Giving Visibility to Gay and Transgender Health Care [americanprogress.org]

By Kellan Baker, Jeff Krehely / Center for American Progress

As gay and transgender people know all too well, you can’t be healthy if you have to hide who you are. Unfortunately, the health care system often renders gay and transgender people invisible by erasing their experiences and obscuring the impact that societal discrimination and prejudice have on their health.

Colorado’s statewide gay and transgender equality group, One Colorado, examines this injustice in its new report, “Invisible: The State of LGBT Health in Colorado.” One Colorado’s executive director, Brad Clark, discusses the report’s findings and recommendations for health systems, providers, and members of the LGBT community.

Click to read the rest of the article…

Cynthia Nixon says she’s gay by ‘choice.’ Is it really a choice? [latimes.com]

By Karen Kaplan, Los Angeles Times/For the Booster Shots blog

Former “Sex and the City” star Cynthia Nixon says she is gay by “choice” – a statement that has riled many gay rights activitists who insist that people don’t choose their sexual orientation.

Here’s what Nixon, who recently shaved her head to play acancer patient in a Broadway production of “Wit,” told the New York Times Magazine:

“I gave a speech recently, an empowerment speech to a gay audience, and it included the line ‘I’ve been straight and I’ve been gay, and gay is better.’ And they tried to get me to change it, because they said it implies that homosexuality can be a choice. And for me, it is a choice. I understand that for many people it’s not, but for me it’s a choice, and you don’t get to define my gayness for me.”

The question of whether sexual orientation is subject to nature or nurture – or some combination of both – has been hotly debated for years. If it is not an immutable characteristic, that would imply that a gay person could be somehow transformed into a straight one. In other words, homosexuality could be “cured.” Which in turn implies that being gay is some sort of illness.

Hence, the offense taken to this point of view.

Nixon seemed to anticipate the controversy her remarks might generate. She also told the New York Times:

“A certain section of our community is very concerned that it not be seen as a choice, because if it’s a choice, then we could opt out. I say it doesn’t matter if we flew here or we swam here, it matters that we are here and we are one group and let us stop trying to make a litmus test for who is considered gay and who is not.” Her face was red and her arms were waving. “As you can tell,” she said, “I am very annoyed about this issue. Why can’t it be a choice? Why is that any less legitimate? It seems we’re just ceding this point to bigots who are demanding it, and I don’t think that they should define the terms of the debate. I also feel like people think I was walking around in a cloud and didn’t realize I was gay, which I find really offensive. I find it offensive to me, but I also find it offensive to all the men I’ve been out with.”

As expected, this did not go over smoothly with everyone. Writing on AmericaBlog Gay, John Aravosis wrote that Nixon “needs to learn how to choose her words better, because she just fell into a right-wing trap, willingly. When the religious right says it’s a choice, they mean you quite literally choose your sexual orientation, you can change it at will, and that’s bull.”

So, what’s the scientific evidence that sexual orientation is either a biologically determined trait or an actual choice?

A Spanish study published in 2009 in the journal Investigacion Clinica summarizes the evidence forgenetic influences. Based on research comparing identical twins, fraternal twins and even siblings who were adopted, scientists have determined that 27% to 76% of the chance that one is gay is determined by DNA. The genetic influence appears to be greater for men than for women, according to the study.

Other stuff is probably happening in utero that influences one’s sexual orientation. As a review articlepublished last year in the journal Endocrinology explains, exposure to atypical levels of testosteroneand other steroids in the womb is probably responsible for some people being gay. Another review article, published last year in Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology, makes the same point:

“The evidence supports a role for prenatal testosterone exposure in the development of sex-typed interests in childhood, as well as in sexual orientation in later life, at least for some individuals. It appears, however, that other factors, in addition to hormones, play an important role in determining sexual orientation. These factors have not been well-characterized, but possibilities include direct genetic effects, and effects of maternal factors during pregnancy.”

One of those prenatal influences may be the number of males who have previously inhabited the mother’s uterus. It may sound strange, but Canadian researchers have found that “having one or more older brothers boosts the likelihood of a boy growing up to be gay,” as I explained in a 2006 Los Angeles Times story. As I wrote at the time, “The so-called fraternal birth order effect is small: Each older brother increases the chances by 33%. Assuming the base rate of homosexuality among men is 2%, it would take 11 older brothers to give the next son about a 50-50 chance of being gay.” Those findings were reported in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

In addition, my colleague Shari Roan wrote about a fascinating controversy surrounding treatment for a rare condition called congenital adrenal hyperplasia. The disorder can cause girls to be born with genitals that look male, making it hard to tell the baby’s gender. One treatment is to give women hormones during subsequent pregnancies to reduce the risk for siblings. But doctors have found that this approach has an unusual side effect:

“The treatment might reduce the likelihood that a female with the condition will be homosexual,” Roan wrote. “Further, it seems to increase the chances that she will have what are considered more feminine behavioral traits.”

