GLAAM at The Warren Alpert Medical School

GLAAM's new website!

2009-01-17T19:52:00.001-08:00

Please visit GLAAM's new website for up-to-date information:

http://students.brown.edu/GLAAM/

Thanks to Wei and Makini for building this great site!

-K

China to test Olympic Athletes' Gender

2008-08-12T11:52:00.000-07:00

Hey Folks. This is an older article that I'd originally sent out to the GLAAM listserv. Krista asked me to post it to the blog, but for some reason I've had excessive amounts of difficulty getting logged into the blog. Eventually it worked out for me, but if anyone else is having trouble, please email either Krista or me. Here's the link:

Sports / Olympics

A Lab Is Set to Test the Gender of Some Female Athletes

By KATIE THOMAS

Published: July 30, 2008

Olympic organizers have set up a sex-determination laboratory to evaluate the external appearance, hormones and genes of “suspect” female athletes.

I'd be interested to see what the IOC, or national Olympic committees might do in the case of an athlete who identified as a trans person or who was in transition/post-transition. Thoughts?

<3 PW.

2008-08-11T16:24:00.000-07:00

Project Update: LGBTQ Medical Student Life Survey

Thanks to Pojen, Makini, Sarah and Pat for your contributions to this project!

GLAAM members are working with the AMSA Gender and Sexuality Committee to design an LGBTQ and ally student life survey to be distributed to medical students across the country. Data collected from completed surveys will be compiled in an online student guide accessible on the AMSA website. This guidebook will allow medical school and residency applicants to have a clearer picture of the social, educational and advocacy-related opportunities for queer students at the schools they are considering. The survey includes multiple choice questions that will yield statistical interpretations of LGBTQ and ally student life at individual schools, in regions of the country, and among LGBTQ medical students as a whole. Open-ended questions in the survey invite anecdotes, opinions and explanations clarifying answers selected in previous multiple choice questions. These responses will give life and personality to descriptions of individual medical schools.

The survey explores a number of topics. Some examples:

Comfort with being “out” to other medical students and to faculty
Size of LGBTQ medical, graduate and undergraduate communities
Social opportunities – dating and friendship
Presence of an LGBTQ medical student organization
Opportunities for LGBTQ advocacy and volunteerism
Availability of faculty mentorship
LGBTQ-relevant curriculum lectures/guest speakers
Support from student allies
Presence of LGBTQ community in the local town/city – social and cultural venues
Comfort and sense of safety during clinical rotations – culture of hospital environment
Medical field/specialty of interest: is the perceived level of acceptance/tolerance within fields of interest
a factor LGBTQ students strongly consider when applying for residency?
Attitudes toward including LGBTQ activities on residency applications/resumes

The survey is currently being reviewed by the AMSA Gender and Sexuality Committee. We hope to start distributing surveys and collecting information this fall.

-KH

2008-08-05T11:23:00.000-07:00

The Burden of HIV
Among Transgender and Transexual Men and Women

"Transgender individuals often face stigma and discrimination, which increases their HIV risk while at the same time makes it more difficult for them to access HIV prevention and treatment services. Few transgender sensitive prevention and treatment programs exist."

"Data from needs assesesment and risk behavioral studies have found HIV prevalence in transgender and transsexual women as ranging from:
- 14% in San Juan
- 19% in Philadelphia
- 20% in Chicago
- 22% in Los Angeles
- 21-30% in New York
- 26% in Boston
- 27% in Houston

"In a Washington DC Survey of the transgender community, 25% of all participants self-reported as HIV positive, including 32% of the male-to-females and 3% of the famles-to-males, with another 22% not knowing their HIV status."

