Take Action! Supporting Health Care Reform As An LGBT Issue

With all of the talk of national health care reform, not much attention is being given to one fact: this is an LGBT issue, and the proposed reforms have a lot of gay-positive aspects to them.

Did you know that the bill being voted on by Congress this week - Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (H.R. 3590) - includes:

• Improved data collection for at-risk groups (still a bit vague, but with continued lobbying, this will likely include sexual orientation and gender identity demographic categories)
• Nondiscrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity in federal grants for mental health education and training
• $8.5 billion in funds for community health centers, including LGBT health community centers

This is in addition to:

• Prohibition of insurance exclusions based on pre-existing conditions
• Extension of insurance coverage to approximately 31 million uninsured people

... which will affect thousands of LGBT folks and their families.

LGBT people are often under- and uninsured, and also fall into a number of other at-risk populations, including seniors and youth, women, people of color, immigrants, and people living with HIV/AIDS.

These at-risk groups face extreme discrimination by both insurance companies and by health care providers and are denied the care they need. Even more egregious, in 2007, 50% of our tax dollars were invested in public health expenses in the USA with only 5% of the population receiving treatment, leaving an estimated 45,000 people to die because they simply lacked affordable insurance coverage.

Take action now thorough PFLAG's action alert: tell your representative to pass health reform today!

Access to competent and affordable healthcare is out of reach for far too many of our LGBT loved ones, but we can change it.

Take Action! Every Child Deserves a Family Act

It's sadly rare to hear about LGBT-family-positive legislation, but we have a federal proposal pending right now!

Not only is it LGBT-positive, it's also homophobia-negative. The "Every Child Deserves a Family Act" would restrict federal funding for states with anti-LGBT adoption and foster policies.

This legislation would directly affect states with explicit adoption restrictions, including Utah, Florida, Arkansas, Nebraska, and Mississippi.

Representative Pete Stark (CA-13) just introduced this bill, HR 4806, to take into consideration the best interests of children in the foster care system. The bill would open up permanent homes to more foster youth by working with states to eliminate laws, policies, practices, and procedures that exclude potential adoptive and foster parents because of their sexual orientation, gender identity, or marital status.

The House Ways and Means Committee is beginning to review this bill, so this is the ideal time to urge your representative to co-sponsor this legislation that will help give foster children permanent, safe, and supportive homes. You can take action over at PFLAG - click here now to send your message.

About 125,000 foster children across the US are waiting to be adopted, but only 50,000 adoptions take place in any given year. There is a clear shortage of adoptive parents, and the result is that children, especially minority and special needs children, languish in foster care and bounce from placement to placement. The 25,000 youth who never find a permanent family and age out of the system each year are more likely to experience poverty, homelessness, incarceration, early pregnancy, and suffer with mental illness or substance abuse.

Despite the urgent need for more adoptive and permanent foster homes, some states have enacted discriminatory bans that prohibit children from being placed with qualified parents due to the parent's sexual orientation, gender identity, or marital status.

The result is less children being adopted and more children bouncing around the foster care system with no permanency and no security. In some cases these bans have resulted in a grandparent having to go through costly litigation in order to care for their own kin who are in foster care.

This kind of discrimination does a disservice to many children who need a permanent, safe and supportive home. It robs far too many young people of a family, a core value that many Americans hold dear, and it's time to take a stand.

That's your cue! A couple of clicks and some keystrokes could change the life of a needy child.

Individual Health Care Reform

Now, this may come as a shock, but LGBT folks don't get as good of service from the medical community as others.

Obviously this isn't really a surprise, but the specific data on this phenomenon may be.

Lambda Legal has released a free report on this, "When Health Care Isn't Caring."

This survey is the first one to examine the issue on a national scale. It documents refusal of care and barriers to health care among LGBT and HIV communities. The hope is to use these data to raise awareness of this issue and to influence decisions being made about how health care is delivered in the future.