This is all just the tip of the iceberg. But the scientific consensus seems to be that there is indeed a biological basis for homosexuality – though it’s not necessarily 100% determined by either genes or by environmental factors.

http://www.latimes.com/health/boostershots/la-heb-cynthia-nixon-gay-by-choice-20120125,0,2504094.story

 

Hillary Clinton Speech “Human Rights Must Include LGBT” [bbc.co.uk]

The full text of the speech is available here at this link: New Civil Rights Movement

The MP3 audio of the speech is available at this link: Hillary Clinton Speech on Human Rights Audio Only

The US has publicly declared it will fight discrimination against gays and lesbians abroad by using foreign aid and diplomacy to encourage reform.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told an audience of diplomats in Geneva that “gay rights are human rights”.

A memo from the Obama administration directs US government agencies to consider gay rights when making aid and asylum decisions.

Similar policies already exist for gender equality and ethnic violence.

“It should never be a crime to be gay” Mrs Clinton said at the United Nations in Geneva, adding that a country’s cultural or religious traditions was no excuse for discrimination.

Her audience included representatives from countries where homosexuality is a criminal offence.

Many ambassadors rushed out of the room as soon as Mrs Clinton finished speaking, the Associated Press news agency reported.

‘Human reality’

The announcement, cited by the White House as the “first US government strategy to combat human rights abuses against gays and lesbians abroad”, is also being seen as part of the Obama administration’s outreach to gays and lesbians ahead of the 2012 election.

The official memorandum does not outline consequences for countries with poor records on gay rights. But it allows US agencies working abroad to consult with international organisations on discrimination.

“Gay people are born into and belong to every society in the world,” Mrs Clinton said in Geneva. “Being gay is not a Western invention. It is a human reality.”

The new policy could pose awkward questions for US officials formulating policy towards some regular allies and regional powers.

In 2011, the state department’s annual human rights report cited ally Saudi Arabia’s abuses against gays. The country bans homosexuality outright.

Afghanistan also prohibits homosexual activity, and the same report found that authorities “sporadically” enforced the prohibition.

In the US, Republican presidential candidates criticised the administration’s decision, with Texas Governor Rick Perry saying in a statement that “promoting special rights for gays in foreign countries is not in America’s interests and not worth a dime of taxpayers’ money”.

Mrs Clinton acknowledged the US had its own mixed record on gay rights. As late as 2003, some states had laws that made gay sex a crime.

Earlier this year President Barack Obama signed into law a bill repealing the “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” law and allowing homosexuals to serve openly in the US military.

More here at the BBC link:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-16062937

Thursday Lite: Discover Helen’s Blog

Stunning LGBT campaign ads from Argentina [blabbeando.blogspot.com]

A year ago, Argentina became the first country in Latin America to grant same-sex couples full marriage rights. Before this year is over, the Argentinean congress might very well pass a groundbreaking transgender-rights law extending health care protections to transgender individuals and making it easier for trans folk to change their ID’s to better reflect their gender identity without requiring proof of gender reassignment surgery.

Getting to this point has certainly taken years of work by Argentinean LGBT organizations, activists, advocates and allies.  It has also inspired some pretty amazing television and online video ads.

The following two ads come from the Observatory for the Promotion of Sexual Diversity Rights in Salta or Obs.Salta for short and were made possible through grants from the United Nations (turn “annotations” on for my on-screen translation).

The second ad takes a similar take in a different setting…

The ads have actually been out for more than a year but somehow I missed them. You might also have missed a couple of really amazing ads I featured earlier.

The first one came as the ultimately successful marriage equality campaign was about to begin its final phase…

The most recent ad I featured is also a stunner and comes as advocates push for the transgender rights bill…

These are truly amazing ads.  When I try to think of any LGBT advocacy ads from the United States that are similar to these I am at a loss.  True, attitudes towards these issues might be different in Argentina than in the United States but does anyone know of any related ads produced in the U.S. that seem as immediate and vibrant as these ads?

http://blabbeando.blogspot.com/2011/11/year-ago-argentina-became-first-country.html#.TsrK2Zsr2so

Sexual Harassment In Schools Is Frighteningly Common [jezebel.com]

by Anna North / jezebel.com

A new study has found that over half of girls, and many boys, experience sexual harassment in middle or high school. And although some might claim that’s just “kids being kids,” victims suffer many ill effects.