"Transgender women sex workers are at particularly high risk, since they are often financially induced to engage in barrier-free sex."

http://www.soros.org/initiatives/health/focus/sharp/articles_publications/publications/transgender_20071109/transgender_20071109.pdf

“In 1994, Minnesota's transgender community participated in the state-wide HIV community planning process. Focus groups identified several risk factors: Invisibility, poverty, shame, low self esteem, loneliness, and sharing needles for hormone or silicone injection. Many saw acceptance, even for one night, as worth the risk of infection. The chronic lack of HIV prevention efforts targeting the transgender community was seen as supporting a denial of risk already widespread in the community. Myths about HIV that predominate in society as a whole are reflected in the transgender community in unique ways. For example, some transexuals believe a change from a gay or lesbian to a heterosexual role, or a change from male to female, provides them with protection from HIV, without any concomitant behavior change (Minnesota Department of Health, 1994).”

http://www.symposion.com/ijt/hiv_risk/preface.htm

“Unfortunately, there's not a lot of information about how HIV and anti-HIV meds affect trans people specifically. Some anti-HIV meds are known to interact with the female sex hormones that some MTF trans people take to promote body changes. And, points out Travers, little research has been done on the long-term effects of hormones on HIV-negative trans people, never mind those who are positive.”

“And though there is little in the way of trans-specific statistics gathering, the trans community also appears to be more vulnerable to HIV than the general population. Some U.S. studies indicate that rates of HIV may be as high as 20 percent among trans women in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles, and as high as 30 percent among trans women in San Francisco and Washington. Another study, of trans women sex workers in Atlanta, found HIV rates soaring to 68 percent.”

http://www.thebody.com/content/art46730.html

_______________________________________

In light of the realities described in resources like those cited above, I wondered if setting up an HIV testing day with the help of Lifelines Rhode Island could be an effective way of beginning to assess and provide for the HIV testing and counseling needs of trans people in RI. Early in the summer, Sarah Bowman, Brown alumna currently working at Community Access, expressed to me her long-standing interest in organizing a rapid HIV test day specifically for local trans folks and has been my mentor for this project. I felt that advertising the event specifically to this population would communicate to them that health providers at the event understand the unique sexual health concerns and approaches to discussing sexuality that are relevant to people of trans experience.

Logistics are coming together, and several GLAAM members are interested in helping out during the event. If the testing day goes well on Aug. 21st and folks feel comfortable showing up and getting tested, I think it would be worthwhile to plan another event during the school year. GLAAM could help organize rapid test training sessions (with the help of trained professionals) for students at the medical school and then students could plan a test day and also do some counseling if they feel comfortable and prepared.

-KH

2008-08-05T10:27:00.000-07:00

FREE, ANONYMOUS RAPID HIV TESTING

Thursday, August 21st, 4-7pm
Sarah Doyle Women's Center
26 Benevolent Street
Brown University
Providence, RI 02912

Service provided for: transgender, transsexual, Two Spirit, gender variant, and intersex (TGI) people in Rhode Island and surrounding regions.
Sponsored by: Lifelines Rhode Island and The Miriam Hospital

Interested? Please RSVP to Krista_Hachey@brown.edu with a preferred appointment time between 4 and 7pm.

To preserve anonymity, you may use any name of your choosing when scheduling an appointment. We will try to accommodate walk-ins.

HIV is an infectious disease that is transmitted through contact with blood or sexual fluids. Individuals who engage in unprotected sex or have shared needles for any purpose should strongly consider scheduling an appointment.

During your appointment: an experienced provider will administer a painless oral test, you will receive your result and have an opportunity to discuss your questions and concerns. Your appointment will be about thirty minutes.

See http://www.hivtest.org/faq.cfm#tested for general information about getting tested.

2008-07-23T18:28:00.000-07:00

GLAAM goes to PrideFest

This summer, GLAAM members participated in Rhode Island PrideFest, where we provided basic medical services and also cut loose to enjoy an amazing and diverse festival.

