Health

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NIH Gets $5 Million for Trans Youth Study

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced, on Aug. 14, that it has awarded $5.7 million for a five-year study that will evaluate the long-term outcomes of medical treatment for transgender youth, the Windy City Times reports. Among the co-investigators in the study is Dr. Robert Garofalo, division chief of Adolescent Medicine at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago and professor of Pediatrics at Northwestern University School of Medicine. “This is one of the proudest moment of my academic career, and probably my medical career as well,” said Garofalo, according to the Times. “This is the first […]

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Three Studies Find Children of Gay Parents Fare Well

 On the heels of the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that legalized same-sex marriage nationwide, new research suggests that children raised by gay parents are well adjusted and resilient, HealthDay reports. Four new studies were scheduled to be presented this week at the annual meeting of the American Psychological Association in Toronto that set out to assess the psychological and sociological health of children raised by same-sex couples. One study looked at the experience of 49 pre-adolescent youngsters adopted by either two-dad or two-mom households. The children’s average age was 8. Led by Rachel Farr, a research assistant professor of psychology […]

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Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Patient Care: Medical Students’ Preparedness and Comfort.

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals face significant barriers in accessing appropriate and comprehensive medical care. Medical students’ level of preparedness and comfort caring for LGBT patients is unknown. An online questionnaire (2009-2010) was distributed to students (n = 9,522) at 176 allopathic and osteopathic medical schools in Canada and the United States, followed by focus groups (2010) with students (n = 35) at five medical schools. The objective of this study was to characterize LGBT-related medical curricula, to determine medical students’ assessments of their institutions’ LGBT-related curricular content, and to evaluate their comfort and preparedness in caring for […]

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Protecting Your Visitation & Decision-Making Rights

In times of emergency, you may be unable to make medical decisions or state who you want to visit you. In these situations, hospitals may restrict visitation rights to a narrow interpretation of family that excludes those not legally or biologically related to the patient (read our Hospital Visitaiton Guide for LGBT Families for more information on your visitaiton rights). Similarly, state laws around medical decision-making often limit these rights to a patient’s biological family members when no documentation is designating a surrogate decision maker. It is especially important for the LGBT community to take steps to ensure that the people we choose […]

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Equality California Launches Campaign to End the FDA’s Discriminatory Blood Donation Ban

Equality California, the largest statewide lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender civil rights organization in California, today launched a mobilization campaign to urge the Department of Health and Human Services and the Food and Drug Administration to end the discriminatory lifetime ban on blood donations from men who have sex with men. EQCA’s campaign called “Every Drop Counts” will mobilize the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community and its allies, including elected officials and community leaders, to advocate for the end of the ban through direct, public advocacy. Established in 1983 during a time of great fear and little knowledge about […]

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Two Simple Things HHS Can Do to Improve Health of LGBT People

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 In the last five years, the federal government has taken significant steps toward recognizing and addressing health disparities that affect lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people. These include increasing data collection about sexual orientation and gender identity; establishing new nondiscrimination provisions that cover sexual orientation and gender identity; and increasing research and prevention services targeting LGBT health. But there are two more things that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services can do that will make an even bigger impact on closing the gap in healthcare disparities that exist among LGBT people and the general population: designate LGBT […]

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Children Of Gay Parents Are Happier And Healthier Than Their Peers, New Study Finds

  Children raised by same-sex couples have better health and well-being in comparison to their peers, according to a groundbreaking new study which is being billed as the largest of its kind. Conducted by Australia’s University of Melbourne, the new research aimed to “describe the physical, mental and social wellbeing” of children with gay and lesbian parents, and “the impact that stigma has on them.” On average, children raised by same-sex couples scored six percent higher than the general population when it came to general health and family cohesion. Meanwhile, in other categories — such as behavior, mental health and […]

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Coming Out to Your Healthcare Provider

  We can’t expect to get appropriate care from our health providers if we don’t come out to them. Conversely, our providers have to be well-versed in the healthcare needs of LGBT people. Aside from our spouses, significant others, or romantic partners, our providers are the people who most need to be aware of our gender identity, sexuality, and sexual behavior. The reason for this is simple: As lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, and transgender people, we face unique health challenges, and the only way our providers can give us the best care possible is if they are aware of issues […]

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LGBT Folks in Homophobic Regions Die Younger Study Finds

    Researchers of what’s been deemed as “the first study to look at the consequences of anti-gay prejudice for mortality” have discovered that lesbian, gay and bisexual people living in less open-minded communities have a shorter life expectancy. The Columbia University study, which was published online in the Social Science & Medicine journal, found that lesbian, gay and bisexual people in communities with high levels of anti-gay prejudice lived an average of 12 years less than their counterparts in more accepting environments. “Our findings indicate that sexual minorities living in communities with higher levels of prejudice die sooner than […]

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National Report Shows High Tobacco Use By LGBTs

LGBTs have long been known to smoke more than their straight counterparts and a new national report issued by the U.S. surgeon general backs that up: community members light up at a rate 65 percent higher than heterosexuals. The 32nd tobacco-related surgeon general’s report was released last week, on the anniversary of the office’s first study 50 years ago linking tobacco use with cancer. The report details the implications of tobacco use on the American populace since 1964. This year’s report, titled “Health Consequences of Smoking: 50 Years of Progress,” makes specific reference to health disparities within the LGBT community. […]

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