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.
Covering Trans Healthcare Could Save Insurers $$$
A new study out shows paying for medically necessary procedures for trans people saves insurance companies money long-term 85% of the time. Please clip and mail this study to your local insurance company today.
World Medical Association Releases Trans Healthcare Guidelines
At their last meeting World Medical Association released new trans healthcare guidelines. These guidelines state that all trans people should have the right to affordable, transition-related care and not be subjected to any form of coercive, reparative, or conversion therapy.
Hispanic Immigrant Study Shows High Rates of Bisexuality and Lower STDs
A new study on Hispanic immigrant and migrant men in the U.S. found that 24% had sex with other men. Only 9% of them had been diagnosed with an STD in the past year, lower than the general rate for U.S. queer men.
CA Begins Providing Inmates with Gender Confirmation Surgery
We covered this story as the lawsuit unfolded, now we're happy to say the policy change took effect last Thursday. California now has an official process to provide trans prison inmates with gender confirmation surgery(ies). Advocates are calling this historic and a possible model for others to follow.
Minorities Missing from Academic Medicine
Kudos to researchers for putting out a study to benchmark the level of diversity engagement in academic medical centers, double kudos they included LGBT identity as a measure. Not surprisingly, this new study found that despite diversity initiatives academic medical centers are not successfully engaging with or including their minority staff and faculty members, including their queer ones.
What Makes Therapy Better
What matters to LGBTQ people when looking for a therapist? Researchers found the two most important things were the therapist’s knowledge about sexual and gender minorities and a patient-centered approach. Basically, they wanted to be seen as complex individuals. That’s probably good general advice for everyone.
Facebook Analysis Shows Us It's Been a Good Year for QueersWe know disclosure is related to safety which both really affect health. Well, we wanted to point out a little known study that may be a bellweather of how good this year has been for queers. Facebook analyzed their membership (over half the U.S. adult population) and found 2.5 times as many people came out as sexual or gender minority this year versus last. And the rate is still climbing.