Know Your Rights: (Trans) Survivors of Violence

The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) includes trans people. VAWA protects all survivors of intimate partner violence, domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking – no matter what their gender, transgender status, or gender identity is. This article from the National Center for Transgender Equality describes examples of discrimination, explaining how to respond and how VAWA works. Service providers cannot turn you away because of your gender identity. That includes police, sheriffs, rape crisis centers, domestic violence shelters, hotlines, and support groups.

Under VAWA, you have the right for your gender identity to be respected—that means being treated as the gender you say you are. You should not be asked to prove your gender with medical or legal documents or and you should not be asked about your body parts.

SOURCE: Advocates for Trans Equality