Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Preventing Sexual Violence and Health Disparities


 

 Tuesday, March 5, 2013, 11 AM to 12:30 PM Pacific Time, (2 PM to 3:30 PM Eastern)
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“Health Disparities Research at the Intersection of Race, Ethnicity, and Disability”
Register for April 25-26 Conference on 

An AHRQ-sponsored national conference, to be held April 25-26 in Washington, D.C., will bring together researchers, advocates, and policy-makers in racial, ethnic, and disability-related disparities.

Attendees will learn about barriers to health care and health promotion for people with disabilities in underserved racial and ethnic groups, share research work on the intersection of racial/ethnic disparities and
disabilities, and discuss priorities for future research and action. The conference is sponsored by AHRQ, the Association of University Centers on Disabilities, and the Special Hope Foundation.
http://www.ohsu.edu/xd/research/centers-institutes/institute-on-development-and-disability/public-health-programs/project-intersect/index.cfm>

Introducing SAGE Story: Bring Your Story to Life


 
SAGE is proud to launch SAGE Story, a new national storytelling initiative for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) older adults. SAGE knows from firsthand experience that LGBT older people are among the most effective advocates for changing inequitable aging policies. Many have helped pave the way for the social changes we now enjoy. And many still experience discrimination and stigma in their families and in the long-term care system. LGBT elders’ stories have the power to effect change in people’s attitudes, in public policy, and in the systems that all of us rely on.

But how do we distill the most essential parts of LGBT elders’ experiences, and get those stories out to policy makers and leaders in the LGBT and aging fields? That’s where SAGE Story comes in.

 
SAGE Story will create a national voice on aging issues shaped by the insights and actions of LGBT older people. The purpose of the program is to strengthen the storytelling skills—and draw on the unique life experiences—of LGBT elders to  diversify the public narratives on aging, long-term care and LGBT rights. To meet this goal, SAGE Story maintains an online story booth for digital submissions and an online platform showcasing the stories of LGBT older people. In addition, we will offer skillbuilding workshops, starting in New York City and expanding nationwide in the coming months. We will also partner with storytelling experts and policy-based organizations to bring these stories into the current public and political conversations.


Get inspired by reading, watching and listening to the stories of LGBT elders—and be sure to submit your own story online today. It’s easy to upload a photo or video link, or write out your story. We can’t wait to hear your story!


Elder Abuse Resource Portal Launched
The National Resource Center on LGBT Aging, along with founding partner organization FORGE Transgender Aging Network, today launched a new portal dedicated to LGBT Elder Abuse.  While elder abuse affects all older people regardless of sexual orientation and transgender status, there are ways that LGBT elders can be specifically victimized and other reasons why they may choose to stay silent. This portal brings together information from partner organizations as well as groundbreaking new content to address some of these issues. The multimedia resources are especially geared toward helping abuse professionals assist in these cases, and for LGBT older adults and their caregivers to understand how to get help. Visit the LGBT Elder Abuse resources today to read the articles, watch the videos and share what you learn by talking to us on Facebook and Twitter. Every one of us can help spread the word to work against LGBT elder abuse!

Seeking Quitline Consortium Board Members

Reposted at http://www.keystothecloset.blogspot.com,
Dear NFN,

Less than 10 days are remaining to recommend candidates for the NAQC Board of Directors.  We are counting on you to help us find outstanding candidates. All NAQC members may submit candidate names and you are welcome to recommend names of candidates whom you nominated in past  years.

This year, we will be electing up to 3 new directors. It is our intention to put forward up to 5 names to the membership for election. The Board chose this approach to allow for a meaningful vote without invoking undue competition.

The Board is responsible for setting NAQC’s strategic direction, connecting with its members and ensuring NAQC’s advancement and sustainability.

During the next few years quitlines will experience many changes in the populations served, technology used, and approaches to sustainability. NAQC seeks candidates for the board who are innovative “difference makers” and who can help guide us through the changes ahead. Candidates for the board should have senior level experience, possess leadership skills, be strategic thinkers and display professional and collegial demeanor. Board members do not represent their employer or any specific constituency, but instead work together to create a global vision for NAQC. The board seeks members who are committed to NAQC’s mission and values, contribute diverse viewpoints and cultural experiences, and have expertise in some of the areas listed below:


Board members are elected for three-year terms and can be reelected once. The annual time commitment for board members includes four one to one-and-a-half day meetings (plus travel to and preparation for the meeting) and approximately 30 hours of additional time for committee work.

