Count Me In,
Maryland!

Thanks so much for your interest in Count Me In, Maryland! — the Maryland Transgender Census.

Count Me In, Maryland! is a statewide census of transgender people. It is not a needs assessment, and does not ask lots of personal and sensitive questions. Rather, it is a head count; an opportunity to be counted as a transgender Marylander. The census seeks to learn how many transgender people are currently living in Maryland.

Count Me In, Maryland, is a project conducted by the Transgender Response Team (TRT). The TRT is a stakeholders’ group convened by the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. The TRT's purpose is to launch and sustain a linked framework of culturally competent, evidence-based HIV prevention services for transgender communities and individuals in the state of Maryland. We focus on efforts that: reduce the stigma and oppression that fuel risk and risk-taking behavior; facilitate power-sharing between consumers and providers, and; promote solution-based dialogues and actions. The TRT voted to include community research and needs assessment as one of our priorities for 2015.

Anyone who currently lives in Maryland and who identifies as a gender different from the one they were assigned at birth is eligible to participate. You don't have to be of any particular age or of any particular health status.

No. The census is anonymous and confidential. We do not ask you your name or any personally identifiable information. We do ask about things like how you identify your gender, where in Maryland you live and for how long, and some basic demographic information. These types of questions will help us have a better understanding of where our communities are concentrated, and where it might be most effective to build capacity and increase services.

Data collected online are encrypted and stored in a restricted cloud-based server. When data is extracted for analysis and review, it is maintained in electronic format on a password protected computer that only the TRT Chair has access to. Data is shared in aggregate with members of the Transgender Response Team at meetings for review and analysis, but is not permitted to be taken from the meeting. The census will run for 12 months, after which it will be closed to further collection. Once data analysis has been completed, the data will be extracted from the online server and housed in electronic format in a locked filing cabinet that only the TRT Chair has access to.

Data collected from Count Me In, Maryland will be used to inform system and service planning and capacity building efforts, with the goal of increasing and improving health and wellness services for transgender Marylanders. Data and resultant recommendations from data analysis by the TRT will be shared with key organizations and other decision-makers, and with member organizations represented at the Transgender Response Team. The TRT will also hold several open meetings to report back to transgender communities on the results of the census and how the data are being translated into practical applications to benefit transgender Marylanders.

The results of the census will be posted online at this web site. We will post an update every 3 months, starting 3 months after the date the survey first became available online. In addition, we plan to disseminate the information at community meetings. If you would like to be informed of meetings and other opportunities to hear about the results of the census, please send an email to Jean-Michel.Brevelle@maryland.gov and ask to be placed on the census notification list.

If you have any questions about Count Me In, Maryland, or about the Transgender Response Team, please contact Jean-Michel Brevelle by sending email to Jean-Michel.Brevelle@maryland.gov or by calling (410) 767-5016 Monday through Friday between 10 am and 6:30 pm.