Trump and LGBTQ Asylum

Trump and LGBT Asylum

Thousands of LGBTQ individuals come to the United States every year seeking political asylum. They come from countries where they face violence and persecution because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.

How will Donald Trump as President impact LGBT asylum seekers?  Maria Blacque-Belair From RIF (Refugee and Immigrant Fund) consulted with some immigration attorneys and here are some initial thoughts she is sharing with clients in the short term.

1. First Obama is still president until January 2017 so absolutely nothing will change for asylum applicants till then.

2. Trump in all his rhetoric about immigration policies has NOT indicated that he would reform the asylum process ( he has talked mostly about the refugee resettlement process and more specifically about barring the resettlement of Syrian refugees).

3. Even if he wanted to change asylum law, as part of the 1951 Refugee Convention which the US is a signatory, it would take a long time, many years to do so, and he would face a huge opposition.

4. Therefore, according to asylum law, those who come to America with a visa and then decide to apply for asylum, it is their right to do so. NOTHING HAS CHANGED.

5. Finally we totally understand that you feel uncertain and confused, we will continue to update you on any new information, and also hope that you will join us in fighting Donald Trump anti immigrants action.

This is good news for LGBT asylum seekers for the most part.  There are many issues that will need to be monitored in the months ahead, of course.  And it is important to remember that the experiences of those who apply for asylum from inside the country can be much different from the experiences of those who request asylum at the border and are detained.

LGBT asylum seekers and all LGBT individuals placed in U.S. Immigration detention still report significant violations of their humanity.   These LGBT individuals, and particularly the Transgender community, have reported solitary confinement, torture, and ill-treatment.  LGBT individuals in detention are up to 15 times more likely to experience sexual assault.

Among the worst offenders are corporate run detention facilities including the Adelanto Detention Facility in the Mojave Desert of Southern California.  In the months ahead we will likely see a push from the Trump Administration to privatize more detention centers (and prisons), and this is an issue LGBT folks should be watching closely.

For more information on LGBT asylum, be sure to check out the LGBT Freedom Asylum Network.

Trump & LGBTQ Asylum

 

Before He Takes Office: 6 Things LGBT Folks Can Do Right Now

Donald Trump LGBT Equality

Donald Trump has already had his first visit to the White House.  Before you know it, the holidays will be over and the Trump Administration will have begun.  If you’re anything like me you may be feeling a bit helpless at the moment.  Still there are things we can be doing right now to prepare.  Here are six tips:

#GetCovered Before the Innauguration

Donald Trump said in one of his speeches “When we win on Nov. 8 and elect a Republican Congress, we will be able to immediately repeal and replace Obamacare.”  (LA Times)

Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, no American can be dropped or denied coverage because of a pre-existing condition like HIV; and more Americans have access to health insurance than ever before.  So how do we fight to keep it?  One way is to make sure you and everyone you know sign up!  If there is a surge in in open-enrollment, it will show Congress just how important the Affordable Care Act is, and we are well on our way.  Over 100,000 folks signed up for a healthcare plan the day after the election.  To learn more and find out where you can get help choosing a plan visit www.out2enroll.org.

Update Legal Documents if Needed.

Advances during the Obama Administration have made it easier for transgender folks to update their Social Security Administration (SSA) cards as well as Passports to reflect their gender identity.  We haven’t seen Donald Trump comment specifically on this issue, but better to be safe than sorry.  Encourage the people they love to go ahead and update their legal documents if needed.  If you don’t know where to begin, start by contacting your local LGBT Community Center.  Chances are, they will be able to point you in the right direction.

Recommit to your State and Local LGBT Advocacy Organization

With Republican control of the House, Senate, and Oval Office, we need to seriously adjust our expectations for what progress we can make at the national level.  There are many states, however, where a path forward is more clear.   Vice President Elect Mike Pence supports conversion therapy for LGBT youth.  Do you know if your state has banned conversion therapy?  New York State has a plan to end new HIV infections by 2020.  Does yours?   Does your state have a comprehensive non-discrimination policy?  Several cities have passed gender-neutral bathroom laws.  What about where you live?  Every victory at the state and local level moves us forward, and makes it harder for those who want to roll back progress at the national level.  Click here to connect with your State LGBT Equality Group and find out how you can help.

