Project Care
Health Care, Not Services
Trans and Intersex individuals rarely receive the medical aid and resources needed to thrive. It’s time we receive the care we deserve.
Right now, trans people across the nation experience rather underwhelming care from medical personnel and their affiliates.
Thanks to the 2015 U.S. Trans Survey led by our friends at the The National Center for Transgender Equality, we know that:
20% of trans and gender non-conforming individuals are denied medical assistance due to their gender identity.
50% of those who are granted assistance spend their time teaching medical professionals transgender care
28% postpone seeking care due to fear of discrimination
48% postpone seeking care, due to an inability to cover expenses
Our own founder, Jack Knoxville, has experience in this very issue.
At 35 years old, our founder finally found himself with a job that gave him access to health care. This was the first time in his adult life that he had access to such care, so he was really excited to finally have the opportunity to begin his medical transition. Unfortunately, his employer fired him for transitioning and because TN was a right-to-work state, no one seemed to care. Jack scrambled like hell to find someone, anyone, to see him before his insurance ran out. Unfortunately, he couldn’t find a single provider anywhere in East TN to see him.
He finally found Planned Parenthood in Asheville, NC whose website was very welcoming and affirming. They were intentional in extending their care to anyone in NC, as well as those in neighboring states like KY, TN, SC, and beyond. Even though it was a 110-mile drive through the Smokie Mountains, and Jack had to pay for the visit out of pocket, it was the first time that Jack would ever receive affirming care
Jack deserved better.
We deserve better.
Since that time, Trans Empowerment Project has worked hard to build relationships with other Planned Parenthood locations, including Knoxville, TN to ensure that more providers have the education and resources they need to provide actual care for the Trans community.
In 2017, Jack was invited to join his friends at PPTNM to train 15 counties of health department providers on the experiences of Trans people in East TN.
But these efforts alone aren’t enough, and we know that there are many providers out there who could help to further this work.
We at TEP ask medical providers to step up and show their camaraderie toward trans lives, by signing up to be a CARE provider. These providers shall receive access to news, workshops, educational materials, and more to help them build an environment that supports trans patients. They will also receive an invitation to join our health resources list and will be connected to peer support.