According to the Times, the study of almost 2,000 kids in seventh through twelfth grade found that 56% of girls and 40% of boys had experienced sexual harassment at some point in the previous school year. Forty-six percent of girls and 22% of boys reported “unwelcome sexual comments, gestures or jokes,” while 13% of girls and 3% of boys mentioned unwanted touching. Three and a half percent of girls and 0.2% of boys were forced to perform a sexual act, and an equal share of boys and girls — 18% — were called gay in a derogatory way. Students said “pretty girls, ugly girls” and “girls whose bodies are most developed” were most at risk for harassment — so basically, girls who have a physical appearance. Also at risk were boys perceived to be feminine.

Many adults remember middle and high school as a time of rampant bra-snapping, boob comments, so-and-so-is-gay accusations, and all-around assholery. And though much of this may have been extremely hurtful — many carry the shit they got in middle school with them for a long time — there’s long been a sense that it’s just part of growing up. I can’t say I was surprised by anything in this study, except perhaps for the relatively low rates of harassment against boys, whom I remember being the primary targets for “pantsing,” in which the perp yanks the victim’s pants down and runs away laughing. In middle and, to a lesser extent, high school, my peers and I viewed this and various other assaults on our dignity as painful but normal.

The study makes a persuasive argument that this is the wrong attitude. Thirty-seven percent of girls and 25% of boys said harassment made them want to avoid school — 22% of female victims and 14% of male ones reported trouble sleeping. Those numbers jump even higher among kids who were harassed both online and in person — 46% of these victims didn’t want to go to school anymore, while 44% of them felt sick to their stomachs and 43% had trouble studying. Clearly, harassment isn’t something kids just shrug off — it affects not just their school performance but also their health. Given this, it shouldn’t be treated as a normal rite of passage.

The study authors point out that unlike non-sexual bullying, sexual harassment is actually prohibited by federal law. Title IX is supposed to protect students from harassment that interferes with their education, but not every school makes this clear to students. According to the AP, the study authors have recommendations for the enforcement of Title IX:

The [...] report said all schools should create a sexual-harassment policy and make sure it is publicized and enforced. It said schools must ensure that students are educated about what their rights are under Title IX, with special attention paid to encouraging girls to respond assertively to harassment since they are targeted more often than boys.

Students also had some ideas — a majority wanted “systematic punishments for harassers and [...] a mechanism for reporting harassment anonymously.” Whatever action schools end up taking, they need to understand that students deserve a learning environment where harassment is a punishable offense, not something they’re just expected to deal with.

http://jezebel.com/5857000/sexual-harassment-in-schools-is-frighteningly-common

Want some free, anonymous health care? Try your local U.S. Health Department. [io9.com]

by Keith Veronese / io9.com

Don’t have a job with health insurance benefits? Lose your job and can’t afford a COBRA plan? Regardless of the situation (and even if you are insured), you can still get care, and you should. What you may not have realized is that your local health department provides a level of basic care for a nominal (or free) cost – let’s take a look at what is provided in many cases.

No Insurance and Not much Money? You can still get medical care.

If you fall in the gap of not qualifying for Medicaid or other tax payer finance health care initiatives, you can still receive medical care at minimal cost at your local health department. The cost, if any, is often determined on a sliding scale based on your annual income, and is considerably less than the minimum of $100-200 dollars it would take to visit a for-profit walk-in clinic. Health departments are typically organized on the state and county level, and operated with tax payer dollars. In addition to health departments, some members of your community may offer free or “donation” clinics (like the Hope Health Clinic in Georgia) available, private clinics that rely heavily on volunteer resources from medical personnel in the community and donations from individuals to operate. They also provide great volunteer opportunities if you are so inclined. Health departments are a valuable resource for students and international travelers as well, as they can often obtain copies of your birth certificate and provide immunizations necessary for school or foreign travel, and they often have translation services.

NOT for Emergency Care

I do want to point out before going further, that if you are in need of emergency medical treatment; go to your local emergency room. Regardless of your financial situation, the hospital is required to stabilize you, as a patient, before discharging you. This is a U.S. Federal standard provided by the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act.

