Taylor Edelmann has a decade's experience in community health and is the LGBTQIA+ Health & Harm Reduction Manager at the National Harm Reduction Coalition.
He oversees the Lighthouse Learning Collective, a program in NYC dedicated to LGB/TGNCNB+ PWUD and engaging in sex work.
Workshop content
This workshop will introduce Lighthouse Learning Collective’s toolkit, Gender Affirming Harm Reduction: A Toolkit for Syringe Service Programs, which was designed for providers at Syringe Service Programs (SSPs) in NYC to enhance their capacity to deliver engaging, safer, and more affirming services for transgender, gender non-conforming, and non-binary (TGNCNB) people who use drugs and engage in sex work. Recognizing the intersectional challenges TGNCNB individuals face, the toolkit underscores the importance of bodily autonomy and affirming care in harm reduction efforts related to HIV/AIDS, STIs, viral hepatitis, and overdose.
The toolkit covers a wide range of topics, including the connection between harm reduction and gender affirming care, covering topics such as chemsex, overdose prevention and response, and sexual health.
Attendees will be introduced to an organizational assessment tool included in the toolkit designed to help programs identify their strengths and opportunities for growth in serving TGNCNB communities. Additionally, attendees will learn how to take a more affirming sexual health history, understand the nuances of chemsex, and grasp key considerations for gender affirming hormone therapy (GAHT). The workshop will also provide space for discussion about addressing knowledge gaps and exploring opportunities for organizations worldwide to adapt the toolkit to meet the needs of their communities.
Lighthouse Learning Collective offers space for strategy, support, and resources for LGB/TGNC+ people who use drugs and engage in sex work.
Learning objectives
-Explain three key ways harm reduction practices can be integrated with gender affirming care.
-Utilize the organizational assessment tool to identify at least three specific strengths and areas for improvement in their programs or organizations serving TGNCNB communities.
-Identify at least two ways to increase sexual health services for TGNCNB people.
Expected outcomes
-Enhanced service delivery for TGNCNB PWUD and engage in sex work
-Increased organizational capacity to serve TGNCNB people.
-Improved competency in gender affirming care