Some of the key findings include:

• More than half of all respondents reported that they have experienced at least one of the following types of discrimination in care:
  = being refused needed care
  = health care professionals refusing to touch them or using excessive precautions
  = health care professionals using harsh or abusive language
  = being blamed for their health status
  = health care professionals being physically rough or abusive

• Almost 56 percent of lesbian, gay, and bisexual respondents had at least one of these experiences; 70 percent of transgender and gender-nonconforming respondents had one or more of these experiences; and nearly 63 percent of HIV+ respondents experienced one or more of these types of discrimination in health care.
• Almost 8 percent of LGB respondents reported that they had been denied needed health care outright. Just under 27% of all transgender and gender-nonconforming respondents reported being denied care. Finally, 19 percent of respondents living with HIV also reported being denied care.
• Just over 10 percent of LGB respondents reported that health care professionals used harsh language toward them; 11 percent reported that health professionals refused to touch them or used excessive precautions; and more than 12 percent of LGB respondents reported being blamed for their health status.
• Almost 36 percent of HIV+ respondents reported that health care professionals refused to touch them or used excessive precautions and nearly 26 percent were blamed for their own health status.
• Nearly 21 percent of transgender and gender-nonconforming respondents reported being subjected to harsh or abusive language from a health care professional, and almost 8 percent reported experiencing physically rough or abusive treatment from a health care professional. Over 20 percent of transgender and gender-nonconforming respondents reported being blamed for their own health conditions.

Not all discrimination is equal, though.

In almost every category measured in this survey, transgender and gender-nonconforming respondents reported experiencing the highest rates of discrimination and barriers to care. Transgender and gender-nonconforming respondents reported facing barriers and discrimination as much as two to three times more frequently than lesbian, gay, and bisexual respondents.

In nearly every category, a higher proportion of respondents who are people of color and/or low-income reported experiencing discriminatory and substandard care.

Respondents reported a high degree of anticipation and belief that they would face discriminatory care and such concerns were a barrier to seeking care. Overall, 9 percent of LGB respondents are concerned about being refused medical services when they need them, and 20 percent of HIV+ respondents and over half of transgender and gender-nonconforming respondents share this same concern.

Even worse, the survey respondents had higher proportions of people with advanced degrees, higher household incomes, and better health insurance coverage than the LGBT community in general. Since these factors tend to improve access to care, this means the report likely understates the barriers to health care experienced by all LGBT people and those living with HIV.

Things that people can do to improve the conditions documented by this survey include:

• Educate themselves and health care providers about the rights and needs of LGBT and HIV+ patients.
• Advocate for improved laws and policies.
• Use existing mechanisms that are appropriate, such as medical powers of attorney and other legal documents, to create as much protection as possible for themselves and their loved ones.
• Fight back when discrimination occurs, including reporting discriminatory practices, sharing stories, and contacting advocacy organizations and/or attorneys.
  

The report is a tough read, but it has a lot of good information. You have to identify the problem before you can fix it, and this report does an excellent job of chronicling many of the issues in health care.

Hockey, Homophobia, and A Father's Love for His Gay Son

The Carolina Hurricanes had been on a great winning streak this season - they'd won seven games in a row, and had won 11 of their past 13 games. Unfortunately, this streak came to a ugly, sloppy end this weekend when they lost to the Florida Panthers 4-1.

Hockey, while relatively new to the state, has been pretty well embraced by North Carolina.

Now, hockey, sadly, is famous for having a culture of homophobia. Gay slurs and challenges to masculinity and sexual potency are commonplace.

Things are changing, though. Four years ago, according to a Sports Illustrated survey, 80% of the National Hockey League (NHL) said they'd welcome an openly gay player. This made hockey more progressive than Major League baseball (62%), the NBA (60%), and the NFL (57%).

It's not surprising that the NHL players were more open. Many of the league's players are from Canada and Northern Europe, where marriage equality exists and LGBT folks have equal rights under the law.

Last year, Brendan Burke, youngest son of Brian Burke, general manage of the Toronto Maple Leafs, came out as gay. His father fully, publicly supported him on ESPN.

This caused much more discussion of sexual orientation in hockey. His coming out prompted Justin Borne, NHL sports columnist in USA Today, to proclaim "It's time to end the use of gay slurs in hockey."

Brendan Burke died in a car crash last month. His father, who served as GM of the United State's Olympic team, Team USA, in the 2010 Winter Olympics, has committed to work for LGBT equality in memory of his son.

Brendan's causes are Brian's now. He will do a PSA aimed at eliminating the bullying of gay children, and he plans to be in the Toronto Pride Parade. "I'd promised him I would march with him," Brian Burke said. "He won't be there, but I will."

Issues of LGBT equality cross all boundaries of sports, stereotypes, and family. This story is remarkable. What makes it remarkable isn't that it dealt with sexual orientation in hockey. It's not remarkable for what the father did after his son died. It's remarkable for Brian Burke's unwavering and casual support of his gay son from the get-go, from within a sport that isn't obviously gay-friendly.

His father is commendable for picking up the banner of his son's causes, but he's more commendable for simply being a loving father, regardless of his son's sexual orientation.

