UN Trans Advocacy Week 2021 – Statement
Interactive dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
Wednesday, June 23, 2021
Statement by the Swedish Federation of LGBTI Rights – RFSL on behalf of UN Trans Advocacy Week 2021
This statement is delivered to you on behalf of the fifth edition of Trans Advocacy Week.
We commend the Special Rapporteur, Dr Mofokeng, for her commitment to an intersectionally-inclusive understanding of the systemic challenges that many people face when accessing healthcare solutions.
As highlighted in the Special Rapporteur’s report, the impact of coloniality, racism, and resulting policies that are highly discriminatory towards minorities are, omnipresent in many healthcare systems worldwide. Trans and gender-diverse people are at a particularly challenging receiving end. Lack of access to trans-competent healthcare, shortfalls in cutting-edge research, transphobic biases in the medical corps, and high costs of life-saving gender-affirming care, are among a long list of routine challenges faced by many trans people worldwide. This reality is complemented by glass ceilings on access to trans healthcare, and strict policies and gatekeeping. Trans and gender-diverse people of all age groups, including children and adolescents, deserve the opportunity to access affirming and supportive care. We strongly believe that challenges for trans healthcare are interlinked with challenges faced by indigenous communities, cisgender women at multiple intersections of lived experience, and other minorities. We advocate for solidarity and collaborative action for the consolidation of our collective rights to inclusive, affirming, and caring healthcare provision for all.