Health Reform as a Queer Issue - Word!

Check out this awesome post at the similarly awesome blog RH Reality Check! Blogger Katherine Franke gives the quick & dirty version of why a health care system that ties insurance to employment and marriage status isn't so queer-friendly.

This just makes me think about how important genuine systemic change is if we really want healthier people (and not just more people with health insurance, although that would be great too!). Studies show that simply having universal access to care alone does NOT fix the disparities in health that people of color, those of "low socioeconomic status," and others experience. As you can imagine, there is a sad lack of data about these disparities for various segments of the LGBTQ community, but I've got a hunch the same is true for us. You know how they say that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of the cure? Access to healthcare is like the cure. It's great, and when you're sick, of course you want it - but maybe what we really need is prevention, to change the messed up, homophobic, sexist, racist world that's making us sick to begin with. And while I still have a lot of love for Obama, it seems to me right now that the health care debate has been stuck in the same rut for months and we'll be lucky if we even get an ounce of the cure out of it.

(And btw, RH Reality Check is a fabulous source of information & analysis related to reproductive health that is refreshingly not too heterocentric. Highly recommended!)

A Bill that I Can Stand Behind...

and, no. I don't mean Clinton.

Just a few months back, March 26th to be exact, two female House Representatives, introduced the Breast Cancer Education and Awareness Requires Learning Young, EARLY, Act of 2009. In a bra cup, it's object of this Act is "to increase awareness of the risks of breast cancer in young women, and to provide support for those diagnosed with breast cancer."

Women fighting for the lives, education, health and empowerment of other women. Of course there was much controversy over it! Let the 'experts,' protests, and breast health myths begin.

One such 'expert' was quoted as stating,

"I leave politics to the politicians, why can't they leave science to the scientists? Except for family history, there are no important risks ... for women younger than 40."

What?!?!?!

:::Rubs eyes:::

Did I just read that? There are no important risks for younger women other than family history?!?! Have we learned nothing in all these years of breast cancer research? Are we really still at the place in thinking that our behaviors place no impact on our long term health. Scary!

Look. Speaking as someone with a family history, one that was a young diagnosis as well, I also have taken the time to educate myself and acknowledge the fact that it is not family history alone that dictates a woman's risk for breast cancer. Alcohol consumption, diet, tobacco use, and exercise are just some of the other known behavioral factors, not to mention environmental factors. No, these aren't fun to think about...in fact, they are all huge bummers. How fun would it be to not give two thoughts about what we eat, drink, smoke, and breathe? But the fact of the matter is, we have to. Well, we don't HAVE to...but I do, because I wanna stick around to be queer and fabulous for as long as possible! So, please don't let these uninformed, woman-hating 'leaders' fool you. And more importantly, don't let them dictate your health care policy!

Thanks for letting me rant. =)

Lu’s: A Pharmacy for [Some] Women

July 7th marked a milestone for women’s health: the Vancouver Women’s Health Collective opened North America’s first women’s-only pharmacy in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. It couldn’t be situated in a more needed area: well known to be the ‘poorest postal code’ in Canada, the neighborhood is notorious for it’s high incidence of drug use, sex trade, and crime. Amidst the slew of local pharmacies primarily dispensing methadone to heroine addicts, Lu’s Pharmacy aims to provide an inviting and safe environment for women-centered care.

As a resident of Vancouver, feminist, health promoter, and avid supporter of women-centered-services, I was thrilled to hear that this novel and much needed resource had opened in my own backyard. That was until I read the fine print of the Collective’s website and the way in which it selectively defines women: "We feel that it is essential that a woman be born a woman and have the physiology of a woman and the psychological experiences of living as a girl and a woman in order to embrace the work of the Vancouver Women’s Health Collective." In short, Lu’s will not be offering it’s services to trans women, some of the most vulnerable women in the city who are the most in need of health care and many of whom are both anatomically and legally recognized as women.

Trans women have already been rejected from having their prescriptions filled at Lu’s and local news sources have noted that while trans women will continue to be turned away, trans men will be welcome. Even as a woman-born-woman, I can easily see the flawed logic in this. Not only are trans women being discriminated against, but trans men are being treated as women based on biological determinism. This ‘logic’ governing Lu’s policies overlooks the complexities of gender, the realities of everyday life, and the fact that trans women also experience patriarchal oppression from birth.