For each person you would like to recommend, please provide the following information to Penny Thomsen, Chair of the Nomination Committee, c/o 
Board@naquitline.org by February 28:

1. Full name, contact information and brief resume for the person;
2. Your rationale for recommending this person as a candidate; and
3. Confirmation that you have spoken to the person and know that s/he is willing to have her/his name put forward to the Nomination Committee for consideration.


Next Steps: After the February 28 deadline, the Nomination Committee will review all suggested candidates, may follow up with selected individuals for additional information, and will propose a slate of nominees to the full Board of Directors at the next Board meeting. After approval of the slate, the nominees then stand for election by the NAQC membership. A single representative from each organizational member of NAQC is eligible to vote. The election will be conducted online from June 1-14.  The new directors will be announced in August.
 
If you have questions, please contact Penny Thomsen, Chair of the Nomination Committee, at
Board@naquitline.org or Linda Bailey, President and CEO, at lbailey@naquitline.org. You can find a list of board members here and detailed information on the election process here.

Thank you for your time and effort to participate in this important activity.

Penny Thomsen
Chair of the Nomination Committee

House Balls: Keeping LGBT community health in vogue


House Balls: Keeping LGBT community health in vogue

by publichealthnerdz Posted by The Network for LGBT Health Equity <comment-reply@wordpress.com>

DMT headshot2
Daniella Matthews-Trigg

Program Associate

Highlights of Creating Change: Ballroom 101!

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

 

 
Last year, The Network tabled at Creating Change, and while that provided a really great opportunity for me to talk to almost every person who attended the conference, I didn't have much of a chance to attend sessions. This year, our tactic was different, and I found myself pouring over the conference book, completely overwhelmed by the diversity of sessions, and the fact that every single session I REALLY wanted to attend was at the exact same time as every OTHER session I REALLY wanted to attend.

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Photo from Skillz Ball 2012 (photo credits go to The Rainbow Times)

"Ballroom 101: Calling All the Children to School" was one of the sessions that I instantly circled in my booklet. And then set like, three alarm reminders in my phone so I wouldn't miss it. Since watching Paris is Burning a few years ago, I have been completely fascinated by Ballroom culture and it's role in queer communities of color. Last July, the LifeSkills team at Fenway Health hosted a ball as a community outreach event to spread awareness about their study (for young trans women), other studies at Fenway, and the health services available at Fenway. The event was a HUGE success!

Commonly called "Drag Balls", balls are competitive dance and performance events based on categories that highlight the talents, creativity, skills and attributes of participants.

Bursting into public consciousness between 1989 and 1991, the culture of drag balls and voguing can be traced back to the second half of the 19th century. Harlem’s Hamilton Lodge staged its first queer masquerade ball in 1869, and some 20 years later a medical student stumbled into another ball that was taking place in Walhalla Hall on the Lower East Side. He witnessed 500 same-sex male and female couples ‘waltzing sedately to the music of a good band’.

Balls however, are much more than just "events". Balls represent cultural pride within queer communities of color. Balls are organized and hosted by the heads of "houses", which are chosen-family kinship networks that provide both community (in the form of safety, stability, and sometimes housing) and mentorship to community members (and especially youth), not only for the balls, but for life as a queer person.

Legendary Rico Allure, Realness with a Twist, from http://voguinggifs.tumblr.com


The Ballroom 101 session at Creating Change focused largely on the use of Balls to facilitate conversations about safer sex and HIV/Aids in the 1980's and early 90's. I kept thinking about Lifeskills' Skillz Ball and what an innovative throwback to public health outreach techniques used during the height of the HIV/Aids epidemic.  Outreach at Balls, which by definition are attended by traditionally disenfranchised and high risk communities, is the perfect opportunity for community engagement in public health campaigns.

While outreach at Balls has often been about sexual health and HIV (which is greatly needed and so, so important!), the expansion into other areas of health as well, such as tobacco use in LGBT communities, and healthcare access for those without insurance, could so easily be done.

So much of creating healthy individuals and communities is about empowerment, and Balls, which have always represented safe spaces, free expression, acceptance, and creativity, are ideal opportunities for public health outreach and targeted health campaigns!

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If you have not yet seen Paris is Burning, you can watch the full film here: (andddd you should get on that right away.)


Check out LifeSkills on facebook!
For more information on Voguing and the House Ballroom Scene of NYC 1989-92 and Harlem's Drag Ball History