Our health table was organized by Jason and Andrea, and a handful of other GLAAM members donated their time. Many visitors to the table were interested in smoking cessation counseling. During first year of medical school, we learn how to assess an individual’s readiness to change, and how to provide guidance, such as suggesting that patients work with other family members to cut down or quit smoking together. We also learn about the array of nicotine replacement therapies and the effectiveness of drugs like Chantix and Zyban. Because most of the first year Doctoring Course teaches students to ask lots of questions and spend most of the time listening to patients (which I agree are important skills to develop first), many of us found it empowering to finally practice giving some basic medical advice. Visitors to our table appreciated our feedback about quitting smoking, but would often say, “yeah, I’ve already tried a lot of these things,” followed by, “and I don’t have health insurance, so I can’t afford Zyban.” Despite having improved in my knowledge and ability to contribute to a dialogue about smoking cessation, I felt useless in the face of, “I don’t have health insurance.” I still haven’t quite figured out what to say to those people who might have hoped to hear a new idea from us.

While working at the table, I had a confusing interaction with one visitor who wanted his blood pressure taken. The other GLAAM volunteer and I referred to the person as “he” or “him” while we were getting him set up. At the end of our interaction with this individual, his male friend came up to the table and called the individual “she” and referred to him using a female name. It hadn’t even occurred to me to question the individual’s gender, although one would certainly expect to encounter folks from all over the gender spectrum at a Pride festival. Generally, when running our health table, we’ll ask people what their names are, but it was hectic at the moment, as we had just started our shift. If this individual was in fact a trans person, I wondered why he/she didn’t correct us when we used the wrong pronoun. A person of trans experience and mentor of mine told me once that some trans people are so used to constantly being misidentified and referred to incorrectly, that they become complacent about educating people. It’s possible this particular visitor to our table figured our interaction was momentary and it wasn’t worth raising the issue. If some trans folks feel this way at PrideFest, a welcoming and sensitive event, I can only begin to imagine the barriers to mutual understanding between trans people and the general population.

Free health services are frequently the only opportunities trans people and other marginalized populations have to interact with the health care system. It is so important that experiences with free care are positive and framed with respect so as to motivate individuals to stay connected and to keep coming back. At next year’s fairs, I will pay a little more attention to who might be visiting our table when we’re out in Rhode Island’s diverse communities. I’ll take a little more time to ask people about who they are, because it may encourage them to continue seeking out care, and because it is a privilege to begin to get to know them.

Thank you to all GLAAMers who participated in this event!

-K

2008-07-22T20:29:00.000-07:00

Reflections on the April Health Fair at the Salvation Army

This past school year, GLAAM provided basic clinical services – blood pressure screening, smoking cessation counseling, and sexual health information – at several community fairs and events. One event we participated in was a medical student organized health fair held in a Salvation Army building in Rhode Island. At this fair, GLAAM provided sexual health resources: there was something for everyone at the table.

Prior to the event, we learned from a student intermediary that the Salvation Army was uncomfortable with the presence of an LGBTQ group participating in the fair. This was perplexing, as we thought this was a medical student organized event that was using the Salvation Army space, but was not sponsored by the Salvation Army. While we would be using the SA building, I wondered how much of a say the SA really should have in this situation. Given the SA’s conservative stances on issues like abortion and its reputation for discriminating against homosexuals in their hiring practices, I also wondered why our medical students had organized the fair on this group’s property.

At the time, I knew the SA was a Christian organization, but I was unfamiliar with the group’s official stance on homosexuality. According to the Salvation Army website:

“Scripture forbids sexual intimacy between members of the same sex. The Salvation Army believes, therefore, that Christians whose sexual orientation is primarily or exclusively same-sex are called upon to embrace celibacy as a way of life. Likewise, there is no scriptural support for demeaning or mistreating anyone for reason of his or her sexual orientation. The Salvation Army opposes any such abuse. In keeping with these convictions, the services of The Salvation Army are available to all who qualify, without regard to sexual orientation. ”

The website also states that, “God's intention for sexual intimacy [between and a man and a woman] is that it be expressed exclusively within the marriage relationship.”

It’s clear that the SA holds conservative views about all sexual practices, but our local Salvation Army seemed specifically concerned with the issue of LGBTQ presence at the fair.

