Each week LGBT HealthLink , a Program of CenterLink, and researcher and blogger Corey Prachniak, bring you a round up of some of the biggest LGBT wellness stories from the past seven days. For more LGBT Wellness, visit a page dedicated to the topic here.
Surgeon General: E-Cigs a Risk for Queer Youth
The U.S. Surgeon General released a report finding that e-cigarettes have become the number one tobacco product among youth, and suggesting that LGBT youth should be a priority in research and monitoring. Previous research has shown that LGB youth are 25 percent more likely to use e-cigarettes than are other youth, a scary fact as little is known about their long-term dangers.
At-Risk Black/AA Men Favor Riskier Vids
A study found that 78.7 percent of queer, HIV-negative Black/African American men prefer to watch sexually-explicit material with condomless versus condom-inclusive sex. Men who had a low perception of the risks involved in sex and those who themselves engaged in risk behaviors (including alcohol and drug use) were more likely to hold this viewing preference. Other research has shown that what queer men view in explicit videos impacts how they behave in real life.
Country Music TV Joins Fight for Equality
NBC News reports that nearly 200 businesses in Tennessee are uniting to oppose anti-LGBT legislation, and that the businesses include Country Music Television among other local and national heavy-hitters. The movement is a response to a bill passed earlier this year that will, stunningly, allow mental health providers to refuse to treat queer patients.
Trans Iowans Struggle to Access Care
The Des Moines Register reports that transgender Iowans have seen progress but still face major hurdles in accessing care in a state that has banned Medicaid from covering gender-affirming surgery and that has allowed insurance companies to exclude transgender-related care. Planned Parenthood and the University of Iowa are named as those leading the way for trans patients.
A Safer Cigarette? It’s a Trap!
Researchers found that most smokers of Natural American Spirit cigarettes – which brand themselves as “natural” and “organic” –erroneously believe the brand is healthier than other cigarettes. Furthermore, LGB people were more than twice as likely to smoke this brand as were others, suggesting queer smokers may be especially susceptible to the brand’s implied and shady claims.