Showing posts with label aids/hiv. Show all posts
Showing posts with label aids/hiv. Show all posts

Monday, March 7, 2011

March 10: Women and Girls and HIV/AIDS, Oh My!

National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day is observed specifically on March 10 every year, and it is coordinated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office on Women's Health (OWH). OWH encourages organizations to hold events throughout the entire month of March.

National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day is a nationwide observance that encourages people to take action in the fight against HIV/AIDS and raise awareness of its impact on women and girls.

According to the CDC, HIV/AIDS is a serious public health issue affecting nearly 280,000 women in the United States. While men account for most HIV/AIDS cases, the impact on women is growing. In addition, research shows that, when compared to men, women face gaps in access and care.

For a handy fact sheet, go here:

PDF National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day Fact Sheet (PDF, 434 KB)

(The new healthcare law, the Affordable Care Act, will prohibit insurance plans from putting lifetime caps on the dollar amount that they will spend on benefits. In the past, patients with HIV/AIDS, cancer, or other chronic diseases ran the risk of hitting a lifetime cap and losing access to care. The law also restricts most insurance companies' use of low annual dollar limits on benefits. In 2014, annual limits will be eliminated. In addition, the Affordable Care Act will help those living with HIV/AIDS be better able to afford their medications.)

The Affordable Care Act and National HIV/AIDS Strategy are two important steps in the fight against HIV/AIDS, but HIV/AIDS is an issue that affects all people, and we each need to do our part ot make a positive difference. On National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, OWH calls on individuals and organizations across the country to take action and bring attention to the impact HIV/AIDS has on women and girls.

It helps organizations across the country come together to offer support, encourage discussion, and teach women and girls about prevention of HIV, the importance of getting tested for HIV, and how to live with and manage HIV/AIDS.

Education is key to making a difference with the disease, but action items that people can do in response to HIV/AIDS are most empowering. Some ideas include:

  • Get tested for HIV, and encourage your friends to do so. If you can, offer incentives for people to get tested.
  • Encourage your newspaper or schools to sponsor an essay contest on the epidemic.
  • Submit an editorial or letter on local needs to your newspaper.
  • Encourage radio stations to air public service announcements.
  • Learn about the risk factors for acquiring HIV, and talk about them.
  • Make the choice to practice safer sex and avoid higher risk behaviors.
  • Talk about HIV prevention with family, friends, and colleagues.
  • Tell people about why this day is important to you and people you know.
  • Talk about the epidemic’s impact on your community with friends and family.
  • Provide support to people living with HIV/AIDS.
  • Volunteer at a local organization that serves people living with HIV.
  • Help fund an event for the Day or support it with in-kind donations.
Visit AIDS.gov for more information from the federal government about HIV/AIDS prevention, testing, treatment, research, and using new media in response to HIV/AIDS.
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Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Sports Outage

Last week, sports columnist Steve Buckley came out of the closet. Given the amount of homophobia in the sports industry and the relative shortage of openly LGBT sports figures, having a noted columnist come clean about his gay sexual orientation is still a big deal (though fortunately it's becoming progressively less and less of a big deal).

Buckley's article in the Boston Herald, "Welcome to My coming Out Party," has been well received. Buckley says his mother told him to write the piece seven years ago, but when she died mere months later, he lost his nerve. “I’ve put this off long enough,” he said. “For too many years I’ve been on the sidelines of Boston’s gay community … figuratively and literally, as I feel I would have had a pretty good career in the (gay) Beantown Softball League.”

Every bit of visibility is good. Here are some of the most prominent LGBT names associated with various sports:
  • Martina Navratilova, tennis player, came out in 1981
  • Greg Louganis, swimmer, came out as gay and HIV+ in 1994
  • Mike Penner, sports columnist, came out as trans in 2007
  • John Amaechi, NBA player, came out in 2007
  • Gareth Thomas, rugby player, came out in 2009
  • Johnny Weir, figure skater, came out in 2011
Additionally, several retired NFL and MLB players have also come out of the closet, including David Kopay, Roy Simmons, Esera Tuaolo, Glenn Burke and Billy Bean.

