Facing abortion barriers, trans men warn of the risks
It was getting an abortion after being raped as a teenager that drove transgender man Adri Perez to help set up an LGBTQ-inclusive fund in the U.S.
state of Texas to support others wanting to end their pregnancies. The Supreme Court’s reversal of the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that legalised abortion in the United States has spotlighted global inequalities in access to the procedure, including for trans men, who face challenges from gendered abortion laws to economic marginalisation and discrimination.
For Perez, co-founder of the Texas-based West Fund – which has paused its operations following the June 24 ruling – the fight for trans rights and abortion access have much in common. “Trans justice and reproductive justice are linked together by the fact that what they are both fighting for at their core is bodily autonomy,” said 29-year-old Perez, who uses they/them pronouns and was not openly trans at the time of their abortion.
Trans men and non-binary people, who define themselves as neither male or female, are among those who may need abortions, as they may have a uterus and ovaries.