In defense of their “born women“ policy, VWHC told Canada’s Queer news source, Xtra.ca, that “It just seemed to make sense that this was our expertise, this is what we did well and knew how to do.” I call shenanigans. Ignorance is no excuse for discrimination. Pharmacist’s at Lu’s would need no more training that any other pharmacist in the country in order to fill out prescriptions. What they do require is the sensitivity and competence to provide inclusive and trans-positive care. Perhaps instead of creating excuses for why they are unfit to serve trans women they should bring their services up to par with the needs of the community by investing in some gender sensitivity training or actively recruit trans women to join their staff.


Makeup artist Raigen D’Angelo (left) and activist Jamie Lee Hamilton hold up a prescription that was refused by the staff of Lu’s: A Pharmacy for Women.

Coming out for Marijuana

“Many people can smoke marijuana every day without ill effects, advocates say, just as many casually drink wine in the evening.” New York Times, July 19, 2009

When was the last time you talked about pot the way you talk about alcohol? With friends and family? Your doctor? Openly and honestly. The closet has a strange effect on information and as queer people we know this extremely well. We know that stigma around certain practices has the ability to cut us off from life saving information and support.

I had been working at a grassroots lesbian cancer organization for less than a week when I got a phone call from a cancer patient looking for marijuana. Full disclosure here, I thought my job would be mostly fundraising and public policy but as someone who has enjoyed marijuana for over 20 years I was thrilled at the idea of two of my worlds coming together.

I had known of the medical benefits of marijuana first hand with HIV positive friends who used it as an appetite stimulant. But truthfully, most of my friends with HIV were already recreational pot smokers, so they already knew of its benefits. Such has been the case with friends battling cancer. Many were already pot smokers so using it to battle the effects of chemo was a no brainer (and in some cases, a good excuse). This caller wasn't a pot smoker.

She felt she couldn't talk to her doctor about it and was more willing to make an anonymous phone call to us versus ask any of her friends or doctors for help. I introduced her to another lesbian with chronic illness who helped folks procure marijuana, recommended she use a vaporizer and no, didn't add this to my funder report.

But this isn't a blog about medical marijuana, racism and drug laws, or if marijuana is addictive. Three seriously important issues I could easily wax on about (especially when high).  It's hard to talk about any of those because of the stigma attached to discussing our own marijuana use.

How many of us have worked up the courage to talk to our doctors about our sexuality and gender identity but not that we smoke pot? Sure, I fear the ramifications from it being included in my medical records but I used to feel that way about my sexuality too.

Links:
NYC Has the Most Marijuana Arrests in the World (But Don’t Worry, White People, It Won’t Be You)
Marijuana Policy Project
NYTimes: Marijuana Is Gateway Drug for Two Debates
If Marijuana Is Legal, Will Addiction Rise?
Vaporization
Why Do People With HIV Use Marijuana?
American Cancer Society and Marijuana

Turns Out Being Married and Happy is GOOD for you!

The Gay and Lesbian Medical Association (GLMA) has a report on their website documenting why gay marriage is good for our health.

Turns out being in a loving and stable relationship (aka what marriage should be about) has many physical and mental health benefits. To quote the American Psychiatric Association's policy statement sited in the report:

"Sustained and committed marital and family relationships are cornerstones of our social support network as we face life's challenges, including illness and loss."

I love this report - it talks about our emotional and physical health - which are critically important to living fulfilling lives. Sure, its not as sexy as talking about the tax benefits apparently, but really - how queers build our families of choice and our long-term relationships helps us define who we are.

Now, here's my question: lesbians tend to have a series of long-term relationships more so than straight women. How do you think that will change with the norming of marriage (one long-term relationship) in our community?

Your Health or Your Home: You Decide

Shout out to Stop Breast Cancer's Blog for calling our attention to this:

HALF of last year's foreclosures were caused by folks that had to pay such steep medical bills that they could not also pay their mortgage - to the point where they faced foreclosure.

The Article:
Get Sick, Get Out: The Medical Causes of Home Foreclosures

Keep this in mind when thinking about McCain's and Obama's health care platforms.

"There Oughta Be A Law" Becomes a Law!

California's supreme court voted today that people cannot be denied health care and treatment based on sexual orientation. This is so fantastically a step in the right direction!


By the way, as often happens with social change, this case started back in 2000 (back when the word blog was merely a twinkle in our eyes), and the fab dykes that wanted a baby and were discriminated against found a way (we're so resourceful, aren't we?!).

Here's a 2003 photo of the happy family: