Transgender Day of Visibility is observed March 31. This observance honors the transgender community, their contributions to society and acknowledges the hardships they may face. According to the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN), members of the LGBTQ+ community are nearly four times as likely to experience sexual violence as non-LGBTQ+ people. Research shows that this community tends to thrive when they are affirmed and supported from youth through adulthood.
Historically, there was little understanding of how health care intersects with gender identity or emphasis on gender-affirming health care. As a result, many transgender people never report sexual violence or harassment they experience because they fear there will not be an appropriate response. The hesitance comes from the experience of many who are marginalized simply for being their authentic selves.
Lack of proper, affirming care increases their vulnerability and decreases trust between the transgender community and health care systems. VA aims to change how transgender and gender diverse Veterans feel about accessing care. It is a priority that all who use VA facilities feel safe, valued and welcome.
Karen Muth’s journey through cancer treatment
Karen Muth, an Army Veteran, transgender woman and current VA patient, has had years of experience having her health care needs met at VA. Muth served in the Army for the mandatory two years after being drafted in 1967. In 2004, Muth was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. She turned to Durham VA for treatment. For almost 20 years, she has dealt with relapses of her persistent cancer. She was treated with chemotherapy and bone marrow transplants.
In 2017, Muth (pictured above) was accepted into a clinical trial at the NIH campus in Bethesda, Maryland. The trial was successful and Muth has been in remission for more than six years. When asked about her experiences with care at VA, Muth said, “I’ve had nothing but positive interactions at VA. The doctors at Durham VA were all very kind and understanding.”
Treatment for transgender patients at VA
Muth discovered her gender dysphoria around eight years ago. After completing the clinical trial, she asked her VA clinician about gender transitioning information. VA offered different avenues for treatment to address her needs and referred her to a psychologist who provided mental health care during the transition.
“Once VA understood I was transgender, they were helpful in providing pamphlets of information and guided me toward the areas of VA that help transgender individuals,” she said.
Muth’s oncologist at Durham VA supported her by using the correct name and pronouns. She was advised of any potential complications with future gender affirming treatments due to her cancer treatment, such as blood clots from estrogen supplements. Muth was reassured that receiving breast augmentation or other gender affirming surgeries (not provided by VA) would not affect her cancer treatments.
Resources available to LGBTQ+ Veterans
Even though Muth didn’t have a negative experience with VA health care, she understands that other transgender and gender diverse Veterans may still have reservations.
“Transgender Veterans would obviously be cautious. I was. But VA has been very responsive and respectful when assisting me. I would recommend they at least look into it,” she added.
Individuals interested in learning more about available health care resources for LGBTQ+ Veterans and family members can reach out to Veterans’ Health Administration (VHA) LGBTQ+ Health Program to connect with an LGBTQ+ Veteran Care Coordinator (VCC). VCC’s are available at every VA facility for easy access.
VA continues to emphasize the importance of serving all Veterans, including transgender and gender diverse Veterans. Every Veteran should be treated with respect and should have access to high-quality personalized health care within a safe, supportive, clinical environment. At VA, Veterans must be addressed based upon their self-identified gender identity.
VA is committed to providing clinically appropriate, comprehensive, Veteran-centered care to eligible transgender Veterans, including hormonal therapy, mental health care, preoperative evaluation and medically necessary post-operative and long-term care following gender confirming/affirming surgery.
To show your support for a safer, more inclusive VA, take the White Ribbon VA pledge and take a stand against sexual harassment, sexual assault and domestic violence. Muth plans to take the pledge and support a safer VA so all Veterans within the LGBTQ+ community feel comfortable receiving the health care they deserve.
Learn more about how VA is creating a more welcoming environment free of sexual harassment and sexual assault for all who rely on our services.
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Why is the VA entertaining severe mental health, dealing with a humans sexual preference? There is no money in the VA budget and time from the VA personal to entertain any person “thinking” they “something else”. If the VA personnel believes said “mental health person” then the VA personnel can take themselves to the top floor at Lejeune.
Right, we need a “transgender day of visibility” because the entire freaking month of June being “gay pride month” somehow isn’t quite enough. This entire administration has a sick obsession with this issue. Disgraceful.
