Social Justice

Annie McIlhon, Roman Ebert, Will Garrison

HIV/AIDS In Atlanta

HIV/AIDs become social justice issues when they inhibit a person’s right to access the proper health care and treatment. In Atlanta, there are approximately 12 treatment centers for HIV/AIDs. The accessibility of proper treatment varies based on each individual and the challenges they face. Minority groups face many more challenges in obtaining proper health services compared to their Caucasian counterparts. These statics help prove the fact that minorities are at a disadvantage.
Atlanta has a population of 472,522. Included in that number, are 50% African Americans and about 38% Caucasians. When you look at individuals who are diagnosed with HIV/AIDs, African American men are 4.7 times more likely to be diagnosed with HIV/AIDs than Caucasian males. Hispanic/Latino men are 1.3 times more likely to be diagnosed with HIV/AIDs than Caucasian males. African American females are 14.1 times more likely to be diagnosed with HIV/AIDs than Caucasian females. Hispanic/Latina females are 4 times more likely to be diagnosed with HIV/AIDs than Caucasian females. (AIDSVU, 2015)
According to the CDC from 2009-2014, 2,351 transgender individuals were diagnosed with HIV/AIDS. 84% of those people were transgender women, and 15% were transgender men, and less then 1% identified with another gender identity. Of all of those people diagnosed with HIV/AIDS, over half of them lived in the south. The CDC said that transgender people were 3 times more likely to be diagnosed with HIV/AIDS than the national average.
Georgia has a county-based health system and Georgia has 159 different counties in total making it difficult to monitor public health efforts regarding HIV/AIDs. Having limited resources to begin with, there isn’t enough help to go around. In 2014, Atlanta was reported having the fifth highest rate of new HIV/AIDS infections. (BLackDoctor, Inc, 2018)

Homelessness within the LGBTQ+ community

Homelessness and specifically homelessness within the LGBTQ+ community is rampant in Atlanta. 28.2% or 950 of the 3,374 homeless or run away youth in metro Atlanta identify as LGBTQ+, according to the Georgia Voice.

A lot of homeless youth in Atlanta are homeless due to circumstances surrounding their LGBTQ+ background. Unsupportive and directly antagonistic friends, family, and community can attribute to this. Interestingly enough one shelter for homeless LGBTQ+ youth reported a spike in homeless and run away youth after the supreme court decision allowing gay marriage.

A lot of homeless shelters are non LGBTQ+ friendly as well. For people who do not confine in a binary gender spectrum or who are transgender, finding help in homeless shelters can be difficult

One great organization that provides services to LGBTQ+ homeless youth is Lost n Found Youth. They are a non profit based in Atlanta. The organization was founded after the founders discovered some of the issues that some members of the LGBTQ+ community face in getting the services they deserve. Lost n Found youth provides services to LGBTQ+ youth in Atlanta, through access to health services, resume beuiling, housing programs, and other resources.

Lost n Found Youth specializes with providing services to LGBTQ+ youth however they provide services to any who show up at their doors. Lost N Found Youth works with people aged 17-25, however they are forced to turn kids younger then 17 over to other government services. They are however still able to provide the kids legal services and more for the time it takes the government to receive the homeless and run away kids.

Lost n Found Youth is a successful and helpful organization within the Atlanta community and specifically the LGBTQ+ community of Atlanta. They provide important, life changing resources to a marginalized community. They provide the resources that are sorely needed for the large amounts of Homeless LGBTQ+ youth in Atlanta.

"Homelessness among young LGBT people is something we really need to focus on"- Georgia Equality Executive director Jeff Graham

TRANSGENDER RIGHTS AND ISSUES IN ATLANTA

At least 55,000 people in Georgia identify as transgender or gender non-conforming.
In Atlanta, transgender people face disproportionately high rates of incarceration. At least 57% of transgender people in the Atlanta Metro have reported previous incarceration. National statistics show that transgender people face extremely high rates of sexual violence while incarcerated. About 40% of transgender inmates are sexually victimized while incarcerated. The Atlanta Metro also currently has no reentry programs for transgender ex-offenders that addresses their specific needs when they re-enter society after incarceration.
Homelessness is another major issue for the transgender community, especially in Atlanta. There are currently no transgender-specific housing programs in the Atlanta Metro. This increases rates of transgender homelessness because it makes it more difficult for transgender people to find safe and inclusive housing. Recent statistics show that at over 49% of transgender people in the Atlanta Metro reported being homeless or recently homeless.
Violence against transgender people is a nation-wide problem that is often overlooked, and transgender women of color are disproportionately targeted. According to the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), at least 28 transgender people were shot or killed by other violent means in the United States before 2017 was over. Of the 28 reported murders, four were in Georgia. These are their names:

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