Even if the Salvation Army was organizing this health fair, it would be appalling to deny the presence of sexual health materials relevant to gay and lesbian members of the local community this Rhode Island Salvation Army serves. Cutting LGB attendees off from available health resources is mistreatment, which goes against the SA’s policy toward these individuals. Furthermore, by asking that GLAAM abstain from participation, the SA was choosing to deny all community members from sexual health resources, as we had planned to provide information relevant to individuals of diverse orientations. If the SA wants to assert its beliefs about gays and lesbians, keep the commentary in the church and out of a student run health fair.

If the SA seeks to truly provide services to “all who qualify, without regard to sexual orientation,” then a health table that offers sexual health education for heterosexual individuals must also provide information for everyone else. Because safe sex practices protect both individuals and communities from the spread of disease, everyone qualifies for access to educational resources. There isn’t such thing as strictly gay and straight communities that don’t interact with each other: there is considerable fluidity. Thus everyone needs to learn about protecting themselves and their partners.

GLAAM ultimately resolved to participate in the fair and call ourselves the Sexual Health Table. We were supported by our student peers and visited by members of the local community, some of which benefitted from the LGBTQ resources we provided. While volunteering in a Salvation Army building can be trying for those who support gay rights, it was well worth the discomfort to see folks of varying affectional preferences feel comfortable enough to talk with us and take information from our table.

Perhaps in future years, advertisements for the health fair could make it clear that the Salvation Army is not sponsoring this event: this would hopefully decrease the SA’s concerns about appearing to endorse LGBTQ issues. While the SA building may be convenient in size and location for this health fair, other local venues may be worth considering.
-K

2008-07-14T19:11:00.000-07:00

Health Concerns of the LGBT Community

Assembled by David G. Chu and Gina Clemens, University of Penn 2002
Provided to GLAAM by Dr. J. Rosenfeld

Why do lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people have unique health concerns?

A 1994 Gay & Lesbian Medical Association Membership Survey found that 50% of respondents witnessed substandard care based on patient's perceived sexual orientation. 64% of respondents believe revealing sexual orientation places patients at risk for substandard care. This and other factors unique to the lifestyles of LGBT patients can place LGBT patients at greater risk for certain health issues.

Most importantly, remember that nearly all of the following increased health risks of LGBT patients are a direct result of the societal marginalization and stigmatization of sexual minorities and are NOT due to their identification as being lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender.

_____________________________
LESBIAN HEALTH

Breast Cancer – more prevalent because:
- Fewer Pregnancies
- Higher prevalence of Obesity
- Increased Alcohol use
- Increased risk of advanced Breast Cancer due to Delayed Diagnosis

Cervical Cancer – increased because:
- Lesbians often avoid visits to the Gynecologist, due to past negative experiences.
- Interval between Pap Smears up to three times longer than for Heterosexuals.
- Pap Tests are typically performed with gynecological exams annually, usually for contraception renewal.
- Physicians ask female patients "how many men have you been with," but do not assess for women who
have sex with women (WSW).
- Lesbians and Physicians often wrongly assume lesbians are at lower or no risk.
- Many lesbian identified women have had sexual intercourse with a male at some point during life and
some continue to do so at irregular intervals.
- HPV (virus associated with Cervical Cancer) can be transmitted by sharing sex toys with an infected
partner if not properly cleaned between uses.

Ovarian and Endometrial Cancer – increased because:
- Decreased number of pregnancies
- Decreased use of oral contraceptives
- Often diagnosed at Advanced Stages due to less frequent visits to physician.

Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STD's)
- Lesbian sex can transmit most STD's – it is important to offer screening to lesbian and bisexual women on
the same basis as heterosexual women.
- Common vaginal infections can also be spread during woman-to-woman sexual contact – including yeast,
trichomonas, and non-specific bacterial vaginosis.

Reproductive Health
- Reproductive needs can be discussed outside implied heterosexual activity.
- Fertility Assistance – it is possible for both women to be biological parents if one woman donates eggs and
resulting embryos are implanted in her partner's uterus.
- Seeking a court's validation of both women as legal parents is advisable.