Health Screenings, Mental Health, & STD Testing

Almost every health department provides general health screenings – so if you are concerned about a lump, a cut, the red striations along your back, or are just feeling under the weather, you can get checked out. Birth control and family planning services are also provided. In addition to general health screenings (and sometimes, full physicals), more specific care like cancer screenings are offered, either routinely or in certain parts of the year. Mental Health care has also become a major focus of many health departments in hopes of erasing the stigma attached to asking for help, and helping hundreds of thousands of individuals in the process.

One of your health department’s primary goals is preventing the transmission of communicable diseases, with sexually transmitted diseases being at the top of the list. If you are sexually active, you owe it to yourself and your partners to be tested at least once a year, and most health departments provide a battery of STD tests free of charge. This effort to curb communicable diseases extends into the world of vaccination as well, as many immunizations, including the battery of immunizations required for most schools, colleges, and some work environments are provided at little or no cost to the patient along with tuberculosis screenings.

Anonymity and Cost Efficiency

Most public health departments operate with a high degree of anonymity, as they routinely deal with more uncomfortable health issues. Waiting rooms are broken down by clinic, with more sensitive clinics often using an identification number instead of name. On-site pharmacies are also often present, with physicians taking cost into account in prescribing at times – a drug that is prescribed and taken by the patient that costs less and may be less efficacious is of superior value in comparison to an expensive pharmaceutical that is prescribed and never filled by a pharmacist.

Providing Less Routine Care Some community health departments offer dental care and eye exams along with general “wellness” classes on topics like smoking cessation and procedures like colonoscopies and ultrasounds. Local health departments often cater to children, and in some cases, even offer low cost insurance for children as well, regardless of the parent’s insurance status. This care often extends until the child is 19, taking them well into adolescence and the beginning of their college years.

Paid by your Taxes

If you are worried about the state of your body, it’s best to get it checked out, regardless of your financial situation. Check with your local health department, as the services offered provided can vary, and larger cities may have more beneficial programs. Your tax dollars pay for these opportunities, so if you need them, take use of them and keep yourself healthy. It is in their best interest to keep you healthy too – a healthy person is more likely to pay their taxes.

http://io9.com/5844718/want-some-free-anonymous-health-care-try-your-local-us-health-department

Los Angeles Unified School District Passes Resolution to Make Schools Safer for Gay Students [patch.com]

by James F. Mills / Patch.com

The Los Angeles Unified School District is aiming to make schools safer for gay students.

At its biweekly meeting held Tuesday afternoon, the seven-member LAUSD school board unanimously passed the “LGBT and Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Anti-Bullying Resolution,” which takes specific steps to ensure a safe environment for LGBT students.

The resolution sponsored by Steve Zimmer, who represents the LAUSD 4th district that includes West Hollywood and much of Hollywood, will ensure an LGBT-inclusive curriculum.

“As a teacher, I know how important it is for students and families to be included and recognized in school,” Zimmer said. “We’ve seen the cost of invisibility and rejection. Last year there was a spate of suicides across the country attributed to anti-gay bullying.”

Zimmer added that LAUSD has an ongoing commitment to creating safe environments for LGBT students. “We want our youth to feel that school is a protective factor, not a risk factor,” he said. “And we won’t rest until all students are safe.”

Click here to read more of the story…

Cyndi Lauper’s ‘True Colors Residence’ a Dream Come True for LGBT Youth [dnainfo.com]

HARLEM — Pop star Cyndi Lauper shed tears all throughout the ceremony dedicating True Colors Residences, New York state’s first permanent supportive housing facility for LGBT youth in Harlem Friday.

And then she stood up and channelled all that emotion into powerful a capella version of the 1986 hit song the $11 million facility is named after.

“I believe a strong society is an inclusive society. If we want to win big then we’d better include everybody because we need everybody,” said Lauper, a co-founder of the facility and outspoken gay rights activist.

Sitting in the audience at Colonel Charles Young Triangle, Priscilla Rumnit, 21 and Angela Louis, 23, two of the building’s first occupants, said they had goosebumps during the rendition because they couldn’t believe they finally had a place to call home.

Louis, who is transgender, says she was kicked out of her home at 16. She has bounced from shelter to shelter and never had a place of her own until now. Rumnit, 21, has been moving around since her mom died when she was 14.

“It’s hard out here. It’s so hard,” said Rumnit. “Now we have someplace to go that’s ours.”

“These are not tears of sadness,” added Louis.

The six-story energy efficient building is located on West 154th Street between Frederick Douglass Boulevard and Macombs Place. Residents of the 30 studio units must be between the ages of 18 and 24 when they enter.

