Health care is a right, not a privilege. Our community has suffered for too long when it comes to health insurance and health care – and that’s just one reason why health is an LGBTQ equality issue.
This week, LGBT activists across the country are focusing in on access to public accommodations, structural health disparities, discrimination in health care and behavioral health outcomes across the LGBT community.
A few quick facts you should share about LGBT health care in the United States:
- Current estimates show 1 in 5 LGBT individuals report withholding info about their sexual history from healthcare provider.
- 56% of LGB and 70% of Trans folks report experiencing discrimination in healthcare settings.
- While HIV rates have gone down overall since 2005, HIV diagnoses have actually gone up 6% among gay and bisexual men, largely due to increases among Black and Latino MSM.
- And today, nearly 90% of transgender women newly diagnosed w/ HIV are African American or Latina.
- Although the ACA prohibits discrimination against LGBT health, 100 Anti-LGBT bills have been introduced in states in 2017: goo.gl/ct4DrL
