“My experience is not unique, as many others in the LGBT community face similar challenges. In a 2005 survey 22 percent of lesbian, gay, and bisexual patients reported having experienced some form of discrimination in a health care setting. So why are so many health care providers ill-equipped to handle the health care needs of LGBT people? …One of the most comprehensive studies examining the incorporation of LGBT content in medical education was recently published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The report indicated that the median time dedicated to teaching LGBT-related content was five hours (during the entire four years of medical education) in the 132 U.S. and Canadian medical schools that were surveyed. Additionally, nine schools reported zero hours taught during the preclinical years, and 44 schools reported zero hours of clinical training.”

Five hours. Or zero hours.

Meanwhile, Silapaswan notes,  AIDS continues to grow among the male-to-male population, and lesbian and bisexual women have higher rates of breast cancer than heterosexual women.

“He wrote about family in the notes he left behind before his death, but there was no mention of bullying, authorities said. However, a friend told The Tennessean (http://tnne.ws/vYstEU ) that Rogers was an almost daily target for name-calling at Cheatham County Central High School.’It was like every day, every class,’ said 18-year-old Kaelynn Mooningham.”

She also said that “Rogers didn’t hide who he was. He wore tight-fitting clothes and shared outfits with girlfriends. He obsessed over Lady Gaga, dressing up as the pop star, making sketches of her and listening over and over to her gay anthem, ‘Born This Way.’”

Jacob had many difficulties, and his death has prompted a lot of debate in his school and community.  RIP, Jacob.  I wish the world had been a better place for you.

In one study, 26 percent of teens who came out to their parents were told they must leave home. Others said they were physically, sexually or emotionally abused. The task force added that LGBT youth also reported that they are threatened, belittled and abused at shelters, not only by other residents, but by staff, as well.

The report highlights the Ali Forney Center in NYC and its Homeless for the Holidays  campaign.

Please consider donating to this worthy, worthy cause.

Many are growing older without the support of children or extended family members. Gay and lesbian seniors are twice as likely to live alone, according to SAGE. A 2010 report by the group also found that nursing homes often failed to protect gay men and lesbians from hostile treatment by staff or other patients. In a study released in April by the National Senior Citizens Law Center, many older gay men and lesbians and their family members reported instances of mistreatment at long-term care centers. The study also noted that social service providers said it was unsafe for residents to be openly gay at such facilities.

“This decision was made with a tremendous amount of thought and introspection — in my own time, on my own terms and with my own words. I owe an enormous debt of gratitude to the scores of men and women who have preceded me to this action — both within the industry and in more intimate personal journeys throughout the world. Momentum builds in waves — and I am so grateful to be riding this wave of equality with more openness and integrity than I was ever able to embrace before making this declaration.”

“To critics who argue that schools like Alliance are indoctrinating students with the gay agenda, Eliza responded, “This is about letting students go to school and be safe.”

The Alliance School

New York City transgender firefighter

http://www.slate.com/slideshow/politics/gay-service-members-come-out-of-the-closet/#slide_2

The military still has a ways to go – gay and lesbian partners of military members will not have full benefits the way heterosexual partners do – but this is a huge leap forward, and long overdue.