Learn the New Rules of Engagement

LGBT Advocacy looks a lot different when you’ve been invited into the White House than it does when you’re standing outside the White House with a protest sign.   Around the country we are seeing people take to the streets.  It’s an encouraging sign.  But just like there are a set of skills you need to know to be an effective inside player, there are skills you need to have to be an effective outside player.  You need a plan to be effective, you need to train people before the protest.  You need to have a plan if someone get’s arrested or harassed by the police.  These are just a few things to take into consideration.

Fortunately, the LGBT Community has a proud tradition to build on.   Kelly Cogswell has done a brilliant job documenting the direct action organizing of the Lesbian Avengers in her book Eating Fire: My Life as a Lesbian Avenger.  Another brilliant source of inspiration is Sean Strub’s book on AIDS activism entitled: Body Counts: A Memoir of Politics, Sex, AIDS, and Survival.

If you’re looking for training on Direct Action Organizing, check out Get Equal or the Midwest Academy.  There are also some cool online resources like Organizing for Power.

Focus Less on Your Marriage and More on Concerns of Trans and Queer People of Color (TQPOC)

There are a lot of issues LGBT folks should have on the radar in in the first 100 Days of the Trump Administration, but Marriage Equality is not one of them.  According to the Human Rights Campaign “It’s not impossible, but it’s not likely. It’s a binding decision by the U.S. Supreme Court. Congress and Donald Trump cannot unilaterally undo marriage equality. Currently, all five justices who ruled in favor of marriage equality are still on the bench, and that’s not going to change anytime soon. It’s hard to imagine how we lose marriage equality.”

A lot of the most pressing concerns, are the ones that impact Trans individuals, LGBTQ Muslims, and LGBTQ People of Color.  Here are some things Trump could conceivably do on day one.

 

  • Rescind the Obama administration’s guidance protecting transgender students from discrimination on day one.  (more info)
  • Begin deporting undocumented immigrants (more info)
  • Ban Muslims from entering the country (more info)

It’s not clear that any of these things will actually happen, but they are all on the table.  Now more than ever, it’s important that we are all looking out for each other.  And that means that at this moment it’s important for white and cis LGBT folks to listen to and center the voices of trans and queer people of color.

 

Bring Back the Stonewall Democrats

At one time the Stonewall Democrats, the national network for LGBT Democrats, was a powerful player for the Democrats, comprised of over 90 local chapters.  While many of the local chapters are still active, the national organization that supported them, dissolved years ago.  And the groups no longer have a national gathering, or many ways of communicating and learning from each other.

One thing we have definitely learned from this election is that the Democratic party infrastructure at the state and local level is not what we thought it was.  We need that to change, and the fact that Howard Dean has expressed interest in returning to the DNC is a promising sign.  We can turn things around, but the LGBT community has to do it’s part.  That starts by investing time, energy, and resources in our Stonewall Democrats Chapters.   Find your local chapter and join today, and let’s all start the conversation about rebuilding a National Network to support Stonewall Chapters around the country.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The New Normal: President Donald Trump & the LGBT Community

Donald Trump GLBT
The reality is sinking in that Donald Trump will be President of the United States.
Trump has scapegoated immigrants, refugees, and Muslims to name.  He wants to put people in the Supreme Court that would take away our rights to marriage.  As I struggle to accept these results, here are some of my initial thoughts on how we move #ForwardTogether and the issues we should be thinking about in the days and months ahead.
1. If history is any indication, there will be an increase in hate crimes. Following our first African American President, we will have the first President in decades endorsed by the KKK. People who harbor hate in their hearts are feeling validated tonight, and will no doubt be emboldened in the days and months ahead. And we should prepare ourselves for it and look out for each other.  To learn more read this article on 10 Hate Crimes Inspired by Donald Trump.
 
2. Elections like this have an impact on our mental health.  We all want to be full and equal citizens of this Country, but much of the country voted for an agenda tonight that devalues Latinos, LGBT people, Muslims, and others.  For some in the LGBT community, our own family members voted for an agenda that counts us as less than fully human. It’s normal for that to hurt, And we should expect folks to feel hopeless, to feel lost, and even to experience depression. We’ve seen this in places where marriage rights were reversed or voted down.  “According to a quantitative study with more than 1,500 lesbian, gay, and bisexual participants, living in a U.S. State where same-sex marriage is outlawed was directly related to chronic social stress and psychological problems, and not due to pre-existing mental health issues or other factors.” (read the fact sheet here).  We all should be checking in with our friends this week and making sure they are ok.
 