Wikipedia has a "List of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender sportspeople," which currently includes these atheletes:

A

B

C

D

F

G

H

J

K

L

M

N

O

P

R

S

T

V

W

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Wednesday, January 5, 2011

2011 Is So Gay!

Every year, there are a variety of events, activities, and observances that are relevant to the LGBT community. It's difficult to get a comprehensive list, but here is a good start on upcoming days of observance to be aware of.

Truly, 2011 is so gay. As is every year!

Please feel free to leave a comment on other LGBT day or observance/holidays (holigays :) ) that you think should be added.

January

February

  • National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day - Feb 7
  • Feb 15 - TENTATIVE SAVE THE DATE! Equality NC Day Of Action in Raleigh (lobby day)

March

  • National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day - Mar 10

April

  • TransAction Day - Apr 8 in 2010
  • Day of Silence - Apr 16

May

  • National Foster Care Month - May
  • The International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia (IDAHO) - May 17
  • Harvey Milk Day - May 22

June

  • LGBT Pride Month - Jun
  • Gay Days at Walt Disney World: the first week in Jun
  • National HIV/AIDS Testing Day - Jun 27
  • Stonewall Anniversary - Jun 30

July

August

September

  • Celebrate Bisexuality Day - Sep 23
  • National Gay Men's HIV/AIDS Awareness Day - Sep 27
  • NC Pride - around last weekend in Sep

October

  • GLBT History Month - Oct
  • National Coming Out Day - Oct 11
  • Ally Week - around Oct 18-22
November
  • National Adoption Awareness Month - Nov
  • Equality NC Equality Conference & Gala - mid Nov (date, location pending)
  • National Adoption Day is celebrated the Saturday before Thanksgiving
  • National Transgender Day of Remembrance - Nov 20
December
  • World AIDS Day - Dec 1
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Monday, October 11, 2010

Come Out, Come Out, Wherever You Are! National Coming Out Day.

October 11 is National Coming Out Day when people of all sexual orientations are encouraged to come out and live openly.

(Obviously this has more significance for LGBT folks, but straight allies are included in this. Sometimes in predominantly gay situations it can be difficult for straight folks to admit to being not gay. The whole point is one of acceptance for everyone and acknowledgment of our diversity.)

(And Ally Week is coming up, Oct 18-22, BTW!)

While being gay doesn't have quite the stigma it used to, there still isn't true acceptance and equality. And considering how hard it can be to be gay today, it's that much harder to be bi, or trans, or even LGBT within another minority group like people of color. It can be hard to be unsure and questioning, wondering about your sexuality.

Coming out is a process, and there is no right or wrong way to do it. It's a wholly personal thing, and it can be a lifelong process. It's also a continuum - you may be out to your family, but you may be closeted at work, or at the gym, or at your kid's school, or standing in line at the bank.

The most important thing is to take a step today, in a conscious way. Do something that feels safe to you, but still do something to come or be out of the closet, or even just give some more visibility to all or part of the community. You can talk about your partner, the gay contestant on a reality show, the HIV/AIDS epidemic, your going to Pride, your BDSM leather club, or whatever!

Sexual orientation and gender identity are aspects of who we are, but they do not completely define us. Still, the only way to make progress is to be honest - prejudice and bigotry are based in ignorance, and the more of that we can take away, the less discrimination there will be.

Coming Out Day is actually celebrated internationally. In the US, HRC provides many resources and activities. Here's a handy map for organized events:

View these events on a larger map »

And here are some resources:
Whoever you are, wherever you are, come out!
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Wednesday, September 8, 2010

"We worry about what a child will become tomorrow, yet we forget that he is someone today."

(Title quote from Stacia Tauscher.)

Are you a kid? Do you know any kids? Do you have kids? Do you ever see any kids? OK, were you ever a kid?!

