LGBTQI

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning, and intersex (LGBTQI) individuals have unique needs with respect to their health and the HIV epidemic, and gay men continue to be disproportionately affected by HIV. Prevention efforts must consistently address the existence and the needs of LGBTQI individuals, and must be proportionate to the epidemic's impact on these communities. This section provides resources that describe the impact of HIV/AIDS on queer people of all ages and the programs and policies developed to address it, and other resources that otherwise are specific to the LGBTQI communities and their concerns.

HIGHLIGHTED RESOURCE
The Johannesburg Statement on Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, and Human Rights

This statement was adopted at a meeting of African lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender organizations, with fifty-five participants from twenty-two groups representing sixteen countries across the continent. It is addressed to African member governments of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights and of the United Nations. The statement seeks support for a resolution on sexual orientation, gender identity, and human rights. It describes the multiple abuses and forms of extreme discrimination that LGBT Africans face, including the denial of access to health care and basic health information targeted to their lives and needs, and the fact that LGBT Africans are blamed unjustly for the spread of HIV/AIDS while being omitted from HIV prevention programs. Click here to download.

HIGHLIGHTED RESOURCE

HIV Infection Among Young Black Men Who Have Sex with Men—Jackson, Mississippi, 2006-2008, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 58 MMWR 77 (2009)

This article provides the results of a survey of risk behavior and HIV testing behavior among young African-American men who have sex with men (MSM) in the Jackson, Mississippi area who received HIV diagnoses between 2006 and 2008. In the United States, African American MSM account for a disproportionate number of new cases of HIV and AIDS, and in 2006 more new AIDS cases among these men were diagnosed in the South than in all other U.S. census regions combined. The survey results revealed that 69% of the participants had unprotected anal intercourse during the year before their diagnosis, but only 10% of the participants thought they were likely or very likely to acquire HIV in their lifetimes. Twenty-one percent of participants reported having no HIV test during the two years before their first positive test, and 17% reported having one test. The article concludes that targeted interventions that decrease HIV risk behaviors among African-American MSM should be developed, implemented, and evaluated to reduce HIV transmission. Click here to download.

HIGHLIGHTED RESOURCE

Perception of Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual People of Primary Healthcare Services (New Zealand), Stephen Neville, Mark Henrickson, Issues and Innovation in Nursing Practice

More women than men reported that their health care provider usually presumed that they were heterosexual; this kind of attitude among health care providers is an important factor in the selection of a provider, particularly among women. Providers need to change their assumptions and approaches to interviews of potential patients, replacing heterosexist assumptions with integrated questions about sexual identity and ensuring that all aspects of the assessment and treatment process are safe for LGBT people. Click here to download.

EXTERNAL LINKS

GMHC (Gay Men's Health Crisis) is one of the nation's first HIV service organizations, and provides legal services which address discrimination against LGBT people and others affected by HIV/AIDS.

The ACLU AIDS Project undertakes impact litigation, public education and advocacy at the state and federal level to fight discrimination against people with HIV/AIDS, with a focus on the needs of the LGBT community.

The ACLU LGBT Project fights discrimination and moves public opinion through the courts, legislatures and public education across five issue areas: Relationships, Youth & Schools, Parenting, Gender Identity and Expression and Discrimination in Employment, Housing and other areas.

GLAD (Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders) is a New England-based legal rights organization that takes on legal and policy issues related to sexual orientation, HIV status and gender identity and expression.

Lambda Legal is a national impact litigation organization concerned with the civil rights of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, transgender people and those with HIV.

The Whitman-Walker Clinic provides services in Washington, DC, and nearby geopgraphic areas that encompass the health care needs of the LGBTI community and the legal needs of people living with HIV/AIDS.

New York Law School's Lesbian/Gay Law Notes, created and overseen by Professor Art Leonard, comprehensively reports on lesbian/gay and AIDS related legal developments.