Thursday, May 31, 2012

Depressed? Please seek affirming Support

LGBTIQ individuals are less likely to seek and less likely to receive culturally appropriate, patient centered support for depression and other mental health conditions. If you are experiencing depression or anxiety please seek help. On this website are resourses to refer you to affirming on-line or in person support across the country.

I lost my best friend in graduate school to suicide, because he did not have affirming support. It was devestating to lose a brilliant young man with such promise, because of sexual orientation issues. I think of him everyday.

If your friend expresses thoughts of suicide seek immediate assistance.
This is part of a Scottish National Campaign on mental health issues.  This segment is targetinging the LGBTIQ community. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSKZNYHoW1I&feature=youtu.be

One in the series of short films that 'see me' has produced to raise awareness of mental health and the stigma still too often associated with mental health problems. This film explores mental health issues, sexual orientation and gender identity.


Thursday, May 24, 2012

LGBT Community Survey

Over 45,000 LGBT consumers from 100+ countries responded to Community Marketing’s 4th Annual LGBT Community Survey, making it the largest, most comprehensive study of its kind, by far.
We have made our 5th Annual LGBT Community Survey report available in it’s entirety. Click here to download. Click here to download CMI’s Approach to Market Research. Click here to download a profile of CMI’s 60,000+ LGBT Consumer research panel. To receive research announcements and updates, please be sure to sign up for our newsletter.

STAR Center Webinar: “Recovery, Wellness and Transgender Equality: Issues, Discussion and Resources for Increasing Multicultural Competence and Effective Practices for Real Lives”













Friday, May 18, 2012

Missed the Trans Health webinar Last Week? It’s okay, we’ve got you covered.


The Network for LGBT health Equity.  An insider’s view of informative info…
Reporting on HHS’s Transgender Health Webinar. Reposted at
 
 In the interest of keeping you in the loop, we wanted to provide some updates and resources about something GROUNDBREAKING- Last week, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) hosted a first-of-it’s-kind webinar, called “A Healthy People 2020 Spotlight on LGBT Health: Transgender Health”!
Managed by HHS and launched in December 2010, Healthy people 2020 is a set of 10-year national objectives for improving the health of all Americans. One of the overarching goals of Healthy People 2020 is to “Achieve health equity, eliminate disparities, and improve the health of all groups”, andddddd Healthy People 2020 is way cooler than in past decades because it includes a section on LGBT Health!
Map of America
“During the past 2 decades, 1 of Healthy People’s overarching goals has focused on disparities. In Healthy People 2000, it was to reduce health disparities among Americans. In Healthy People 2010, it was to eliminate, not just reduce, health disparities. In Healthy People 2020, that goal was expanded even further: to achieve health equity, eliminate disparities, and improve the health of all groups.” (read more HERE)
As you can see above, this decade’s Healthy People is kind of our jam. And good news! If you missed the webinar (or if you would like to relive the experience), you can listen to a recording HERE! It comes highly recommended, not only because it was informative and relevant, but because it was also momentous and full of some seriously inspirational names in Transgender Health!

Posted at https://lgbthealthequity.wordpress.com/2012/05/16/missed-the-trans-health-webinar-last-week-its-okay-weve-got-you-covered/

Thursday, May 17, 2012

New Study Finds “Coming Out” Can have Health Benefits

According to an April 11, 2012, Huffington Post article, a new study in the Journal of Homosexuality finds that parental support and acceptance when coming out provides long-term health benefits to LGB adults. Study co-author, Emily Rothman, PhD, noted, "Given the high rates of suicide and self-harm among lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) youth–and the high costs of treating mental-health and substance-abuse disorders—it’s critical that we understand what we can do to promote better health for LGB kids. The way that parents treat their LGB children when they come out is an important public health topic that has received too little attention to date."

Posted at GLMA. Reposted at http://www.keystothecloset.blogspot.com/

New Study on the “Dynamics of Self-Acceptance and Defense”

As reported in this April 10, 2012, CBS News article, a new study in the current issue of the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, people who are closeted are more likely to express hostility towards gays and lesbians. Richard Ryan, professor of psychology at the University of Rochester and co-author of the study noted, "Sometimes people are threatened by gays and lesbians because they are fearing their own impulses, in a sense they 'doth protest too much.’ In addition, it appears that sometimes those who would oppress others have been oppressed themselves, and we can have some compassion for them too, they may be unaccepting of others because they cannot be accepting of themselves."