The National Youth Advocacy Coalition maintains a collection of resources on information about the lives of LGBT and questioning young people, as well as resources specifically for these youth and youth-serving professionals nationwide. It's mission is to end discrimination against these youth and to ensure their physical and emotional well-being.

If you ever have any questions, need a resource, or have a suggestion for a resource, they're a great place to go.

They maintain wiki pages for:
Check out some of their materials under these categories:
"NYAC is committed to representing the voices of young people - the largest living generation - within the broader LGBTQ and social justice movements. Through capacity building, advocacy and youth engagement, NYAC is building a generation of impact."
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Monday, August 9, 2010

Not National HIV Testing Day

Today is not National HIV Testing Day.

National HIV Testing Day (NHTD) is June 27 each year, so it was just over a month ago. The point, however, is to raise awareness and promote early diagnosis of HIV/AIDS. It's not meant to limit testing to a single day but instead make people realize how important it is to do regularly, which is why it's being mentioned here more than a month later.

NHTD was founded by the National Association of People with AIDS in 1995. The LGBT community is still disproportionately impacted by HIV/AIDS, so it's more important to emphasize getting tested early and often.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that one in five of the 1.1 million people in the United States estimated to be living with HIV are not aware of their status. In the new cases of HIV, over half are attributed to people who do not know their HIV status.

The latest CDC data shows a large increase in new diagnoses among men who have sex with men (MSM) and African Americans. HIV disproportionately affects MSM, blacks folks, and Hispanics/Latinos, but MSM are the only risk group with increasing annual numbers of new HIV infections.

“Take the Test, Take Control” was this year's theme for NHTD. Being aware of your HIV/AIDS status puts you in control of your health and reduces the risk to others. Just the idea of getting tested may be scary and difficult, but fear of the results should never outweigh the importance of knowing.

HIV is not immediately detectable, so regular testing is essential. It can take from three weeks to three months for HIV antibodies to be detectable by the most common rapid tests. This period may be as long as six months. A newly infected person could still spread HIV, though, so regular testing and safe sex practices are vital to HIV prevention.

For the CDC's FAQ on HIV/AIDS and getting tested, go here.

To find an HIV testing location near you, visit hivtest.org.
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Wednesday, July 28, 2010

ADA PWA+

(Thanks to ENC Communication Intern Matthew McGibney.)

In addition to being the victims of an epidemic, people living with HIV/AIDS throughout the 1980s were the target of mass misinformation, discrimination and fear. The decade witnessed a complete lack of leadership from the White House in confronting the massive public health crisis, with reverberations that continue to this day.

While people with HIV/AIDS still face prejudice in 2010, there has been a major cultural shift toward greater acceptance and understanding. One source of this shift can be found in another branch of the government, the Supreme Court.

On July 26, people with HIV/AIDS joined the celebrations of the twentieth anniversary of the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), thanks to the Court’s ruling in the 1998 case Bragdon v. Abbott. Bragdon concerned an HIV-positive woman, Sidney Abbott, who was denied service at her dentist’s office after she disclosed that she was infected. Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders (GLAD) took up her case all the way to the Supreme Court, which eventually ruled 5 to 4 in her favor.

The decision meant that people with HIV/AIDS were covered under the ADA and could not, for example, be refused medical care, as long as the care-giver wasn’t put in danger. The Court had formally recognized the strife of the infected.

Bragdon v. Abbott was the first HIV-related case heard by the Court, and while it did not change everyone’s opinions about people with HIV/AIDS, it did legitimize their suffering in a legal setting. By extending federal legal protections to people living with HIV/AIDS, the Court struck out at the taboos of the 1980s, and paved the way for a greater understanding of the disease by the general public.

The case shows that the government does have a role in attacking prejudice. Official acknowledgment that certain things are wrong (for example, denying dental care to a HIV-positive person) can shine a light on ignorance. This light must be applied to other issues where government supported discrimination still exists, such as Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell and the gay blood donor ban. Cultural attitudes are changing, and this shift needs to be mirrored by the government’s reaction to its own discriminatory policies.

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Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Bad Blood - Gay Donor Ban Continues

(Thanks to ENC Communication Intern Matthew McGibney.)

