Each week HuffPost Gay Voices, in a partnership with blogger Scout, LGBT HealthLink and researcher Susana Fajardo, brings you a round up of some of the biggest LGBT wellness stories from the past seven days. For more LGBT Wellness visit our page dedicated to the topic here.
1
Are Queer Teens Getting Pregnant to Avoid Bullying?
Shutterstock / michaeljung
Echoing a Canadian study we reported on last year, a new study shows NY state queer teens are also at higher risk for pregnancy. Only 13% of straight girls became pregnant, versus 23% of L/B identified girls. Only 10% of straight boys were involved in a pregnancy, versus 29% of G/B identified boys, and 38% of boys who regularly had male and female partners. A researcher from the Canadian study had a really interesting take: “It may be that pregnancy involvement is a way to camouflage your sexual orientation to avoid or reduce your experiences of homophobic bullying.”
2
Higher Rates of Anal Cancer in Black MSM
Martin Barraud
Scientists completed a review of scientific studies on HPV, dysplasia and anal cancer among black and white queer men to see if there was a difference by race. No surprise: there was. Black men had higher rates for all three conditions. The authors also noted that most studies in their review didn’t look at race. We obviously need better research -- we can’t fix problems we can’t see!
3
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4
LGBTQ Domestic Violence Survivors Blocked From Seeking Help
Shutterstock / altanaka
As many as 1 in 5 same-sex relationships include intimate partner violence and as many as 1 in 2 trans people experience violence in relationships. New research looked at what stops LGBTQ people from getting help and found three major barriers: stigma and discrimination, support services not supporting LGBT individuals and a lack of research on domestic violence in the queer community. If you or someone you know needs help call the queer-friendly National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−7233.
5
Good Healthcare Relationships Lead To More HIV And STI Tests
sasintipchai
A new study on relationships between patients and healthcare providers found that young queer men who had good interactions with their healthcare providers were more likely to get HIV and STI tests. We love, love, love this news -- one more fact backing up what we’ve known all along: queer-friendly healthcare really does lead to better health!