Some of y’all seem to have a misunderstanding about transgenderism, as a whole. The connection with LGB+ community has been problematic for us, in that it often misrepresents actually who Trans Folks are. The vast majority of us are private, not flamboyant about being Trans. We don’t want to be viewed any different than any other Cis-gender. This is far less about sexuality and more about the core of who we are. We DO NOT become Trans via Military Service, PTSD, or mental dysfunction. For the majority of us, this is something that we have quietly suffered with. our entire lives, having the divergence of our bodies taking the wrong path while still in the womb. Remember, Life forms in the womb, gender-less till the endocrine system becomes functional. What it means to be Trans varies from one Trans person to the other. There is no one shoe size fits all here.
Call it mental illness if you want. Just know that your misnomer is painful to some and ignored by others. Personally, I believe it is a mental illness for anyone to consume cannabis, in any form, for any reason. Willing to bet the farm that the ‘Its safe, all-natural, medicinal (FDA code word for ‘We look the other way’), and God intended’ crowd would reflexively become tensive, casting a plethora of disparaging words in my direction to argue that it ain’t. In the end, it is a matter of opinion.
As a Christian, I wholeheartedly agree about the path this nation has taken away from God. We were, most certainly, founded as a Christian Nation by a group of European American settlers. As such, we should not allow our observances of important Christian events that shaped the World and formed this Nation to be so patently denied and removed. You can choose what you desire to believe in. That does not change the facts that this Nation was founded with a Christian based government and set of laws, by Christian European Americans. How can one believe that Jesus would cast out a Believer, just because they are Transgender? Those that struggle with this need to involve themselves deeply into earnest contemplation of Jesus Christ’s own Words in the Book of Matthew, Chapter 7. And before some of you laud out verse 6, please read on to verses 7 & 8. A Believer cannot be a dog or a pig.
VETERANS ADMINISTRATION YOU ARE A DISGRACE!!
As a veteran, I understand soldiers may come back with mental illness, like PTSD, Psychosis, and Dysphoria. Restoring our brave ones to their former fighting selves should be paramount to the VA medical team. Supporting their mental issues is not the same as treating them as is required. Keeping them in their mental delusion is making their recovery worse – not helping. Va needs to focus on the illness and not encourage with support any LGBTQ+ or Transgender entertainment. Be the doctors and grown-ups and treat them, don’t encourage them to treat themselves just to placate to the radical socialist chaos being pushed out there. The cost is too high to ignore. Do no harm and blessings to the VA to be of good courage!
Well said. Transgenderism is a mental illness.
Brialliantly said.
Accurate and well-stated. (“Seek and you shall find” is as much warning as it is advisement.)
Thank you for supporting and affirming transgender people; especially during this time of hatred and laws being passed to violate their right to required healthcare and a host of hundreds of proposals to essentially eliminate this population. Thank you again.
It’s always sad when people succumb to mental illness. I pray these soldiers get the help they deserve to get back to normal.
Are you kidding me? You substitute this for Easter Sunday and the message of hope presented by Jesus sacrifice. This is wrong on so many levels and actually makes my PTSD worse I and my fellow veterans did not fight for a minority like this to disrespect our sacrifces and our beliefs so that a small group could be appeased. As if there isn’t already several days celebrating thier lifestyle now the VA joins in on disrespecting yet another American celebration.
Yes, you nailed it.
Could you cicv me a hint when you will be honoring all of the Straight Veterans?
What does a person’s sexual preference has to do with anything dealing with a particular disability that is service connected? Every single issue mentioned about what the Alphabet Mafia is supposed to be going through hasn’t been one any person has been through in life or a relationship. They are not special (no matter what they think) they are human beings . The Veterans Administration needs to focus on Veterans and their needs . Not ramming some group political views or bedroom business down peoples throat. And only military branches and the AMERICAN FLAG should be the only flags in any government establishment, PERIOD!
It is beyond my understanding how there can be a transgender holiday on Easter Sunday. This is as about as evil as we can get. I pray this will not continue. How could we let this happen?
These people need mental dr.s not all this extra attention
Glad you could make this observation on Easter