New Transgender Veterans Survey

For Immediate Release: December 12, 2007

From:  The Transgender American Veterans Association (TAVA)
Contact:  Monica F. Helms, President
Contact Email: president@tavausa.org
Website:  http://www.tavausa.org

A new survey has been created to achieve a more accurate picture of
the state of the transgender American veteran population. Many of the
issues facing transgender veterans are no different than those facing
the rest of the transgender community. However negotiating healthcare
thru the Veterans Administration and dealing with the Department of
Defense poses its own unique set of challenges. This survey is also
for those transgender people who are still serving in the military and
those veterans who identify and are diagnosed as intersex.

The detailed survey of 117 short questions only takes between ten and
twenty minutes of your time and it is the first of its kind to be
undertaken. Many of the questions have several choices to them, but
just a few will take multiple answers. A large percentage of the
questions are a simple "Yes/No." Some require a written response.
While transgender veterans who do not, or have not ever used the VA
for their medical needs, can skip that entire section.

The survey can be accessed at:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=SpQUvMM5ZvidQ8hNGCcIQA_3d_3d

TAVA would appreciate as many transgender/ intersex veterans and active
duty service members to take this survey as possible. If anyone knows
of a transgender veteran who does not have access to a computer, then
please help them log on at a local library or community center so TAVA
can obtain their responses as well. The answers to this survey will
not only help veterans' organizations in providing assistance to their
transgender members, but it will benefit other organizations from the
answers not having to do with the military. Since there are no
questions about personal contact information, this survey is
completely confidential. For additional inquiries about this survey,
please contact the Transgender American Veterans Association at:
info@tavausa.org or go to our web site at www.tavausa.org.

 

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Founded in 2003, the Transgender American Veterans Association (TAVA)
is a 501 (c) 3 organization that acts proactively with other concerned
civil rights and human rights organizations to ensure that transgender
veterans will receive appropriate care for their medical conditions in
accordance with the Veterans Health Administration' s Customer Service
Standards promise to "treat you with courtesy and dignity . . . as the
first class citizen that you are." Further, TAVA will help in
educating the Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA) and the Department
of Defense (DoD) on issues regarding fair and equal treatment of
transgender individuals. Also, TAVA will help the general transgender
community when deemed appropriate and within the IRS guidelines.