Unevenness in Health at the Intersection of Gender and Sexuality: Sexual Minority Disparities in Alcohol and Drug Use Among Transwomen in the San Francisco Bay Area

Research on the health of transwomen is largely focused on heterosexual HIV risk. Little is known about the health of sexual minority transwomen. We conducted a secondary cross-sectional analysis of data from a HIV risk and resilience study of transwomen aged 16 to 24 years in the San Francisco Bay Area (N = 259). Prevalence and demographic characteristics of sexual minority transwomen was assessed and logistic regression models were used to examine the relationship between sexual minority status and alcohol and drug use. In logistic regression models, sexual minority transwomen had greater fold odds of heavy episodic drinking and illicit prescription drug use compared to their heterosexual counterparts, controlling for race/ethnicity, age, income, nativity, hormone status, and history of feminization procedures. These results suggest that sexual minority status may be an important social determinant of health among gender minorities. Populations of transwomen are heterogeneous; effective interventions must consider sexual minority status.