David Mariner

LGBT Healthcare Bill of Rights

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Bill of Rights

At the 2011 National Coalition for LGBT Health Meeting, LGBT HealthLink’s Director, Dr. Scout, concluded a presentation by suggesting our communities really needed to create a healthcare bill of rights. The response from the experts in attendance was overwhelming; dozens of experts chimed in to concur. In the years since, our healthcare rights have only expanded yet public understanding about those rights – which is critical to their effectiveness – has not kept pace. For example, very few people know that any hospital accredited by the Joint Commission must now have an LGBT nondiscrimination policy. Or that health insurers in the new marketplaces cannot discriminate either. Making this problem worse, even healthcare institutions are not fully educated about these changes. Most hospitals that were approached by PROMO, the LGBT equality organization for Missouri, could show no evidence of having an LGBT nondiscrimination policy in place. We have many new rights, and now more than ever we need to understand what they are to get the healthcare we deserve.

In 2014, LGBT HealthLink partnered with PROMO Missouri and lawyer Corey Prachniak from Washington DC to create a short document summarizing our rights in the healthcare world now. A few of these rights are aspirational, they have protections in most cases but not a blanket ruling protecting all cases. We have included them because we feel we need to outline the moral rights as well as those which already enjoy full legal protection. After working closely with healthcare policymakers for years, we know the intent is to treat us with full equality and fairness. Outright hostility or chilly climates around LGBT people no longer have a place in health care. We know discrimination is a major reason LGBT people experience profound health disparities now; it needs to be part of our past.

The first step is to be educated about our rights and stand up when they are not met.

Learn more at: www.healthcarebillofrights.org

A Day Against Homophobia & Transphobia

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IDAHOT

May 17th is the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia (IDAHOT).  It was created in 2004 to draw the attention of policymakers, opinion leaders, social movements, the public and the media to the violence and discrimination experienced by LGBTI people internationally.

Since then the Day has grown in both scope and depth. In 2013, actions around the International Day Against Homophobia & Transphobia took place in almost 120 countries. In the United Kingdom alone in 2013, almost 200 events took place around the Day, whilst in Brazil just under 120 events were registered one month before May 17.
In short, in under a decade, the International Day Against Homophobia & Transphobia has established itself the single most important date for LGBTI communities to mobilise on a worldwide scale.

The International Day Against Homophobia & Transphobia is not one centralised campaign; rather it is amoment that everyone can take advantage of to take action.
The date of May 17th was specifically chosen to commemorate the World Health Organization’s decision in 1990 to declassify homosexuality as a mental disorder.
The International Day against Homophobia and Transphobia has received official recognition from several States and such international institutions as the European Parliament, and by countless local authorities. Most United Nations agencies also mark the Day with specific events.

LGBTI organizations, governments, cities, human rights organizations, corporations and celebrities have all taken action on May 17th to:

  • Draw media attention to the issue of homophobia and transphobia
  • Organise events which mobilize public opinion
  • Demand attention from policymakers and engage in lobbying activities
  • Network with like-minded organizations and develop new partnerships, at home or beyond
  • Mobilize existing constituencies and address new audiences

Find out more at www.dayagainsthomophobia.org

 

 

Six Things I Would Say to Tom Daley

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Tom Daley

1. Congratulations. Living your life openly and honestly is not always easy, but it is always worth it in the long run.
2. Some people are calling you gay, some people are calling you bisexual. Forget them. You are nineteen years old! What matters is that you are in a relationship with someone who makes you happy, you have plenty of time to figure out the rest.
3. You owe it to yourself to be honest and open not just with us, but also with your doctor, and he may actually want to know some more personal stuff. As a guy who is in a relationship with another guy, you may want to consider things like the HPV Vaccine, Hep Vaccines, and regular HIV testing. Take care of yourself, you deserve a long and happy life.
4. You got a lot of love and support today, and that it because of the people who came along this path before you. Those people who came before you and their stories are now a part of you and your journey. You owe it to yourself to seek out these stories. The struggles of LGBT folks are not told to you by your mother at bedtime, and they are rarely shared by the family around the table on Christmas day. You have to discover them yourself. Find them on the bookshelf, but also find them from mentors in our community. Their stories and struggles are amazing and powerful, and they will help you.
5. You’ve surely figured this out by now, but your legions of gay fans are interested in you for more than just your brain. Many men seem to be a lot more focused on physical appearance than women are, which may make you more prone to judge yourself by your appearance. Don’t fall into this trap. You have a lot more to offer the world than just your looks. Make a point of hanging around people who recognize this truth. And with regards to your good looks, as Rufus Wainwright once said, ‘Watch your head about it’.
6. You are the same person you were before this video came out. With all the same talent and drive. All the same capacity to love and be loved. The same worth, and the same dignity. Don’t ever doubt this for a moment. There is a brotherhood of men who have fought, and continue to fight, for our right to live our lives openly. That brotherhood of men, those who still live today, and those who are no longer with us, take great joy in knowing that your path will be even a even the slightest bit easier than our own. Your happiness, your love, and your honesty … well it makes the struggle all seem worthwhile. Be Happy.

Transgender Day of Remembrance

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Transgender Day of Remembrance

The Transgender Day of Remembrance takes place every year on November 20th.

The Transgender Day of Remembrance was set aside to memorialize those who were killed due to anti-transgender hatred or prejudice. The event is held in November to honor Rita Hester, whose murder on November 28th, 1998 kicked off the “Remembering Our Dead” web project and a San Francisco candlelight vigil in 1999. Rita Hester’s murder — like most anti-transgender murder cases — has yet to be solved.

Although not every person represented during the Day of Remembrance self-identified as transgender — that is, as a transsexual, crossdresser, or otherwise gender-variant — each was a victim of violence based on bias against transgender people.
We live in times more sensitive than ever to hatred based violence, especially since the events of September 11th. Yet even now, the deaths of those based on anti-transgender hatred or prejudice are largely ignored. Over the last decade, more than one person per month has died due to transgender-based hate or prejudice, regardless of any other factors in their lives. This trend shows no sign of abating.

The Transgender Day of Remembrance serves several purposes. It raises public awareness of hate crimes against transgender people, an action that current media doesn’t perform. Day of Remembrance publicly mourns and honors the lives of our brothers and sisters who might otherwise be forgotten. Through the vigil, we express love and respect for our people in the face of national indifference and hatred. Day of Remembrance reminds non-transgender people that we are their sons, daughters, parents, friends and lovers. Day of Remembrance gives our allies a chance to step forward with us and stand in vigil, memorializing those of us who’ve died by anti-transgender violence.

Asian & Pacific Islander HIV/AIDS Awareness Day

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National Asian & Pacific Islander HIV/AIDS Awareness Day

Every year National Asian & Pacific Islander HIV/AIDS Awareness Day is observed on May 19th.  The event is sponsored by The Banyan Tree Project, a national campaign to end the silence and shame surrounding HIV/AIDS in Asian and Pacific Islander communities—is the lead for this day. National Asian & Pacific Islander HIV/AIDS Awareness Day is one of several HIV/AIDS Awareness Days recognized by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.