That's a glimpse of the world we're working for, and an example of how a parent should behave towards their kid. That's the type of parent all children deserve.

Asking and Telling About Serving

Two recent polls have shown strong public support for open service by LGBT Americans in the military.

Currently, almost 14,000 qualified men and women have been discharged from the military under the "Don't Ask Don't Tell" policy (DADT), which only allows LGBT folks to serve if they conceal their sexual orientation. Many thousands more have chosen to not re-enlist because of the policy. Enforcing and implementing this policy has cost taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars, and our armed service has suffered from the additional stress placed on its LGBT servicemembers and their families.

The American public does not support this discrimination, however, and wants it to change.

Even here in North Carolina, with its long Southern history of social conservatism, most people believe gay people should be able to serve openly in the armed services, like they do in Israel, England, Canada, and our other allied countries.

Public Policy Polling released this information a couple of weeks ago:

"We've seen a lot of national polling recently showing support for allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly in the military but we wondered: Would that hold true even in a military heavy, historically conservative southern state like North Carolina?"

"The answer is yes. 50% of North Carolinians support repealing 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' compared to 40% who are opposed to it. Most notably 59% of independents favor letting gays serve openly even as they simultaneously express majority disapproval of Barack Obama. This is not nearly the party line issue that something like health care is - while just 5% of Republicans support the President's agenda on that 26% of them are for scrapping DADT."

"Public opinion on gays in the military reflects the growing progressivism of North Carolina's population. Rural voters are strongly opposed to it but their proportion of the electorate is declining while suburbia's share rises, and suburban voters strongly favor allowing gays to serve openly. Republicans will probably have a good year in the state this time around but that doesn't change the fact that the state is moving gradually away from some of its more conservative attitudes."

Full results here."

Similarly, the Center for American Progress' recent poll supports these data:

"A majority of American voters support the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” the U.S. military’s policy that bans openly gay men and lesbians from serving in the armed forces.

The poll is the most extensive of a number of recent surveys tracking public opinions on this issue and undeniably shows that the American public has become increasingly supportive of open service. Voters recognize as our country fights two different wars that it is critical for the military to make recruiting decisions based on a soldier’s skills—not his or her sexual orientation. This finding is echoed by other polls on the issue conducted over the past year.

Key findings

CAP’s poll, fielded by Greenberg, Quinlan, Rosner Research, finds that a solid majority of likely voters support allowing openly gay men and lesbians to serve in the U.S. military: 54 percent of those surveyed support repealing the current ban on open service, with just 35 percent opposed to repeal. These numbers demonstrate a massive change in public opinion on this issue since 1994, when polls showed that majorities of Americans opposed gay men and lesbians serving in the military.

The poll also shows that:

• Voters value skills over sexual orientation: Sixty percent believe that with the United States in the middle of two wars, the military needs every talented woman and man it can get regardless of a person’s sexual orientation. Similar numbers say that they do not think gays and lesbians will harm unit cohesion or morale.
• DADT repeal is not a politically polarizing issue: Among likely voters, 68 percent of Democrats, 55 percent of independents, and 41 percent of Republicans support repeal. What’s more, 56 percent of voters in House of Representatives battleground districts and 56 percent in Senate battleground states support repeal.
• Voters do not want to defer to the military on DADT: A clear majority—63 percent—would not change their opinion on DADT repeal even if the U.S. military was opposed to open service by gays and lesbians.
• Voters are becoming more accepting of gays and lesbians overall: Nearly 30 percent said that they have become more accepting of gays and lesbians in the past 5 to 10 years. Only 11 percent became less accepting.

Download this memo (pdf)"

America is engaged in two wars, and the public believes it's time to repeal DADT and make military service contingent on abilities, not bigotry.

Act Now: ENDA Lobby Day, 3/16

On Tuesday, March 16, the National Center for Transgender Equality is sponsoring a lobby day specifically for the national Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) in Washington, DC. LGBT people and allies from around the country who support ENDA will be there, and we need folks from North Carolina.

It is particularly important to ENDA that people attend from the eight states in which Senators are on the fence, including North Carolina, where Senator Kay Hagan is still undecided. These states include:

• Alaska
• Arkansas
• Florida
• Indiana
• North Carolina
• North Dakota
• Ohio
• West Virginia

There will also be a policy conference, lobby training, and phone bank on Sunday and Monday, March 14 and 15. Registration for all of this is free.

ENDA is closer to passing than ever before.