Despite calls from legislators to the contrary, a committee of the Department of Health and Human Services voted 9-6 last week to continue banning gay men from donating blood.

A repeal of the ban seemed a distinct possibility leading up to the vote, especially after a group of legislators, led by Massachusetts senator John Kerry and Illinois representative Mike Quigley, issued a statement calling for a change to the policy. Senator Kerry spoke before the Advisory Committee on Blood Safety and Availability, along with representatives of the American Red Cross, the American Association of Blood Banks, and America’s Blood Centers. These groups called the policy “scientifically and medically unwarranted,” and in need of a change.

The current policy stems more from prejudice rather than scientific fact.

For those who don’t know, here’s the rule: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) bars particular groups from giving blood, in this case in an attempt to limit the spread of the HIV virus. The FDA bans any man who has had sex with a man since 1977 from donating, regardless of their HIV status. The policy was formulated in the 1980s, as the HIV/AIDS crisis was developing the United States and solid scientific information on its spread was limited (back in the bad-old days where AIDS was falsely considered a “gay disease”).

It is now 2010, and we know that contracting HIV is not limited to gay men. The FDA allows straight men and women who have had sexual contact with an HIV-positive partner to give blood after a year-long waiting period, while a married, monogamous, HIV-negative gay couple would be forbidden for life.

That’s worth repeating: The FDA thinks just being gay is more likely to make someone contract HIV than actually having sex with an HIV-positive person would.

Every two seconds, someone in the United States needs a blood transfusion, according to the Red Cross. Yet current regulations prohibit gay men from donating blood based on decades-old stereotypes. Blood banks are in constant need of donors, but the FDA is blocking access to a potential donor pool against the advice of those on the front lines.

The committee did call the guidelines “suboptimal” and recommended changes based on high-risk and low-risk groups of gay men. Why such a discriminatory policy, lacking in a scientific justification, is allowed to exist at all is another question altogether.

By failing to use facts to evaluate blood donations in efforts to reduce the danger of folks becoming HIV+, the FDA gets a grade of F-.

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Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Pride In Executive Action

(Thanks to ENC Communication Intern Matthew McGibney.)

Last week, President Obama marked the beginning of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month with an executive proclamation, and this week he invited our very own Ian Palmquist to a White House reception in honor of the month.

While it is up for debate whether we’ve seen the “fierce advocate” we were promised on the campaign trail, President Obama has taken some concrete steps for LGBT rights, and Pride Month gives us a great chance to review them.

In his proclamation, President Obama pointed to the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act, which expands the federal hate-crimes law to include provisions for sexual orientation and gender identity.

He also mentioned the elimination of the HIV entry ban and his renewal of the Ryan White CARE Act, which supports around 500,000 people with HIV/AIDS each year nationally. The CARE Act is especially important here in NC because it provides funding for our AIDS Drug Assistance Program, which is in some serious trouble.

President Obama released a presidential memorandum expanding the hospital visitation rights of LGBT patients, citing a policy that we, Equality NC, pushed for and got passed here in North Carolina. (Who said local politics can't make a difference?)

There’s still much more he can do on a national level. In the proclamation, he spoke in support of LGBT adoption rights, ending Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell and repealing the Defense of Marriage Act.

While the DADT repeal process has garnered allegations of stalling and the president has come out against full same-sex marriage rights, I'm hopeful that his presidency will continue the march toward equality.

Of course, he won’t be able to lead that particular parade by himself. You can contact your U.S. Senator (Republican Richard Burr at (202) 224-3154 and Democrat Kay Hagan at (202) 224-6342) and ask them to support the Employment Non-Discrimination Act and repeal DADT, two issues currently on the agenda.

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Tuesday, June 1, 2010

A Matter of Life & Death

I just had an op-ed posted on NC Policy Watch and the Carroboro Citizen and wanted to share it with you.

Here's the post:

For years, North Carolina's AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP) had the most restrictive eligibility level in the nation. This critical program is designed to make sure that low-income people living with HIV get the medicine they need to stay healthy and significantly reduce the risk of transmission.