_____________________________
GAY MEN'S HEALTH

Anal Cancer – caused by HPV, but HIV+ men at higher risk because:
-Immunocompromised Patients have higher incidence of Anal Cancer.
- Decreased CD4+ count associated with increased progression to Anal Cancer.
- AIDS also increases risk of Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma and Kaposi's Sarcoma.

HIV – while no longer the primary population effected by HIV, HIV/AIDS continues to have a profound
effect both physically and psychologically on this community.
- HIV transmission up to 3-5 times higher when other STDs are present.
- CDC identified Youth (ages 13-24) as the most likely group to contract an STD, with 30% of new HIV
infections reported as MSM.

Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STD's)
- Hepatitis A Virus (HAV) and Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) are Vaccine-Preventable diseases, but physicians
and patients often do not discuss due to embarrassment.
- Men who have sex with Men (MSM) are at higher risk of both HAV (oral -fecal) and HBV (sexual contact)
and the CDC recommends vaccination.
- LGBT Youth (especially MSM) are particularly vulnerable because the lack of supportive environments
and accurate health prevention information leads Youth to engage in anonymous sexual encounters and
other high risk behaviors.

Eating Disorders
- Eating disorders are not uncommon in the gay male culture, where in many parts of the community social
pressure to conform to physical ideals is pervasive.
- Harvard University study of 122 men (2001) found that 14% of gay men appeared to suffer from Bulimia,
while another 20% showed signs of Anorexia.

_____________________________
LGBT ADOLESCENTS

Suicide and Depression
- Suicide is a leading cause of death, especially of questioning/gay male adolescents - physicians are urged
to consider sexual orientation as a risk factor.
- Nearly one third of all adolescent male suicide attempts are linked to a crisis over sexual orientation.

LGBT Youth are denied many “Rites of Passage” unique to Adolescence
- “Rites of Passage” unique to adolescence include:
- Classroom romances, first date, first kiss, Senior Prom

- No role models or relationship models to identify with
- Lack of healthy outlets for sexual exploration/experimentation
- Failure to experience these activities stifles the normal Social Development of LGBT Youth.

Violence against Youth is frequent and has significant impact
- Average High School student hears 25.5 Anti-Gay Slurs each day.
1 in 3 LGBT Youth in a Chicago had an object thrown at them and 1 in 5 had been kicked, punched, or

beaten because of their Sexual Orientation.
- Seattle study found LGBT Youth were 6 times more likely to be targets of offensive comments or attacks

and 3 times more likely to be injured in a fight.
- Significant number of victims of Anti-Gay Violence are actually Straight.

_______________________________

TRANSGENDERED HEALTH

Male to Female (MTF) Transsexuals – do not have their prostate removed after sex reassignment surgery and still are at risk of Prostate Cancer.

Female to Male (FTM) Transsexuals – still at risk of Breast Cancer in spite of breast reduction surgery, as well as risk of Ovarian Cancer if ovaries are not removed.
- No studies have been done addressing STD risks of the Transgender Community.

____________________________

GENERAL HEALTH

Hate Crimes

- LGBT individuals are at higher risk for physical assault and violence
- LGBT persons are victims of more violent homicides than the general population
- Settings at particular risk: schools, colleges, armed services, and public places

Substance Abuse - Gay Men and Lesbians 2-3 times more likely to engage in Substance Abuse because:

- Vehicle to escape social stressors of being LGBT identified
- Most safe spaces in the Gay Community are centered around Bars and Clubs
- Peer pressure on LGBT adolescents to find community acceptance
- Physicians do not frequently discuss SA risks and screen for dependence

Domestic Violence

- Physicians often do not screen same sex couples for DV, despite similar rates

Access to Health Care
- Denial of Domestic Partner Benefits creates a barrier to access of Health Care.
- Both partners must ensure employment with health insurance coverage
- Prevents stay-at-home parenting by one partner
- Institutionalized bias in health insurance and public entitlements, which routinely fail to cover gay and

lesbian partners. (ie. Medicaid, Social Security)
- Difficulty experienced with validation of relationship by healthcare system.
- Lack of Partner visitation rights in ICUs and EDs.
- Lack of Partner medical decision-making rights. (Partner vs. Family)