3. Federal Advocacy Requires New Approaches and Adjusted Expectations.   While many of us were thinking about what could be accomplished in Hillary Clinton’s first 100 days, we are all going to have to adjust to this new reality.  With Republican control of the House and Senate, advancing federal non-discrimination legislation is unlikely, and in many ways we will be shifting from offense to defense.   Trump may have the opportunity to nominate multiple candidates to the Supreme Court and has promised to nominate candidates that will roll black equal marriage rights for same-sex couples.  
4. State Advocacy Moves to the Front and Center.  Passing legislation at the state level is a more realistic goal for the next few years.  Advancing SOGI (sexual orientation and gender identity) non-discrimination laws in housing, employment, and public accommodation is crucial and may just be achievable in some states.  North Carolina anti-LGBT Governor McCrory who signed anti trans ‘bathroom bill’ was voted out of office and will be by Democrat Roy Cooper. (read the HRC statement on the North Carolina Elections).  Freedom for All Americans is one organization already working hard at the state level.  State based organizations to look out for are Florida Competes, Georgia Unites, Freedom Indiana, Tennessee Equality Project, and Equality Pennsylvania.
5. Standing by our Allies is Now More Important than Ever.  We’ve witnessed a campaign build on divisiveness.   One important principal from the Clinton/Kaine campaign to carry with us starting tomorrow is that we are indeed Stronger Together.   Standing with immigrants, refugees, the Latinx community, Muslims, and other communities threatened by a Trump Presicency will indeed make us stronger.
How do you think we move #ForwardTogether?  Add your thoughts in the comments below.

Is Smoking the Greatest Threat to People Living with HIV?

Tobacco kills more HIV-positive D.C. residents than AIDS

Smoking is killing our community. Every year, tobacco-related diseases take more than 30,000 LGBT lives. In Washington, D.C., smoking is responsible for approximately 800 deaths every year, with a disproportionate number of those deaths coming from the LGBT community. Nearly 25 percent of LGBT adults in the United States smoke, compared to only about 17 percent of straight adults.

Among those living with HIV/AIDS, tobacco use is even more prevalent. It is estimated that as many as 40 percent of people living with HIV Smoke, a rate more than twice that of the general adult population in the United States.  Smoking is now more likely to kill people living with HIV than the virus itself.

Because HIV hinders the body’s ability to fight off infection or disease, smokers with HIV are more prone to both HIV-related infections (such as Thrush, white mouth sores, and pneumonia) and fatal tobacco-related illnesses (such as COPD, heart disease and stroke, and cancer). In fact, the life expectancy of a 35-year-old smoker with HIV is cut by nearly eight years because of smoking.

Smoking also negatively impacts anti-retroviral therapy (ART) for HIV patients. According to a study published in AIDS, smoking doubles the risk of death for someone with HIV on ART.

Higher rates of smoking in the LGBT community can be attributed to a wide range of factors, including coping with the added stress of societal prejudices. Unfortunately, many of the places meant to be safe havens for LGBT individuals and those with HIV are actually the main battlegrounds for fighting smoking. The tobacco industry has targeted LGBT individuals and people with HIV for 25 years, advertising at LGBT community events, including Pride, and even giving money to both national and local LGBT and HIV/AIDS organizations.

Surveys have found that two-thirds of smokers with HIV want to quit, but they need more resources to do so long-term. With the highest rates of HIV in the country, the District should take heed.

This year, the D.C. Tobacco Free Coalition, the D.C. Department of Health, and more than 40 community organizations are coming together to battle smoking as part of D.C. Calls It Quits Week, Sept. 19-25. But more help is needed to help D.C. smokers quit and save LGBT lives from tobacco-related diseases.

First, policymakers and providers should make every effort to reach out to the LGBT community to work with them to raise awareness about the connection between HIV and smoking. Better education for the LGBT community on the specific dangers of smoking while being HIV positive would help discourage tobacco use among patients.

Counseling and treatment to quit smoking should also be integrated into all HIV patients’ treatment programs, including both physical and mental health. We know that smokers with HIV who receive counseling and treatment to quit smoking, in conjunction with ART or mental health treatment, are more likely to successfully quit smoking than when attempting to quit on their own.

Finally, access to resources to quit smoking must be made available for every D.C. resident with HIV. If you are a smoker in D.C., call 1-800-Quit-Now (784-8669).

This article originally appeared in the Washington Blade.