A few years ago, the state was actually telling people who made $14,000 a year that they should buy their own AIDS medicines, which cost $12,000 or more every year. People were literally choosing between rent, food, and medicine.

Fortunately the legislature took action in 2006 and 2008 to increase the eligibility level to the national standard of 300 percent of the Federal Poverty Level. Since that time, the program has served hundreds of people and has been something our state can be proud of.

This program isn't something that folks stay on forever. When people are on today's AIDS drugs, they can live healthy and productive lives. They often get jobs with insurance that allow them to get off the program.

When people aren't able to get these medicines, the outcomes are very different. Their viral loads are much higher, making the risk of transmission much greater. Often, they're too sick to work, driving them deeper into poverty. And people die unnecessarily.

ADAP has been working and preventing those deaths, but in February the program closed to new enrollment due to increased enrollment and lack of funding.

In just three months since the program closed, 481 eligible people have been put on a waiting list and turned away from the program. That's by far the largest waiting list of any state in the country, and there are more people added every week.

What does that mean? It means a young person who just tested positive can't access the program. Testing programs lose their impact if clinics can't connect their low-income patients with care.

It means that a worker who lost her job-and her health insurance-due to the economic downturn may have to go off of the medicines that have been keeping her healthy. That doesn't just put her health at risk, it can create drug-resistant strains of the virus that add to the public health crisis in our state.

It means that a kid who was born with HIV loses access to the drugs that have kept him alive his entire life the day he become an adult and ages out of Medicaid.

The state cannot continue to risk the lives and health of its citizens by turning people away from this critical program.

Fortunately, Governor Perdue took an important step by seeking an additional $14 million in state funds to re-open ADAP to the lowest-income patients. That's movement in the right direction, but it's not enough to keep the program open throughout the upcoming fiscal year.

The legislature must take the Governor's proposal and increase it to at least $17.7 million to allow the program to reopen and remain open to serve low-income North Carolinians who need access to these drugs. Even with such a boost, ADAP's eligibility level would fall back to the shockingly low level it was a few years ago: 125 percent of Federal Poverty Level.

Budget writers face tough decisions this year, and many valuable programs that make our state a better place will be on the chopping block. None of us want to take away from other important efforts to fund this or that. But when legislators are weighing how to allocate health and human services funding, fully funding programs like ADAP that are literally a matter of life and death should be their first priority.

Ian Palmquist is Co-Chair of the North Carolina AIDS Action Network and Executive Director ofEquality North Carolina.

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Friday, May 21, 2010

Not A Pretty Picture ... ADAP Waiting Lists

Mountain Xpress over in Asheville has a great post on ADAP, as well as a cogent graph comparing ADAP waiting lists among different states:

AIDS meds assistance program in jeopardy

By Michael Muller

North Carolina, sadly, takes the cake, with the majority piece of the pie.It's not a pretty picture, but that's why it's so important to take a look. Please click through on the link and check it out!
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Monday, May 17, 2010

Our Own Private IDAHo (International Day Against Homophobia); also TAKE ACTION against "proud homophobe" in the Executive Administration

Way back in 1990, the World Health Organization removed homosexuality from its list of mental disorders. This happened on May 17, which in 2004 became known as IDAHo (sometimes IDAHO), the International Day Against Homophobia.

Here's a handy list of 17 FAQs on May 17.

(And here's a handy PDF of the handy list of 17 FAQs on May 17!)

This year, the focus is on ending discrimination in sports by having people support this declaration:

No form of discrimination is welcome in the sports world.

Being an athlete is not only about
reaching higher and higher physically.

It’s also about the values of justice, equality,
team unity, respect, and dignity.

Plus, it’s fighting any form of discrimination,
including discrimination based on sexual orientation.

That’s why I lend my support to
the International Day Against Homophobia.