____________________________

Points to Remember

- Homophobia is a Health Hazard.
- Quality of care is affected.
- Education and training regarding LGBT health needs is inadequate.
- Communication and disclosure of sexual orientation are significant issues.
- Never assume Sexual Behavior based on Sexual Orientation.
- Never assume Sexual Orientation based on Sexual Behavior.
- Physician discomfort around issues of sexuality is evidenced by the fact that studies indicate that only

11% to 37% of primary care physicians routinely take a sexual history from new adult patients.
- Stigma is compounded for the LGBT Community as studies indicate only 18% to 49% of LGBT patients

disclose their Sexual Orientation to their physician.
- Be aware of these issues so that you can provide the best care possible to your patients regardless of

Sexual Orientation!

REFERENCES

1. Bockting WO, Robinson BE, Rosser BRS. Transgender HIV prevention: a qualitative needs assessment. AIDS Care. 1998;10(4):505-526.

2. Bradford J, Ryan C. The National Lesbian Health Care Survey. National Lesbian and Gay Health Foundation, Washington, DC, 1988:76-85.

3. Centers for Disease Control. HIV/AIDS Among Racial/Ethnic Minority Men Who Have Sex with Men – United States, 1989-1998. MMWR. Jan 2000;49(1).

4. Centers for Disease Control. Cigarette smoking among adults – United States, 1997. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 18(43):993-996, 1999.

5. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Kaposi’s Sarcoma and Pneumocystis pneumonia among homosexual men – New York City and California. MMWR. 1981;30:305-308.

6. Schatz B, O’Hanlan K. Anti-Gay Discrimination in Medicine: Results of a National Survey of Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Physicians. American Association of Physicians for Human Rights/Gay Lesbian Medical Association, San Francisco, May 1994.

7. GLMA. Healthy People 2010 - Companion Document for LGBT Health. April 2001
http://www.glma.org/policy/hp2010/index.html

2008-07-14T15:59:00.000-07:00

Articles and Resources '07-'08

This list is a compilation of articles and internet resources shared and discussed by GLAAM members this year.

Aging and Gay, and Facing Prejudice in Twilight, New York Times, Oct. 9, 2007
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/09/us/09aged.html?_r=2&oref=slogin&oref=slogin

McGarry, K and Hebert M. "Caring for Your Lesbian Patients," Medicine and Health Rhode Island, June 2006
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa4100/is_200606/ai_n16501062/pg_1
See also: McGarry KA, Clarke JG. "Evaluating a lesbian and gay health care curriculum." Teach Learn Med. 2002 Fall; 14(4):244-8

The Gay Baby Boom
"Using adoption or surrogacy, more homosexual men than ever before are becoming fathers. It's not a novelty—it's a movement. Look for it at a playground near you." Men.Style.Com
http://men.style.com/details/blogs/details/2008/04/the-gay-baby-bo.html#more

Lee RS. "The Dilemma of Disclosure: Patient Perspectives on Gay and Lesbian Providers," Journal of General Internal Medicine. Vol 23(2), Feb. 2008.

Improving Cancer Screening Among Lesbians Over 50: Results of a Pilot Study.
http://www.lesbianhealthinfo.org/your_health/cancer-screening.pdf

Clinical management of gender identity disorder in adolescents: a protocol on psychological and paediatric endocrinology aspects, European Journal of Endocrinology, 2006
http://www.eje-online.org/cgi/content/full/155/suppl_1/S131#F2

Two Families Grapple with Sons' Gender Preferences
Psychologists Take Radically Different Approaches in Therapy,
NPR, Health and Science
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.phpstoryId=90247842
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=90229789

Gay Men, Straight Women Have Similar Brains, Washington Post, June 16th, 2008
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wpdyn/content/article/2008/06/16/AR2008061601038.html

The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Community Center, located in NYC, is "the largest LGBT multi-service organization on the East Coast and second largest LGBT community center in the world." The Center's website has some cool multimedia resources, including the following:

http://www.gaycenter.org/out This video includes clips about queer aging, being queer and behind bars, and HIV/AIDS risk among black gay men.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEGY5CnOg7k&feature=related Panel discussion about being an out lesbian in corporate America -- some of these issues are relevant to gay men and women entering the medical profession.

