LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth |
Hear Me Out |
by Mubarak Dahir |
Thanks for your interest!
Just the mere fact that gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people have been specifically included in a federal government blueprint for a healthier nation is a big step forward in recognizing the unique medical needs of our community. But simply being mentioned by the federal government's health plan is far from enough. What we need now is regular inclusion in federal health surveys and funded programs that actually help us attack our specific health-related problems. Unfortunately, making that next critical step seems slim under a presidential administration and Congress that are so queasy about homosexuality. Gay men and lesbians are going to have to do what we have always done: take the matter into our own hands. The good news is that gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender people were specifically mentioned in Healthy People 2010, the latest in a series of government documents that set 10-year goals for the nation's health. The document has been issued each decade since the 1970s, but it wasn't until the most recent one that the specific and unique health needs of gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender people were given a nod. It used to be that when you talked about health issues for the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community, all straight people thought about was AIDS. Of course, there are numerous medical issues that we as gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people face. Some are as obvious as discomfort in disclosing our sexual orientation or transgender status to doctors and nurses for fear of discrimination in receiving quality medical treatment. Others include more specific health details, such as the notion that all gay men should get the hepatitis B vaccines, or that lesbians routinely skip gynecological exams. According to some studies, gay male youths are up to five times more likely to attempt suicide than their straight counterparts. Other research indicates that mental health and drug problems are disproportionately highand disproportionately untreatedin the gay and lesbian community. In Healthy People 2010, the federal government included sexual orientation as a factor in 29 out of 400 health issues, including topics such as access to adequate care, discrimination, HIV, drug abuse, sexually transmitted diseases, immunization and violence. That's a good initial step. But the problem is that the government is collecting almost no data on our specific health needs. Thus, it's difficult to quantify how big our problems are or how many of us are suffering from what when we try to get medical help. Data is important because, without it, we can't get funding to solve the problems. So it's great the federal government has finally recognized that our medical needs register on a federal scale. But now we need to do something about them. The truth is that there are virtually no large-scale studies on the unique and specific health concerns and needs of gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender people. And given the attitude of the current presidential administration and the current Congress, particularly the Republican-led House, toward gays and lesbian issues, it seems unlikely to expect much assistance from the federal government on our health concerns. While we should not stop fighting for that much-needed and deserved help, we can't sit around and wait for or depend on Washington. We need to get out and help ourselves. Luckily, some gay men and lesbians, and the organizations they run, are already doing just that. In an attempt to push along the federal government, the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association recently published a report that identifies some of particular health needs long overlooked for gay men and lesbians. In recent years, some HIV and AIDS organizations have tried to broaden their scope of education and outreach, including information on prevention and treatment of other sexually transmitted diseases. Some even offer workshops and outreach on the "complete health" of their target audiences. Lesbian health projects have sprung up around the country, and last year, a group of gay health activists launched a national campaign to establish a series of grass-roots-lead gay men's health centers around the country. Of course, we should keep lobbying and pressuring the federal government to recognize our health needs, fund studies to identify them, and programs to address them. But it may be a long time before the government is ready to do anything that approaches an adequate job in recognizing the medical issues of our community. Until then, we need to all get involved in promoting and educating ourselves and our friends and loved ones about the specific health concerns of our communities. Our lives literally depend upon it. Mubarak Dahir receives email at MubarakDah@aol.com |
LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth, Vol. 11, No. 11, August 10, 2001 |