They will have access to a computer room, laundry, outdoor space, recreational room and also receive voluntary support services to learn life skills as well as to get help with job training and educational services. The building is part of the Section 8 program which means residents will pay 30 percent of their income in rent.

“Please know you are safe. We welcome you to your new home and we stand behind you on your journey,” said Colleen Jackson, executive director of West End Intergenerational Residence, which will manage the facility.

Jackson said the idea for the facility came about from a conversation she had with Lauper and Lisa Barbaris of So What Management in 2007. The group wondered what else they could do to help LGBT youth.

“We don’t need another shelter. What we need is permanent supportive housing for this population,” Jackson recalled saying.

There are an estimated 3,800 homeless youth, according to a  July 2007 study by the Empire State Coalition of Youth and Family Services. A June 2010 report by the city’s Commission for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Questioning Runaway and Homeless Youth found between 15 and 40 percent of that group identify as LGBT.

“This is fabulous. It is much needed and long overdue in our community for the LGBT community,” said Central Harlem Councilwoman Inez Dickens as she toured one of the units.

The journey to Friday’s ribbon cutting was not an easy one. While they were trying to secure financing for the project, the housing market and banking industry was near collapse.

The Manhattan Borough President’s office was able to assign $500,000 of public money to help with construction financing. The Department of Housing Preservation and Development provided $3.78 million in construction and permanent loans through the federal HOME program.

“Getting the most simple thing done was extremely difficult. Getting something like True Colors was….stepping outside of their comfort zone,” said William Traylor, president of Richman Housing Resources.

Eventually, Citi Community Capital was able to provide $6 million in construction financing, said its director, Bill Yates.

“On a credit call I’ve never used the term LGBT. I’ve never said Cyndi Lauper,” said Yates.

Louis showed of her studio with pride. She was particularly happy about the long hallway and the closet space. There’s even has a closet in the bathroom and the stove runs on gas. Louis refuses to smoke in her room.

Both Louis and Rumnit, who work as home health aides, said they plan on going back to school to further their educations now that they have stable, permanent housing.

“There’s not a lot of people that have a loud voice about LGBT issues,” said Louis. “There are no words. [Lauper] did something so good. She doesn’t understand.”

According to Lauper, that’s not exactly true. The plan now is to build more True Color facilities, she said.

“We need more place like this,” said Lauper. “By the time they are ready to move on in the world they will be rockin’.”

Read more: http://www.dnainfo.com/20110910/harlem/cyndi-laupers-true-colors-residence-dream-come-true-for-lgbt-youth#ixzz1XsDR8m3d

‘Primetime Nightline’ Explores Transgender Childhood Issues [news.gather.com]

by Shula Asher Silberstein

A new special about transgender childhood issues is set to air on August 31, 2011. The special, which is an episode of the Primetime Live news series, interviews three transgender children and adolescents, their families and experts on transgender issues.

Stories like this are important not just for the mainstream population, which may not be aware of the issues transgender individuals face in childhood and beyond, but also for transgender kids and teens. 33 percent of transgender adolescents attempt suicide, many after being kicked out or otherwise rejected by their families. Hopefully, the special will help show these kids and their parents that there is nothing wrong with them and that they deserve the same happiness as everyone else.

The special explores the lives of three transgender youth: two trans girls and one trans boy. One of the trans girls is pre-pubescent and will soon be taking medication to stop her body from developing male secondary sex characteristics, while the other is a young adult who is traveling to Mexico to have feminizing surgery. The trans boy is an adolescent who is taking testosterone to help his body match his gender identity.

These topics may make some parents uncomfortable. If the special explores them appropriately, however, it may help parents to understand why allowing children as young as ten to express their gender identity is not only proper parenting, but is psychologically and medically necessary for these children.

The special also profiles Charles Kane, a confused rich person who was able to bypass normal medical channels to have a sex-change operation without exploring his actual gender identity and then had a second procedure to change back to male. It’s unfortunate that Kane, who had more money than common sense, is profiled at all. Bigots love to hold him up as an example of how all transsexuals are unhappy, confused people who should not be allowed to change sexes. The truth is that Kane was never transsexual to begin with and didn’t take the time to explore his gender identity before rushing into surgery. Conversely, transsexual people often spend years working with therapists to clarify their gender identities and must save up for their operations. Hopefully the special will neither spend much time on Kane nor suggest that these children will have experiences anything like his.

The special airs on August 31, 2011 at 10 p.m. Although some parents may feel the material is inappropriate for children, any parent who has questions about his child’s gender identity should watch it with the child and discuss the child’s feelings about gender.

http://news.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474980105941