Entries Tagged 'Action Alerts' ↓

A jury found Steven Pomie guilty in the brutal beating of Dwan Prince in Brooklyn last June that left Prince paralyzed. Police still have no leads in the violent death and dismemberment of Rashawn Brazell. Gay youth, most of them Black and Latin, hang out on the Pier in New York�s West Village until all hours of the morning because they have nowhere to go. A suspect, arrested in the murder of a prominent Harlem minister, claims he was fending off sexual advances.

The sum total is that society believes certain lives are less valuable than others. Some people are perceived disposable, easily discarded, tossed aside, even killed, with little regard to consequence.

Sadly, while the Brazell case has received wide attention within the community, he was not the first, nor will he be the last victim. We need to be raising greater awareness about all of these cases, if only to demonstrate to the rest of society that we believe our lives matter.

Add this thought to the issues facing the over 50 LGBT population: Many do not feel comfortable coming out to their doctors or health care providers. Of those who do, discrimination is often the result.

A study by the McGill School of Social Work in Montreal, Canada on health care and treatment for lesbian and gay seniors living in Montreal, Vancouver and Halifax, found that many seniors would not come out to their doctors unless asked directly and that others reported mistreatment if their healthcare providers even suspected their sexual orientation.

One Vancouver senior who was quoted in the study said that she was ignored when she asked for help after one nurse had identified her as a lesbian from a newspaper article.

�From then on, I couldn’t get anyone to help me out of bed,” the woman told researchers.

In another shocking example, a gay senior citizen told researchers that he had a home care worker who, when he found out the man was gay, offered to help “save me from this blasphemous…thing.”

Researchers say that seniors are especially prone to mistreatment because they�re less likely to feel empowered enough to speak up for themselves, due to long-standing generational and societal fears and that when you mix people who have prejudice with people who have vulnerabilities, you often get abuse.

Not coming out to medical professionals is not limited to the elderly. A recent GayHealth.com survey says that more than 40 percent �rarely� or �never� even discuss their sexuality with their doctors. Another GayHealth.com survey reports that one-third had not �come out� to their healthcare provider at all.

But since seniors very often have acute health care needs, to not feel comfortable sharing aspects of their lives which may have an impact on their physical or mental state could have profound negative ramifications.

Changing how the medical profession, home health care providers and nursing homes treat lesbian and gay seniors will require a concerted effort of education and awareness by those who are young and energetic enough to take up the cause. Like other issues, it may reap benefits now and in the future.

In my professional work, I provide training and technical assistance to staff of non-profit social service agencies in and around the New York metropolitan area, many of whom are in some way involved in HIV/AIDS services and supportive housing issues. They may also be involved in a plethora of related concerns.

This week a co-worker and I delivered an excellent and well-received two-part training on how to be a more effective public speaker. About 13 people from various agencies attended, including two gentlemen from an organization representing Black LGBT folks 50 and over. As a component of our training, participants were required to deliver a five minute presentation on a topic of their own choosing. They both chose topics related to being Black and gay and over 50.

While there were many things I already knew about the subject matter, what came through loud and clear was the sense of isolation and loss of community that many of our folks feel when they reach their senior years. Despite efforts by their organization and others around the city, social, educational and recreational events get small turnouts and they are at wits end trying to find ways to reach this population. However, everyone believes it is larger than the popular perception. For reasons unknown, older Black gay folks are choosing to stay home rather than venture out.

However, in a community that places so much emphasis on youth and beauty, projecting the notion that even 30 is old and undesirable, should it surprise anyone that those over 50 find few reasons to engage? They are no doubt asking, �What�s out there for them?� I know 20-somethings who are tired of the limited offerings of bars and clubs. Since even those don�t cater to seniors, I can only imagine the disinterest in searching for social alternatives grows exponentially with each passing decade.

Yet, without support networks of family or friends, are our elders destined to live out their remaining years alone? What responsibility does the younger Black LGBT community have to involve itself and seek solutions here? Who (if anyone) is studying the very specific needs and concerns of Black LGBT seniors? Assuming we will all grow old one day, are there not benefits to be derived for seniors now and ourselves in the future?

Today is National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, an occasion to educate more Black people in this country about the risk factors related to HIV transmission and ways to keep yourself safe. On the official website there are links to numerous organizations across the country that provide services at the local level. Get educated, get involved, get tested, get treated.

Next Thursday, February 16, one of New York City�s oldest supportive housing provider for people living with HIV/AIDS, is holding its 18th Annual �Open Your Heart� Auction. It is a celebrity filled, high visibility event with great auction items up for bid. Please support this worthwhile cause. You can buy tickets online.

Every 26 seconds, somewhere in America, a child runs away from home.

Every 47 seconds, a child is abused, very often for reasons stemming from their gender or sexual identity.

Every night in this country, a million children are sleeping on our streets. Here in New York City, estimates are between 8,000 and 30,000 homeless youth, with as many as 50 percent identifying as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered or questioning.

This specific subset of the homeless population has long been overlooked and ignored. Most homeless activists and government agencies focus on adults and families. But with an increasing number of young people acknowledging their sexual identity and coming out at a younger and younger age, not all of them come out in accepting or loving home environments. When they don�t, many find themselves put out of their homes simply for being who they are.

Unlike homeless adults and families, the circumstances leading to homelessness for LGBTQ youth often have less to do with being economically disadvantaged and more with being spiritually, emotionally and physically abused. That abuse can come from family members, schools, churches or entire communities. Unlike the homeless adult who loses his job and falls into economic despair, homeless gay youth lose important social support systems largely due to other�s homophobia and intolerance. When political leaders try to justify the passage of blatantly discriminatory legislation or prominent clergy openly preach bigotry from their pulpits, they contribute to a climate of hatred based on sexual difference that encourages some parents to fail at their basic responsibility–to practice unconditional love.

There is a glimmer of hope however. Around the country, gay and homeless activists, even enlightened clergy, are taking up the cause of these young people.

In San Francisco, a survey was conducted recently to better understand the conditions under which homeless LGBTQ youth were living in that city and in what ways they faced economic hardship. The objective is to use the data to better inform rehabilitative measures such as counseling, job training and education.

In Cleveland, gay and lesbian activists aided by county government, will attempt to count the LGBTQ homeless population, in order to learn how extensive the problem is. Current estimates suggest 4,000 homeless people on any given day, but how many are gay youth is unknown.

Here in New York, a network of churches, including Metropolitan Community Church and The Riverside Church, have banded together with a social service provider to arrange emergency overnight shelter specifically for LGBTQ youth. They formed this coalition when gay and lesbian parishioners learned about the problem and challenged the religious community to do something about it. [In my professional capacity with a nonprofit agency, I assisted this group in the development of their volunteer training manual.]

Here the typical homeless gay youth is Black or Latino, about 17 years old. Yet with the astounding numbers on the streets as mentioned above, there were prior to this effort only 6 (yes, 6!) beds in the entire City of New York specifically earmarked as shelter space for gay kids.

These are just accounts from three cities. The problem exists all across the country, probably in your city as well. It is no doubt just the tip of a very large iceberg. Until such time as we can correct the wrong-headed thinking of uncaring, narrow-minded adults who willfully disown their own children, something must be done to remedy the current plight of their now homeless children.

When I hear people like Pat Robertson railing against homosexuality and suggesting we need to �protect the children�, I often wonder to whom he is referring. Which children need protecting most? Homosexuality isn�t the problem. Homophobia is and the actions of people like him are having dire consequences for our children.