Tobacco kills more HIV-positive D.C. residents than AIDS
Tobacco kills more HIV-positive D.C. residents than AIDS

10 Key LGBTQ Health Advocacy Issues

LGBTQ Health Advocacy Issues

The National LGBTQ Task Force Action Fund and the National Coalition for LGBT Health have published a new guide on health issues important to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people. Released in advance of the 2016 presidential election, the “10 Key LGBTQ Health Advocacy Priorities Guide” is intended to educate voters on LGBTQ health priorities the two organizations will continue to focus on during the next administration.

The guide lists the following ten key areas as priorities: advocating for reproductive health, rights and justice; creating an AIDS-free generation, promoting HIV harm reduction, and increasing access to pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP); expanding public education and treatment for sexually transmitted infections (STI) and sexually transmitted diseases (STD); supporting LGBTQ youth experiencing homelessness; improving transgender healthcare; addressing religious exemptions and nondiscrimination laws; promoting LGBTQ cultural competency; improving access to mental health; expanding access to affordable health care; and ending violence against LGBTQ people.

All of these of course are important issues.   Notably absent, however, is any discussion of tobacco and tobacco related cancers.   Smoking causes more deaths in the United States than HIV, illegal drug use and alcohol use combined, and more than 30,000 LGBT people die each year of tobacco-related diseases.  Members of the LGBT community smoke at rates 50 percent higher than the general population. Some studies indicate that LGBT adults are 1.5 to 2.5 times more likely to smoke than heterosexual adults. And, although most LGBT smokers say that they know smoking is harmful to their health, fewer have tried to quit (75 percent versus 80 percent of all adults).

Both The National LGBTQ Task Force Action Fund and the National Coalition for LGBT Health will host workshops, trainings, and informational sessions on these priority health advocacy issues during the 2017 Creating Change Conference on January 18-22 and SYNChronicity 2017: the National Conference on HIV, HCV, and LGBT Health, set for April 24-25.

Download the resource guide here:
10 Key LGBTQ Health Advocacy Issues

LGBTQ Health Advocacy

LGBTQ Health Advocacy

Intersex Information and Resources

Intersex

“Intersex” is a general term used for a variety of conditions in which a person is born with a reproductive or sexual anatomy that doesn’t seem to fit the typical definitions of female or male.

Intersex Resources

Intersex Resource Facebook Page: Intersex Resource

Intersex Discuss Twitter Page: twitter.com/intersexdiscuss

Intersex Awareness Day: www.intersexday.org

 

 

 

 

Hired and Transgender

Hired and Transgender: Self-Testing for Hiring Bias against Transgender Applicants

The District of Columbia Office of Human Rights has released a new resource for employers entitled Hired and Transgender: Self-Testing for Hiring Bias against Transgender Applicants.  The report is is a part of ongoing work in the District of Columbia to reduce employment discrimination against transgender and gender non-conforming job applicants. It provides step-by-step instructions for employers, human resources professionals, and hiring managers to evaluate their hiring practices for discrimination based on gender identity and make changes as needed.

As a continuation of OHR’s groundbreaking report “Qualified and Transgender:
A Report on Results of Resume Testing for Employment Discrimination Based on Gender Identity
,” this resource offers guidance on how to address potential discrimination, and points employers to resources such as he guide recently released by OHR and the National LGBTQ Taskforce, “Valuing Transgender Applicants & Employees: A Best Practice Guide for Employers,” which provides in-depth best practices intended to help employers across the nation create a genuinely inclusive and welcoming workplace environment for transgender people.

 

Hired and Transgender: Self-Testing for Hiring Bias against Transgender Applicants
Hired and Transgender:
Self-Testing for Hiring Bias against Transgender Applicants

Asexual Information & Resources

Asexual Resource

An asexual person is someone who experiences either no desire to have sex or in some cases a very low interest in sex. Although some researchers might disagree, most people who identify as asexual (or Ace for short) believe asexuality is a sexual orientation like being gay or straight.  Some asexual individuals experience romantic attraction (A-romantic).  Asexuality exists on a spectrum and those who fall in the middle of that spectrum (between sexual and asexual) often identify as demisexual.

Asexual Resources

Asexual Facebook Page: Asexual Facebook Page

Asexual Twitter Page: Asexual Twitter Page

Asexual Outreach: www.asexualoutreach.org

The Asexual Visibility and Education Network: www.asexuality.org