Biana Garcia describes buying hormones on black market and supports resource directory
Biana Garcia of Make the Road New York and the NYC Trans and Queer Coalition says she injected hormones bought on the street at 17. She says many trans people still buy hormones and silicone on the black market and supports Intro 949, Res 208, and Res 547.
Thank you.
And don't worry about my name.
So thank you so much, Chair Tiffany Cavanaugh and Chair Narcisse and Farias and the New York City Council for holding this oversight hearing.
My name is Biana Garcia and I'm a community organizer with Make the Road New York and a member of New York Trans and Queer Coalition.
We are testifying before you this afternoon because we want to confirm our commitment to our communities and to highlight our needs.
As a transgender woman, access to gender-affirming care is vital because it helps us find guidance, information, and amplify our options for navigating the healthcare system in a way that is appropriate and safe for us.
I remember when I was 17 buying and injecting myself hormones that I buy from the street or from the black market.
In my experience, it's not an isolated case.
As a community organizer, I have heard many stories from community members about the lack of information and how difficult it is to find a gender-affirming care providers who understand respect and humanize of lives and our transition.
Gender-affirming care is medical necessary advanced-based healthcare recognized by all.
your medical association.
Now, thanks to the leadership of New York City, I can say that I have a better chance to transition with my doctor guidance.
Trans people like me still face attacks on health care, but it's only in basic human rights across the country.
In addition to that, trans people also face difficulties navigating the health system.
This virus is a gap to prevent the trans community from receiving the care that we deserve.
Our coalition also strongly supports 499, which co-established an LGBT directory as a trans woman working with my community.
Having a directory will help us facilitate and guide people toward healthy and safety transition.
We want also the city of New York to support Resolution 208 and 547.
This resolution will help us as New Yorkers.
To potentially those traveling from other states for access to better gender-affirming practice to ensure their names and pronouns are respected and feel safe when speaking with their doctors.
The New York has become a national leader in protecting transgender and non-binary communities, but this leadership is not only by law, but also people actually access to care they need.
And the reason why I'm saying this, I'm out of my script, but
I just want to say that it's important to continue talking about this issue because we have a lot of people, not only
people who were born in this country, but also people who are coming to New York to be who they want to be.
People are still injecting the hormones that they buy from the street.
They also inject silicon from the black market.
And we really need a health system that really supports everyone, doesn't matter gender or color, whatever it is.
So we're going to continue doing this work.
It was really so inspiring to see a lot of youth people here too.
Thank you.
Thank you.