"Going Female," On Point with Tom Ashbrook
"When Roy Berkowitz-Shelton was 50, he told his wife he was a woman -- and probably always had been. Not in any way you could immediately see, but deep inside -- a woman in a man's body.Now, the marriage is effectively over. Roy is "Deborah" -- Dr. Deborah Bershel. Her patients are getting used to it. Her children's lives have been changed by their dad's revelation. And she is living a transgendered life."
http://www.boston.com/news/globe/magazine/articles/2007/08/12/family_doctors_journey_full_story/

Other Resources:

Equity Action, a RI foundation dedicated to LGBTQ issues http://rifoundation.org/equity_action/index_flash.htm

Lifelines Rhode Island
http://lifelinesri.org

Youth Pride RI
http://youthprideri.org

Thank you to everyone who contributed information!
- K

GLAAM Advocates for People of Trans Experience

2008-07-12T17:40:00.000-07:00

Trans Day of Remembrance Talk and a Partnership with Lifelines Rhode Island:
Addressing Trans Health Care

At The Warren Alpert Medical School at Brown University, LGBTQ issues are handled primarily by GLAAM (Gays, Lesbians and Allies Advancing Medicine). This past year, GLAAM worked with the American Medical Student Association (AMSA) to organize a Trans Day of Remembrance talk. GLAAM also worked to establish learning and volunteer opportunities for students at the local trans advocacy organization, Lifelines Rhode Island.

The Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDoR) was set aside to memorialize those who were killed due to anti-transgender hatred or prejudice. The day is held in November to honor Rita Hester, whose murder in 1998 kicked off the Remembering the Dead web project and a San Francisco candlelight vigil in 1999. Since then, the event has grown to encompass memorials in dozens of cities across the world.

Emily Metcalfe, a Boston-based trans poet and activist joined us on Nov. 13th in honor of TDoR and spoke about the role of physicians in the larger movement for justice for trans people who are at increased risk of violence, avoidance of preventative healthcare and inadequate care in the medical system.

Emily's talk helped educate physicians in training on what it means to be transgender and how this state of being is different from the behaviors and conditions that are wrongly thought of and misdiagnosed as transgender. She and I both agree that physicians need to grasp the transgender experience in terms of its medical definition, the emotions/stresses that shape the experience, the threats to safety that some individuals feel, and the tension between self and society (how transgendered individuals adapt to or resist societal/familial expectations). We hoped that her audience would come away with a better understanding of the difficult, but inspiring journeys individuals embark on to find harmony between mind and body.

As a follow-up to this talk, I have sought to establish a relationship between GLAAM and Lifelines Rhode Island. Founded in 2006, Lifelines is, according to the organization’s website, “the only statewide, multi-service nonprofit organization focused on meeting the needs of transgender, transsexual, Two Spirit, gender variant, and intersex (TGI) people in Rhode Island and surrounding regions.” Scouting out the possibilities for GLAAM members to get involved at Lifelines, I attended sensitivity training sessions there and have tried to advertise these sessions to GLAAM members. Through these trainings, I learned about the range of stresses trans people experience when interacting with the health system: a person who is legally male may encounter billing issues at the gynecologist or office staff who give the patient a hard time, patients are physically abused and ridiculed in hospitals, and children who assert their true gender identities may be met with coercive treatments by psychiatrists.

One of my projects this summer is working with Lifelines members and allies to organize an HIV testing event for the local trans community, and I am helping to schedule training sessions at local ERs and psychiatry departments. Next year, I’d like to recruit a couple other GLAAM members who’d be interested in participating in the Advocates Program, which allows volunteers to attend medical visits with patients who have come to Lifelines for assistance.
-Krista Hachey
Krista_Hachey@brown.edu