Photo: Ted Eytan via Flickr
The coronavirus pandemic has put the LGBTQ community at increased risk for severe illness and death if they develop COVID-19. A lifetime of systemic discrimination and poorer health outcomes can make older LGBTQ people especially vulnerable, according to LGBT advocates. Continue reading
Photo: D.K. Baric via Flickr
Aging and health issues facing lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender baby boomers have often been ignored by services, policies and research. However, these seniors face higher rates of disability, physical and mental distress and a lack of access to services, according to a new study on aging and health in these communities.
An analysis by a University of Washington researcher concluded that prevention and intervention strategies must be developed to address the unique needs of these seniors, whose numbers are expected to double to more than four million by 2030. Continue reading
Photo: William Murphy via Flickr
The Trump administration recently announced that it would no longer collect information on LGBT older adults in two key national surveys: The National Survey of Older Americans Act Participants, and the Annual Program Performance Report for Centers for Independent Living.
The latter was revised in late March to omit questions on sexual orientation and gender identity. Both reports have been important in tracking services provided to this population, which already faces significant barriers in accessing quality health care, community services, and social support, according to the Center for American Progress.
Continue reading
Photo: lintmachine via Flickr
U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to rescind federal guidelines to schools on bathroom use for transgender students had been long rumored, and when it was issued last month, some health care groups opposed to the reversal were ready.
“Transgender children are already at increased risk for violence, bullying, harassment and suicide. They may be more prone to depression and engaging in self-harm,” the American Academy of Pediatrics wrote in a statement. Continue reading
Photo: lewishamdreamer via Flickr
Health concerns for aging members of the LGBT community are numerous and varied – from battling multiple chronic diseases due to lack of preventive care to fighting prejudice within the health system when trying to obtain services.
Some of the unique health and social needs of older LGBT adults was the focus of a recent Benjamin Rose Institute on Aging conference in Cleveland. Presentations and panels featuring top-tier experts presented valuable lessons for journalists interested in reporting on LGBT aging, says AHCJ member Eileen Beal, a longtime writer on aging who attended the event. Continue reading
Photo: Lesbian Romance via photopin (license)
I first heard about Dr. Lawrence D’Angelo of the Children’s National Medical Center in a story I read over the summer in The Washington Post’s local section.
D’Angelo, division chief for adolescent and young adult medicine at the Washington D.C. hospital, recently had begun seeing patients at CNMC’s new Youth Pride Clinic for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) youth. After being profiled in the Post, the clinic quickly booked up.
So it seemed natural, in expanding healthjournalism.org’s focus on health disparities, to seek his advice on communicating and covering health issues among young LGBT people. In a new AHCJ tip sheet, D’Angelo offers his advice culled from working with LGBT patients for more than three decades.
In this piece, he offers practical advice about how to pose questions, as well as background on the overall health issues facing this particular population. He also calls for including the “Q” (for questioning) in stories about LGBT issues because so many young people see their sexual identity as still evolving.