Barbara Reis-Santos, Scientific Editor, Epidemiologia e Serviços de Saúde: revista do SUS (RESS), Brasília, DF, Brazil.
Going to a health facility and being called by the correct name, having gender identity considered in healthcare, being included in research findings and in the development of new technologies… On the one hand, although these are commonplace events that may go unnoticed by most people, on the other hand, they are rights still denied to this segment of the population.
The National Policy for Comprehensive Health of Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals, Transvestites and Transsexuals (LGBT), after more than a decade since its launch, has achieved only modest advances in reducing inequalities within the Unified Health System (SUS), especially for the trans population. The Epidemiologia e Serviços de Saúde: revista do SUS (RESS), seeking to broaden the dissemination of scientific knowledge that supports the advancement of healthcare for the trans population, will publish a special issue on the 20th anniversary of Trans Visibility in Brazil (NE Visibilidade Trans).
This initiative arose within the priority agenda of the Secretariat of Health and Environmental Surveillance (SVSA) and converged with RESS’s editorial policy of promoting diversity, which faces a low spontaneous demand for manuscript submissions on the topic. Alícia Krüger, Advisor on Inclusion, Diversity and Health Equity Policies at the Ministry of Health – who is a travesti –, Inês Dourado, full professor at the Institute of Collective Health of the Federal University of Bahia, and Maria Amelia de Sousa Mascena Veras, associate professor at the Department of Collective Health of the Faculty of Medical Sciences of Santa Casa de São Paulo, are the guest editors leading the NE Visibilidade Trans, which received 84 manuscripts through a public call. Manuscripts submitted by invitation of the editors, across various article types, are also being processed.
The NE Visibilidade Trans was well received not only among members of the scientific community. Civil society also welcomed the proposal with enthusiasm. In an editorial note marking the beginning of the publication’s dissemination, Keila Simpson and Bruna Benevides, from the National Association of Transvestites and Transsexuals (ANTRA), outlined the journey toward trans visibility in Brazil, from the launch of the “Travesti e Respeito” (Transvestite and Respect) campaign in the National Congress to the celebration of these 20 years.
The struggle, which began with the right to a dignified existence, advances with its recognition in diverse spaces and the exercise of citizenship. For this process to continue, however, it is essential that policymakers, health professionals, researchers and civil society keep working toward a comprehensive implementation of the National Policy for Comprehensive LGBT Health. The evidence regarding the trans population can no longer be perceived only through statistics of violence.
RESS hopes that the closing of the manuscript call on this topic does not diminish the great interest shown by authors. We reaffirm that our regular volume is permanently open for submissions, and we hope to continue contributing to building a more diverse, inclusive, accessible and equitable SUS.
References
AUGUSTO, R.M., OLIVEIRA, D.C. and POLIDORO, M. Descrição de medicamentos prescritos para a terapia hormonal em serviços de saúde especializados para transexuais e travestis no Rio Grande do Sul, 2020. https://doi.org/10.1590/S1679-49742022000100027. Epidemiologia e Serviços de Saúde [online]. 2022, vol. 6, no. 31, e2021502 [viewed 08 April 2024]. Available from: https://www.scielo.br/j/ress/a/bKGfc8Bnycn5jHrMSH946tQ/
BRAGA, L.H., et al. Fatores associados à piora no estilo de vida durante a pandemia de COVID-19 na população brasileira de lésbicas, gays, bissexuais, transexuais, travestis e identidades relacionadas: estudo transversal. Epidemiologia e Serviços de Saúde [online]. 2022, vol. 25, no. 31, e2021752 [viewed 08 April 2024]. https://doi.org/10.1590/S1679-49742022000100005. Available from: https://www.scielo.br/j/ress/a/pb9FJP4DByzFkgSJVg5kdRv/
OLIVEIRA, D.C. Representatividade da população LGBTQIA+ nas pesquisas epidemiológicas, no contexto da Política Nacional de Saúde Integral de Lésbicas, Gays, Bissexuais, Travestis e Transexuais: ampliar a produção de conhecimento no SUS para a justiça social. Epidemiologia e Serviços de Saúde [online]. 2022, vol. 15, no. 31, e2022020 [viewed 08 April 2024]. https://doi.org/10.1590/S1679-49742022000100030. Available from: https://www.scielo.br/j/ress/a/JJdj3rLfJMXpnLtNkNkMT5q/
To read the editorial note about this issue, visit
SIMPSON K and BENEVIDES B. 20 anos de Visibilidade Trans, do Luto à luta! Epidemiologia e Serviços de Saúde [online]. 2024, vol. 33, spe. 1, e2024034 [viewed 08 April 2024]. https://doi.org/10.1590/S2237-96222024V33E2024034.ESPECIAL.PT. Available from: https://www.scielo.br/j/ress/a/TWWXfkWcqtBYMFHWB5CCSJD/