Tag Archives: LGBT advocacy

5 Things You Can Do on the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia

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Photo: Thinkstock.com

May 17, 2012 is the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia (IDAHOT). The date was selected to commemorate the World Health Organization’s decision in 1990 to remove homosexuality from its list of mental illnesses. Since then, the LGBT community has come a long way; but we still face many health, economic, and legal/social barriers, as well as alarmingly high levels of bias-driven violence.

Here at Fenway, we see first-hand how homophobia and transphobia negatively impact the health and well-being of LGBT people. Here are five ways you can participate in the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia to make sure it continues to get better for the LGBT community:

  1. Spread the Word through Social Media Link to this post or the IDAHOT website on Facebook or Twitter. Tweet your support for the LGBT community using hashtag #IDAHOT. Write your own blog about IDAHOT and share it on Tumblr. Snap a photo of yourself holding a pro-LGBT sign for Instagram. Make equality go viral!

  2. Contact Your Elected Officials  Write your elected officials and ask them to support LGBT-inclusive legislation and oppose legislation that is homophobic or transphobic. Let politicians know you support protecting lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Americans from employment discrimination and domestic violence. Tell them your community matters, and your vote matters.

  3. Give Back to the LGBT Community Donate to your favorite LGBT causes. If you can’t donate money, donate time. Philanthropy and volunteering can be both fun and rewarding.

    At Fenway, we can’t wait to celebrate Boston LGBT Pride with supporters who will help us build our float and march with us. We’re also looking forward to the Boston Spirit Summer Cruise—100% of the ticket sales benefit our work for LGBT health and our supporters get to enjoy a great party.

  4. Share Your Story Let others know how homophobia or transphobia has affected you. You can help your friends and family understand how anti-LGBT bias negatively impacts people they know and love.

  5. Listen to Someone Else’s Story Homophobia and transphobia impact us all differently. If you are a cisgender man or woman, educate yourself about the challenges faced by trans members of our community. If you are an LGBT adult, do something that benefits the youth in our community—who face much higher levels of harassment and homelessness than their heterosexual peers. As we work to open other people’s minds, we should see where there’s room to grow ourselves.

And remember, you can take these steps against homophobia and transphobia not just today but every day! 

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YLC Hosts LGBT Film Festival Event

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On Tuesday, May 8, the Young Leaders Council of Fenway Health will be hosting a screening of short films for the 28th Annual Boston LGBT Film Festival. The screening features Lions of New York, a documentary that follows the New York City’s most prominent gay hockey team; Pursuit, a film by Patty Newton that deconstructs the traditional romantic comedy with two female leads; and Au Commencement, a subtitled French animated short about two sperm who happened to be gay.

Additionally, the award-winning documentary filmmaker Blair Doroshwalther and producer Giovanna Chesler will present a sneak preview rough-cut of their documentary, The Fire this Time, which tells the story of the “New Jersey Seven,” a group of young, gay women of color who were verbally assaulted and physically attacked by a twenty-nine-year-old man, only to be sent to prison for defending themselves. Blair and Giovanna will be present following the screening for a Q & A.

The screening will begin at 7:30 PM on the 10th Floor of Fenway Health’s Ansin Building, at 1340 Boylston Street. Visit the Facebook event here and the program catalog on the Boston LGBT Film Festival’s website here.

The Young Leaders Council (YLC) is an initiative of Fenway Health to empower emerging LGBT leaders and allies to shape their community’s future. Through exclusive events and programs, we’re fostering a culture of philanthropy that will advance Fenway’s mission of care, research, education, and advocacy. We welcome people in their 20s and 30s passionate about Fenway’s mission, building community, and having fun with like-minded peers. 

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Come Out For Health: National LGBT Health Awareness Week

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The 10th Annual National LGBT Health Awareness Week is March 26–30, 2012

March 26–30, 2012 is National LGBT Health Awareness Week, highlighting the disparities in access to culturally competent care and positive health outcomes between lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people and their heterosexual counterparts. The health of the LGBT community has long been at the heart of Fenway’s mission; and while we have seen great progress, we still have a long journey to true health equity.

LGBT people have unique health and wellness needs and continue to be impacted by health disparities. For instance:

Compared to other men, MSM are at increased risk of major depression during adolescence and adulthood, bipolar disorder; and generalized anxiety.

  • Lesbian women are more likely than straight or bisexual women to be overweight and obese, increasing their risk for cardiovascular disease.
  • In 2009, men who have sex with men (MSM) accounted for an estimated 2% of the U.S. population but accounted for 64% of new HIV infections.
  • In one survey, 41% of transgender respondents had attempted suicide.
  • LGBT young people represent an alarmingly high proportion of homeless youths across the U.S.—an estimated 20–40%.
  • Many LGBT people turn to substance abuse to cope with increased stress. An estimated 20–30% of gay and transgender people abuse substances, compared to about 9% of the general population.

However, there have been many recent advances in the field of LGBT health. A year ago, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) issued a historic report on LGBT health that highlights a number of issues, including:

  • LGBT youth have an elevated risk for attempted suicide and depression.
  • LGBT adults lack access to providers who are knowledgeable about LGBT health needs and fear of discrimination in health care settings.
  • LGBT elders are more likely to rely on friends and others as caregivers than biological family members, at least in part because they are less likely to have children.
  • Research has not been conducted evenly across sexual and gender minority populations, with more research focusing on gays and lesbians than on bisexual and transgender people.
  • Research has not adequately examined subpopulations, particularly racial and ethnic groups.

LGBT elders have higher rates of disability, depression, and loneliness compared to heterosexuals of similar ages.

The report also includes recommendations to better understand and address the unique health needs of LGBT Americans.

The U.S. Department  of Health and Human services details a number of accomplishments in the area of LGBT health, including better data collection on LGBT populations and a multi-year HRSA grant to The Fenway Institute to create a national LGBT health technical assistance and training center for community health centers.

Still, our work is far from over. This year’s National LGBT Health Awareness Week focuses on four core principles:

Consumer Empowerment
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals need to be educated about their health and empowered to discuss sexual orientation and gender identity with their providers. If you don’t feel comfortable with your current provider, there are resources to help you find LGBT-affirming care, including the Gay & Lesbian Medical Association provider directory.

Culturally Competent Services
Health care providers need more information and resources to help them better serve the LGBT community. To that end, The Fenway Institute has  released policy briefs on Why and How to gather sexual orientation and gender identity data in a clinical setting. The Fenway Institute has also launched a website for the National LGBT Health Education Center, which will provide educational programming and consultation for health care organizations with the goal of eliminating health disparities among lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people.

More than 20% of transgender survey respondents reported having to teach their doctor about transgender care.

We must also continue to work toward better access to these services for LGBT individuals and support policies that make this possible. Lesbian, gay, and bisexual Americans are roughly twice as likely to be uninsured as the general population—partly due to unequal legal recognition of their relationships and employment discrimination, including insufficient protection against being fired for sexual orientation or gender identity. If all employers offered domestic-partner benefits, the uninsured rates for same-sex and different-sex unmarried couples would decrease by as much as 43%.

Inclusive Policymaking
Congressional briefings are scheduled during LGBT Health Awareness but you can always advocate for more inclusive policies by contacting your local, state, and national representatives. 

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