Across the pond in Europe, for the first time ever, the President of the European Council, the President of the European Parliament, and the European Commissioner for Fundamental Rights have issued statements affirming the EU's commitment against discrimination on any grounds as a statement of solidarity for LGBT folks.

Read the statement from Herman van Rompuy, President of the European Council here.
Watch a video message from Jerzy Buzek, President of the European Parliament here.
Watch a video message with transcript from Viviane Reding, European Commissioner for Fundamental Rights at Pam's House Blend here.

President Herman van Rompuy concluded his statement with the following:

"We are inspired by the sense for human dignity and the uniqueness of each person. Everyone deserves equal chances in life.

For somebody of my generation, this consecrates a remarkable evolution of public attitudes. It represents European values at their best:

  • accepting difference, not fearing it,
  • living with diversity, not fleeing it,
  • defending rights and responsibilities, not ignoring them.

    Of course, much still needs to be done, both in Europe and other parts of the world, to ensure that these mean more than empty words. We must and shall persevere in this task."


    • Sadly, here in America the president just appointed a vocal, self-proclaimed "proud homophobe," Jonathan I. Katz, to a panel working with BP on how to deal with the Gulf Oil spill.

    On his personal website at the Washington University physics department, Katz posted an essay "In Defense of Homophobia."

    Feel free to take a look at his essay, but please be warned that it's pretty awful. He blames gays for all AIDS deaths, says discrimination and homophobia are rational reactions, and likens members of the equality movement to the KKK.

    President Obama would never appoint a "proud racist" or a "proud anti-Semite" to a panel of experts in order to showcase him as one of the best minds in our country, and he shouldn't appoint a proud homophobe either.

    If you would like to sign a public letter against this appointment, you can do so here.

    One day homophobis will be the hate that dare not speak its name. In the meantime, happy IDAHo!
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    Monday, April 5, 2010

    April Fools?

    There've been several stories in North Carolina news recently in need of a punchline. They may seem funny, but sadly the homophobia around them is no joke.

    Did you hear the one about ...

    Jesse Helms, Gay Activist and Civil Rights Champion?

    The Jesse Helms Center, curator of "Senator No"'s legacy, are trying to touch up our most infamous antigay senator's legacy.

    In the wake of the end to the HIV travel band, the center, located in Wingate, is challenging the idea that Helms was a homophobe or obstructive in the AIDS fight.

    “It was Senator Helms who worked most tirelessly to protect the very principles of freedom that homosexuals are denied in many other nations.”

    John Dodd, president of the Jesse Helms Center Foundation, disputed an editorial in the British newspaper The Guardian that vilified Mr. Helms for his role in the HIV travel ban. Mr. Dodd said that “two million Africans were alive” because of the senator’s work fighting HIV/AIDS.

    For a bit of historical context, let's consider some of Senator Helms' own words:

    • "There is not one single case of AIDS in this country that cannot be traced in origin to sodomy." - States News Service, May 1988
    • "Homosexuals are weak, morally sick wretches." - 1995 radio broadcast
    • "I despise the use of the once beautiful word 'gay.' They are not gay; they are repulsive." - Senate floor, February 20, 1992
    • "I may be the most radical person you've talked to about AIDS ... somewhere along the line we're going to have to quarantine it if we are really going to contain this disease. We did it back with syphilis. We did it with other diseases and nobody even raised a question about it." - Raleigh News & Observer, June 15, 1987
    His history of homophobia is pretty unimpeachable. With friends like that, who needs friends?

    He wasn't the first antigay public official, however, nor will he be the last (unfortunately) ...

    Morgan and Blake and Boles, Oh My!

    Former House Republican Speaker Richard Morgan, who is running for a Senate seat now, attacked Rep. Jamie Boles in an open letter for voting for the antibullying bill that passed last year, protecting all students from harassment in school.

    The letter, paid for and distributed by the Richard Morgan Campaign Committee, includes the line "... and up in Raleigh you’re the only Republican in the House voting with the Democrats to pass gay rights legislation."

    Including gay students in antibullying protections is now gay rights? And the irony is that Boles didn't vote for final passage of the School Violence Prevention Act.