Posted at GLMA. Reposted at http://www.keystothecloset.blogspot.com/,

California Bill Aims to Protect Patients from Ex-Gay Therapy

According to a April 23, 2012, Think Progress article, a California Senate committee advanced a bill (SB 1172) that would prohibit anyone under 18 from undergoing therapies aimed at changing one’s sexual orientation. Additionally, the bill would require prospective patients to sign an informed consent form that includes a disclaimer stating: “Sexual orientation change efforts can be harmful. The risks include, but are not limited to, depression, anxiety and self-destructive behavior.”

Posted at GLMA. Reposted at http://www.keystothecloset.blogspot.com/,

EEOC Issues Opinion on Gender Identity Discrimination


On April 20, 2012, according to Metro Weekly, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) issued an opinion stating that employers who discriminate against an employee or applicant based on their gender identity violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The ruling will be binding on all federal agencies and departments and is a ''big leap forward,'' according to Masen Davis, Executive Director of the Transgender Law Center. “Given the incredibly high rate of employment discrimination facing transgender people, this is incredibly significant for us. Data from the National Center for Transgender Equality and National Gay and Lesbian Task Force found that 78 percent of transgender Americans say they've experienced workplace discrimination at some point in time,'' Davis stated. ''Given that transgender people do not have employment protections in the vast majority of states, this creates a whole new fabric of legal support for our community."

Posted by GLMA, reposted at http://www.keystothecloset.blogspot.com/,

GLMA Membership Drive

GLMA’s LGBT Health Digest is an electronic newsletter with information and resources for health professionals concerned about the health of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) populations. The Digest highlights issues, events, publications and other newsworthy items pertinent to LGBT health. Please feel free to circulate the Digest to your colleagues. To sign up, send your request to digest@glma.org. Also, to submit an item to be considered for publication in the Digest, please send your request to Emily Kane-Lee at ekanelee@glma.org

Check out this excellent source of news and information and support the GLMA.

Update on Sexual Health in Men Who Have Sex with Men (MSM)

2010 STD Treatment Guidelines Webinar-Update on Sexual Health in Men Who Have Sex with Men (MSM) June 7, 2012 from 12:00 pm to 1:30 pm ET Adobe PDF file

This live webinar is for clinicians who provide care for men who have sex with men (MSM). The webinar will review critical diagnostic and management challenges for specific STDs of concern, with an overview the epidemiology of STDs among MSM. The webinar will discuss recommendations specific to helping MSM establish and maintain sexual health. Components of the 2010 STD Treatment Guidelines and additional resources relevant to clinicians working with MSM will also be discussed. The webinar will conclude with a live question and answer session. The webinar will be archived for future viewing. Various forms of continuing education will be available for live and archived webinar viewers.
  • Click hereExternal Web Site Icon to register for the webinar. Participation in the live webinar is on a first come, first serve basis and will be limited to the first 3,000 participants that log into the live webinar on June 7, 2012.
Reposted at http://www.keystothecloset.blogspot.com/,

Panel Passes Domestic Partner Benefits Bill

A week after President Barack Obama publicly proclaimed his support for same-sex marriage, a Senate panel easily passed a measure that would extend benefits to gay and lesbian partners of federal workers.

On a voice vote, the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee approved the Domestic Partnership Benefits and Obligations Act. The bill is intended to give the same benefits to same-sex partners that spouses of straight federal workers currently receive.
 
Among the benefits that would be provided to same-sex partners are health care benefits, long-term care, family and medical leave, and retirement benefits, according to Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.), the bill’s chief sponsor who has repeatedly introduced the measure in previous Congresses.

“Correcting this situation that allows for unequal treatment among federal workers not only fixes a fundamental unfairness in the current system, it will help the federal government recruit and retain talented employees who might otherwise reject federal service because … they can get fairer benefits packages from other private or public sector employers,” Lieberman said in his opening remarks.

Lieberman, who opposes legalizing gay marriage, said the timing of the hearing — exactly one week after Obama’s announcement — was coincidental and stressed that Wednesday’s bill was about “equal pay and equal benefits for equal work.”

The legislation has 23 co-sponsors – all Democrats or Democratic-leaning independents except for Maine Sen. Susan Collins, the top Republican on the Senate panel. Like Lieberman, Collins said during Wednesday’s hearing that the bill was one way to make the federal government more attractive compared to the private sector.

“It’s just a matter of making the federal government’s benefits structure comparable of those of large employers,” she said.

According to Lieberman’s office, one of three employers offers benefits to their workers’ domestic partners, as well as 60 percent of Fortune 500 companies and half of employers with more than 5,000 employees. Furthermore, 24 states and hundreds of local jurisdictions do as well, Lieberman’s office said.

Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0512/76388.html#ixzz1v9y6OB3g

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

NCAVP Update: April reports of violence affecting LGBTQH communities in the media in the United States

MEDIA ALERT

May 08, 2012 

Media contacts:
Chai Jindasurat, 212-714-1184

Lisa Gilmore, 773-661-0734

  • 7 murders and 13 total incidents reported in April
The National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs (NCAVP) is concerned by reports of violence impacting lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and HIV-affected (LGBTQH) communities across the United States that were reported during the month of April, 2012.  This month, NCAVP is including incidents that occurred in March 2012 which were reported to NCAVP in April, 2012.  In total, 12 incidents were reported in the media in California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Michigan, New York, Nova Scotia, Ohio, Tennessee, and Washington, DC.

March 22, 2012: Ronald Champagne, 50, used a gay slur and rammed his Cadillac into the vehicle of another man, 60, in Auburn, Maine.  The man had stopped his vehicle to arrange items in it when Champagne drove up in his Cadillac prior to the incident.  The Maine Attorney General's Office has filed a complaint against a Turner in response to this incident.

March 24, 2012:  Luis De Los Santos fatally shot a transgender woman, 23, and shot and wounded a second transgender woman, 20, in Riviera Beach, Florida.  Riviera Beach police arrested and charged De Los Santos with aggravated battery with a firearm in response to these attacks.  NCAVP released a facebook note to alert our communities to this news in response to these incidents.

March 26, 2011:  A student came back to his dorm room to find a racist and homophobic note saying, "f—got n—ger f—k off" and bleach poured in his two top dresser drawers at Berry College in Rome, Georgia.  Campus organizers have started circulating a petition to create an LGBT organization, LISTEN, on campus in response to this incident.  The Student Life Council and then-President Scott Colley approved LISTEN in 2004, but the college's board of trustees reversed the decision and denied the organization official club status.  NCAVP member SpeakOut Georgia Anti-Violence Project released a statement denouncing this incident and raising awareness about their online reporting campaign.

March 28, 2012: Richard Watson and Micah Denson attacked and killed Dimetrez Griffin, 37, after attempting to rob him in his Leland Hotel home in Detroit, Michigan.  During the course of the robbery, the two men strangled Griffen and stepped on his neck, killing him.Watson and Denson were arrested and are being charged with first degree murder.  Griffin was a well-known local LGBTQ activist.  Detroit police and prosecutors have connected these two men to a string of robberies that target gay men through chat sites.  Griffin's friends and family organized a memorial service on Saturday, April 7th to commemorate his life.  NCAVP worked with its local member program, Equality Michigan, to release a facebook note alerting our communities to this incident.

April 3, 2012:  Detroit police found Coko Williams, 35, a transgender woman, shot to death outside a Parkhurst home in Detroit, Michigan.  Detroit police have not released information regarding suspected offenders or further details about this case.  NCAVP member program, Equality Michigan, released a statement expressing support and condolences to Williams' friends and family.  NCAVP released a breaking news alert on April 3 in response to this homicide.

April 6, 2012:  John Reed, 54, fatally shot his longtime intimate partner Jeffrey E. Caldwell, 56 in Columbus, Ohio.  According to reports Reed alleges that Caldwell was beating him and was fearful for his life when he shot Caldwell. Reed called 911 to report the incident and told a dispatcher that Caldwell "was killing me, he was trying to kill me." Franklin County Municipal Court has charged Reed with murder.  NCAVP released a breaking news alert in response to this homicide.  NCAVP member program, Buckeye Region Anti-Violence Organization (BRAVO), released a statement in response to this incident.

April 16, 2012:  Chicago police found Paige Clay, a 23 year old transgender woman of color, dead from a gunshot wound to the head in the West Garfield Park neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois.  Chicago authorities have not released further information regarding this incident.  NCAVP released a breaking news alert in response to this incident.  NCAVP member program, Center on Halsted, released a statement calling on community members to work together to create more safety for those most impacted by violence.  Clay was a well known figure in Chicago's ballroom scene.  Taskforce Prevention and Community Services has organized a community event for Tuesday, May 1st titled Justice for Paige in memory of Clay.  Family and friends of Clay have scheduled a wake and funeral for her for Friday, May 4th.

April 16, 2012:  Kenneth Weishuhn, 14, completed suicide after enduring severe anti-gay bullying including bullying at school, cyber-bullying, and receiving anti-gay death threats in Paullina, Iowa.  Weishuhn had recently come out as gay and his classmates created an anti-gay facebook group in response to his coming out.  Weishuhn's family and friends organized a vigil on Friday, March 20th in his honor.  Local organizations One Iowa and Iowa Safe Schools released a statement responding to Weishuhn's death calling for the elimination of bullying.

