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. 2019 Feb 12;4(1):35-45.
doi: 10.1089/trgh.2018.0040. eCollection 2019.

The TRANScending Love Arts-Based Workshop to Address Self-Acceptance and Intersectional Stigma Among Transgender Women of Color in Toronto, Canada: Findings from a Qualitative Implementation Science Study

Carmen H Logie  1 , Ashley Lacombe-Duncan  2 , Yasmeen Persad  3 , Tatiana B Ferguson  4 , Dahlak Mary Yehdego  4 , Shannon Ryan  4 , Monica Forrester  5 , Catherine Moses  6 , Adrian Guta  7
Affiliations

The TRANScending Love Arts-Based Workshop to Address Self-Acceptance and Intersectional Stigma Among Transgender Women of Color in Toronto, Canada: Findings from a Qualitative Implementation Science Study

Carmen H Logie et al. Transgend Health. .

Abstract

Purpose: Transgender (trans) women of color's HIV vulnerabilities are shaped by social exclusion and intersectional stigma. There is a dearth of tailored HIV prevention interventions with trans women of color in Canada. The objective of the study was to explore trans women of color's HIV prevention priorities and to pilot test an intervention developed from these priorities. Methods: We conducted a qualitative implementation science study to develop HIV intervention strategies with trans women of color in Toronto, Canada. First, we conducted a focus group with trans women of color (n=8) to explore HIV prevention priorities. Second, we held a consultation with trans women of color community leaders (n=2). Findings informed the development of the TRANScending Love (T-Love) arts-based workshop that we pilot tested with three groups of trans women of color (n=18). Workshops were directly followed by focus groups to examine T-Love products and processes. Results: Focus group participants called for researchers to shift the focus away from trans women's bodies and HIV risks to address low self-acceptance produced by intersecting forms of stigma. The community leader consultation articulated the potential for strengths-focused arts-based approaches to address self-worth. T-Love participants described how workshops fostered self-acceptance and built connections between trans women of color. Conclusions: Findings demonstrate the feasibility and acceptability of an arts-based strategy with trans women of color to elicit group-based sharing of journeys to self-acceptance, fostering feelings of solidarity and connection. Providing opportunities for dialogue and reflection about individual and collective strengths may reduce internalized stigma among trans women of color.

Keywords: HIV; internalized stigma; intervention; prevention; transgender women.

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Conflict of interest statement

No competing financial interests exist.

Figures

<b>FIG. 1.</b>
FIG. 1.
T-Love workshop mirror activity. T-Love, TRANScending Love.
<b>FIG. 2.</b>
FIG. 2.
T-Love workshop anatomical heart activity.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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