    It's not news that the LGBT community continues to be an easy target for bigoted politicians to use in seeking power and raising money. Consider ...

    The Forrester for the Trees ...

    Remember back in February when state Sen. Jim Forrester spoke to the Iredell County Young Republicans? He told them that "Slick city lawyers and homosexual lobbies and African American lobbies are running Raleigh."

    You'd think this was a setup for some satire on North Carolina's bigoted past, but sadly he was as sincere as could be.

    Ironically, if what he said were true, there's no way he would have been able to say it or get away with it.


    The sadness and humor of bigotry and ignorance are nothing new, but they serve as a constant reminder of the work we need to do. LGBT North Carolinians have come a long way in our struggle for fair and equal treatment, but there's still work to do.

    To support Equality NC's work for equality for LGBT North Carolinians, please click here.
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    Wednesday, March 31, 2010

    National LGBT Health Awareness Week

    This week, March 28-April 3, is the 8th Annual National LGBT Health Awareness Week.

    This year's theme for LGBT Health Awareness Week is "Closing the Gap." The LGBT community has, on average, worse health outcomes and less access to the care than the straight community.

    We need to educate ourselves and our health care providers about our unique health needs as well as our health risks in order to close the gap - everyone deserves good health!

    It can be hard to talk about intimate life with anyone. To make sure the LGBT community stays healthy, we need to help our health care providers help us by talking openly and honestly about our lives and who we are.

    Coming out is crucial. We need to come out to our providers about our sexual orientation or gender identity. We need to let them know when we are fighting depression, challenging substance use, and trying to manage our sexual health.

    You'll find a selection of fact sheets and resources on LGBT-specific health issues here. Topics include:


    As a bonus, in honor of this week, here is the upshot of the recently passed healthcare reform legislature ... from a gay perspective.

    Once implemented, more than 95 percent of the country will have health insurance coverage, including 32 million who are currently uninsured. This matters to the LGBT community because:
    • Gay folks are disproportionately poor and/or homeless due to pervasive discrimination, according to the Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law. Extending health care coverage to economically disadvantaged people will help a critically vulnerable segment of our community gain access to basic medical care.
    • Under the new law, adult children under the age of 27 will be able to remain on their families’ insurance policies, even after they leave home and/or graduate from college. Between 1 million and 9 million children are being raised by LGBT parents in the United States today, and poverty rates for children of same-sex couples are twice as high as poverty rates for children of different-sex married couples.
    • A 2006 survey of national data by the Williams Institute showed that 20 percent of people in same-sex couples were uninsured, compared with only 11.5 percent of married individuals.
    • Data from the CDC's National Health Interview Survey found that women in same-sex couples were statistically significantly less likely to have health insurance than women in different-sex relationships.
    Other positive aspects include:
    • Increased general data collection, which will help identify disparities in LGBT healthcare (though increased LGBT-specific data collection did not make the final cut).
    • Emphasis on disease prevention and public health.
    • The end of gender ratings, which means insurance companies will no longer be able to charge women more than men for the exact same policies.
    • Access to coverage despite preexisting conditions. This provision will be a tremendous benefit to transgender people, people with HIV, and groups of LGBT folks who are disproportionately affected by certain illnesses, e.g., lesbians with a greater incidence of breast cancer.
    Unfortunately, the reform also has some negatives:
    • It continues the five-year ban on legal immigrants’ Medicaid eligibility and a ban on undocumented residents’ access to health insurance, which will affect gay communities in these groups.
    • There are restrictions on reproductive freedom, which is an adjunct issue affecting LGBT folks.
    • There are none of the proposed specific anti-discrimination protections for LGBT people or measures specifically addressing the needs of people with HIV.
    • The final package lacks an earlier provision that would have eliminated the tax paid on domestic partner health benefits offered by employers.
    • It provides funding to abstinence-only-until-marriage programs, which have been proven not only ineffective but also harmful to LGBT youth and youth from LGBT families
    Read more about healthcare reform at the White House's site on the topic.
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