Clark Ray Calls on District to Include Transgender Persons in Health Report As Council Holds Hearing on Health Report Misstep, Ray Pledges Supportive Action
Clark Ray, Democratic Candidate for DC City Council At-Large, today called on the city to include transgender persons in an important health report.
“After years of waiting for an LGBT Health Report that is required by law from the city, I was amazed to find the report lacked any information on transgender persons,” Ray said. “It is imperative that the city reach out to our transgender residents in every way and stop this neglect of a community.”
City Council is holding a hearing today on the health report’s failure to include information on transgender health. Ray said the missing data must be gathered, and new task forces gathered to resolve an important gap in resident care and respect.
“The District includes a vibrant community of transgender residents, many with specific needs, who are entitled to all the available services and benefits granted to all our residents. We have too often seen tragic and hurtful missteps from city agencies, and we know that transgender persons are often more susceptible to violent crime and bias than even other members of the LGBT community.
“While information on transgender health is not appropriately abundant, there are pieces of information available today that could have been included in this report. And for the full picture, I’ll push for funding and research to get that data.
Ray said that, if elected, he would:
1. Push for funding of a needs assessment of DC’s transgender community;
2. Work for an immediate report on transgender health, to supplement the city’s lacking LGB report;
3. Assemble a task force to independently audit all survey questions and other tools currently used in preparing the city’s health report, in order to recommend transgender inclusion.
4. Seek to establish a new cooperative roundtable on transgender issues, with representatives from the community, social service fields, related academia, and others as needed, to review and track challenges across city agencies.
“When I am on the Council, I will focus on the needs of this community and will be looking to have someone from the transgender community officially advising us, so that there is a constant focus on the community’s needs. I will work to end the bias and neglect that is often faced by the transgender community.”
###
