For trans people reliant on federal programs, election could change everything

Chauntey Wilson, a formerly incarcerated transgender woman, got the health care she needed while Donald Trump was president. She fears others may not be able to if he’s elected to a second term.Wilson, 45, sought care at a Pittsburgh clinic known for treating LGBTQ+ people soon after she was released from a Pennsylvania state prison in 2018. Growing up in Pittsburgh’s Hill District she faced crushing gender dysphoria and conflict with those who couldn’t understand her identity.She was housed with men during two prison sentences spanning 16 years — a policy that exposes incarcerated trans women to an increased risk of verbal, physical and sexual abuse. And while there, she couldn’t access gender-affirming surgeries that would bring her body into closer alignment with her gender.She qualified for Medicaid after she was released and continued the transition she’d started long before her incarceration. The state’s program covered her three surgeries, two of which were performed at Pittsburgh hospitals. Wilson is now a member of the Pittsburgh LGBTQIA+ Commission and serves in leadership roles at two nonprofits that support trans people: TransYOUniting and The Love Diamond Project. She feels “lucky and blessed” because she found employment and built the life she wanted...