April 17, 2012:  Jason Lopez, 22, fatally shot his boyfriend Tory Curtis when he found Curtis at the home they shared with a third, unidentified man in Brooklyn, New York.  Lopez then shot himself fatally. The unidentified man hid while the shooting took place and has survived.  The New York City Anti-Violence Project (AVP) released a breaking news alert and has reached out to the New York Police Department, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn's office, and community organizations in response to this incident.

April 17, 2012: Andre Noel Denny, 32, used homophobic slurs, beat, and killed Raymond Taavel, 49, after Taavel attempted to intervene in a dispute between Denny and another man outside Menz bar in Halifax, Nova Scotia.  Local authorities have charged Denny with second-degree murder.  Hundreds of community members gathered for a vigil outside the bar in memory of Taavel, who was a well-known local gay activist, on April 17th.

April 21, 2012: A group of men used anti-gay slurs and attacked Eric Unger, a student at Illinois State University who identifies as gay, after leaving a party in Normal, Illinois.  Unger called the police following the attack and local authorities transported him to Advocate BroMenn Medical Center.  Unger sustained scrapes and bruises around his face, broken teeth, and a fractured jaw as a result of this attack.  Normal Police have stated that an investigation is ongoing.

April 21, 2012: Chase Mason Kelley, 18, punched a transgender individual until the person lost consciousness in Memphis, Tennessee.  Memphis Police also report that Kelley's brother attempted to run over the survivor with his Jeep but missed.  Jonathan Cole from the Tennessee Equality Project has responded by stating that the federal Matthew Shepard/James Byrd Junior Hate Crime law may be applicable in this case.

April 21, 2012:  Michael Joseph Poth, 20, a United States Marine used a pocketknife to fatally stab Marine Lance Cpl. Phillip Bushong, 23, after Poth called him an anti-gay slur in Washington, DC.  District police have charged Poth with second-degree murder.  Four of Bushong's friends gathered at the scene of the incident on April 21st to mourn and remember Bushong.  Authorities have not released information on whether they are considering this incident to be hate motivated.

April 28, 2012: An unnamed suspect fatally shot Brandy Martell, a transgender woman, in her car following an altercation between Martell, the suspect, and another unnamed person in Oakland, California.  NCAVP and local member program, Community United Against Violence, released a breaking news alert in response to this murder in which CUAV expressed heartbreak at the news of Martell's death.  Community members organized an emergency vigil in honor of Martell at the location where she was shot on April 29th.  Oakland Police are investigating Martell's murder as a potential hate crime.

April 30, 2012:  Alex Wiles, a North Carolina resident, videotaped himself denouncing same-gender marriage and shooting a sign opposing North Carolina Amendment One with a rifle near his home in North Carolina.  Amendment One would add a ban on same-gender marriage to the North Carolina constitution.  North Carolina residents will vote on Amendment one on May 8th, 2012.

According to NCAVP's report Hate Violence Against Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and HIV-Affected Communities in the United States in 2010, there was a 13% increase in reports of anti-LGBTQH violence between 2009 and 2010.  Additionally, NCAVP's 2010 report Intimate Partner Violence in Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and HIV Communities documented 38.1% increase in reports of LGBTQH intimate partner violence between 2009 and 2010.  NCAVP believes that together communities can prevent and end violence impacting LGBTQH people and calls on community members, anti-violence organizations, and public officials to join efforts to end violence within and against LGBTQH communities.

Contact Information for Organizations Responding to Incidents

Buckeye Region Anti-Violence Organization (BRAVO)

866-86-BRAVO
www.bravo-ohio.org
Center on Halsted
773-871-CARE
www.centeronhalsted.org
Community United Against Violence
415-333-HELP
www.cuav.org
Equality Michigan
866-962-1147
www.equalitymi.org
Iowa Safe Schools
515-243-1221
www.iowasafeschools.org
New York City Anti-Violence Project
212-714-1184
www.avp.org
One Iowa
515-288-4019
www.oneiowa.org
SpeakOut Georgia Anti-Violence Project
404-707-0864

Tennessee Equality Project
615-669-8057
www.tnep.org
NCAVP is providing all information available regarding these reports and is not responsible for the complete accuracy of the specific details pertinent to allegations, police investigations, and criminal trials.  Initial reports of these incidents come from media reports of LGBTQH violence and not direct service provision from NCAVP member programs.  NCAVP has reached out to local organizations in these areas and is offering assistance to support their anti-violence efforts.

NCAVP works to prevent, respond to, and end all forms of violence against and within lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and HIV-affected (LGBTQH) communities.  NCAVP is a national coalition of local member programs, affiliate organizations and individuals who create systemic and social change. NCAVP is a program of the
New York City Anti-Violence Project.

Available for print in whole or in part without further permission.