you suffer from PTSD, then you earned the right to have the VA treat you with respect and to treat you with the SAME services that they provide other veterans. I'll repeat the important word in that sentence, "SAME." We don't want ANYTHING more than what other veterans are getting. Almost all veterans are being treated badly by the VA these days. We want to be treated equally as crappy as everyone else. That's all.

If you gave 20 years to this country and got out at age 38, the VA shouldn't decide they don't have to treat you for high blood pressure because of the direction your life took at age 58. Equal treatment. Nothing more. It seems that is too hard for some people to understand.

quote:

Originally posted by MonicaHelms:
Welfare is something given to you that you didn't earn. When you spend 4, 10, 20, 30 years serving your country, if you lost both legs in combat, if you suffer from PTSD, then you earned the right to have the VA treat you with respect and to treat you with the SAME services that they provide other veterans. I'll repeat the important word in that sentence, "SAME." We don't want ANYTHING more than what other veterans are getting. Almost all veterans are being treated badly by the VA these days. We want to be treated equally as crappy as everyone else. That's all.

If you gave 20 years to this country and got out at age 38, the VA shouldn't decide they don't have to treat you for high blood pressure because of the direction your life took at age 58. Equal treatment. Nothing more. It seems that is too hard for some people to understand.

Didn't answer my question & I'll have to read that report slow when I get the chance as I seem to have spotted a paragraph addressing no problems with medical treatment for ailments associated with their gender. Its when its medical issues related to tranny procedures that the VA has heartburn with & rightfully so as should taxpayers have issues with this. Again, I'll have to re-read the entire report:

"Few respondents reported being turned down for procedures that are medically necessary for their birth gender: pap smears for female-bodied people and prostate exams for male-bodied. Veterans were much more likely to be denied surgeries related to GIS, such as hysterectomies, mastestomies, and orchiectomies. Respondents reported organizational discrimination in a lack of clear and consistent practices, and little support for gender transitions"

If so, it has nothing to do with the VA treating Vets with service connected disabilities or retiree's with gender related medical problems.

VA medical has been turned into a Welfare medical system whereas those not entitled to lifetime medical coverage are overtaxing the system. This is what seems to be too hard for some people to understand.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: GunnyZak,

Best line in this report:

"The VA does not turn men into women"

I'll have to apologize for GunnyZak's obvious ignorance and the lack of higher IQ standards by the armed services.

I'm probably the only person in this discussion that has killed to protect your freedom. So as someone who has earned their freedom, I deserve your respect. I've earned it. However I cannot demand it because I did what I did to give you the right to your opinion no matter how ignorant it may be.

I will request, however, that you refrain from continuing to embarras yourself.

This is a valid issue and will be addressed sooner than some may be comfortable with. Which is obvious from statements within this topic alone.

I'd also like to point out that the correct term is Transgender. Not tranny. Tranny is a porn industry term. I don't want to know where you picked the term up.

Please reconsider your point of view out of respect for all our brothers and sisters who have risked their lives, fought, and died to protect our God given freedoms with the hopes for equality for all.

Thank you, SCG for you support. Yes, the military is letting in a lot of people with low aptitude scores.