The House has enough votes (223 likely yes votes, which is five more than a majority). There are 29 unconfirmed votes, many of which will probably be favorable.

Here's where our Reps stand (brought to you by the "Inclusive ENDA" Facebook Campaign):

	Definite Yes	Probable Yes	Probable No	Definite No
NORTH CAROLINA
G. K. Butterfield		x
Bob Etheridge		x
Walter B. Jones			x
David E. Price	x
Virginia Foxx			x
Howard Coble				x
Mike McIntyre			x
Larry Kissell		x
Sue Wilkins Myrick			x
Patrick T. McHenry			x
Heath Shuler			x
Melvin L. Watt	x
Brad Miller	x

The Senate, however, is missing a few votes. There are 55 likely yes votes (again, five more than a majority), but 60 votes would be needed if there were a filibuster.

That's where the list of states above come in. Senators in those states - including, surprisingly, our Senator Kay Hagan - are unconfirmed. Based on their previous positions they may support ENDA, but only if people from their states talk to them in sufficient numbers.

Here's info on Senators (also brought to you by the "Inclusive ENDA" Facebook Campaign):

		Unconfirmed	Confirmed no
Richard Burr (R-NC)	NC		x
Kay Hagan (D-NC)	NC	x

To make federal employment nondiscrimination happen, we need to have North Carolinians there at ENDA Lobbdy Day.

Travel can be expensive, though, but Dr. Julian T. Weiss of the Bilerico Project is willing to help folks get there.

"If you would like to come to DC for the lobby day, and you are unemployed because of sexual orientation or gender identity discrimination, and you are from one of these crucial states, I think our community should help get you there. After all, you are the ones who need this legislation. I have talked to some people who are behind ENDA 100%, and ready to put their money where their mouth is."

"If you would like to come to DC for the lobby day, and you currently reside in one of the states listed above, and you are currently unemployed because of sexual orientation or gender identity discrimination, send an email to me at jillian@bilerico.com describing your situation and how your presence in DC for the lobby day would make a difference for your US Senator."

"I cannot guarantee that we will be able to accommodate you, but I will make every effort to accommodate all those whose presence would make a difference. Please be as specific as possible in your email about how your presence would make a difference. Include your name, email address and telephone number. The subject line should read "DC LOBBY DAY ASSISTANCE REQUEST." Please send your email no later than March 5, 2010."

Not only is this the best chance for ENDA to pass than we've ever had before, but this is also an amazing opprotunity to individually, directly affect an important piece of national legislation.

Thanks to Communications Intern Danielle for this week's news round-up!

State

qnotes Shout Out

This week, Equality NC received a little love from qnotes. Let’s keep it going team! Thanks, qnotes!

Clay Aiken Speaks at LGBT Event in Raleigh!

This Saturday, The Human Rights Campaign is hosting their Carolinas Gala at the Raleigh Convention Center. Hometown boy Clay Aiken is the headlining speaker. The event is open to all.

This is an opportunity for everyone to come together. Hunter Corn, Board Chair of Equality NC says that "We're all the same people. We grew up here in North Carolina. We have natives and transplants, people coming from Charlotte to Raleigh, all to have a good time!"

It is not going to be all fun. It is also a time to promote the agenda for LGBT rights. Efforts have led to progress in the past, so let this weekend be a kickoff to more success.

Forrester Stands by Controversial Comments

North Carolina State Senator Jim Forrester is under fire for his homophobic and racially charged language. This week, Senator Forrester met with the Iredell Country Young Republicans to discuss the political climate in North Carolina. There he was quoted as saying, "slick city lawyers and homosexual lobbies and African-American lobbies are running Raleigh."

Forrester is no stranger to controversy. Since 2004, he has led to push for the Marriage Discrimination Act, which would write discrimination into North Carolina's constitution.

While the senator has apologized for being offensive, he stands by his comments saying, "I just wanted to tell people what was going on in Raleigh."

It is interesting that his comment implies that diversity in politics is a bad thing. When people make comments like that, it means we have to work even harder to promote our cause. Senator Forrester maintains that he has never been mean spirited, but I think that is a matter of opinion.

Civil Rights activist John Barnette said it best. He needs to wake up and realize this is America. This is a melting pot. And the melting pot is a good thing!

National

Housing Discrimination Study Begins in Chicago

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is embarking on a study of the challenges faced by lesbian and gay Americans in finding housing. Luckily, Chicago's Human Relations Commission has recommended that HUD add gender identity to the scope of its study to get a better understanding of the problem's impact on the entire LGBT community.