LGBTQ youth are bullied at much higher rates than other students. Let’s show them they’re not alone and stand against bullying by going purple this October 20th. Take the pledge today! Learn more at GLAAD.org.
Posts Tagged ‘transgender’
NYS Dept of Health Debuts New PrEP Website & Video Series
Thursday, July 14th, 2016The AIDS Institute announced two new exciting resources on Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV.
PrEP for Sex Video Series
This series of eight videos highlights the voices of men who are currently taking PrEP to prevent HIV infection.
Honest, forthright and insightful, these videos address the following topics:
- Is PrEP Right for Me
- Beginning the Process
- Affordability
- Remembering to Take PrEP
- Condom Use
- Why PrEP
- Side Effects
- PrEP and Emotions
PrEP Website
The AIDS Institute also unveiled a new website to unite the video series and public service announcements: PrEPforSex.org.
There is also a new text-message campaign. Users can text the word “PREP” to 69866 for personalized PrEP recommendations and resources.
Drag Brunch Almost Sold Out + “Best Look” Contest from BGHV
Monday, March 14th, 2016
There are only a few tickets left for HVCS’ Drag Brunch 2016! This event has sold out every year and we expect the same situation for Sunday’s big show. If you’ve been waiting, now’s the time to hop on over to Eventbrite to snag your tickets!
And, to add to the fun, our friends and supporters at Big Gay Hudson Valley hope YOU the audience will have just as much fun as our drag-tastic performers! They’re giving away two pairs of tickets to their upcoming event to the two “Best Gender Bender Looks” at Drag Brunch. Don your best gender-switcheroo outfit or bend your gender outfit to the extreme and you might win a pair of tickets to see “Nasty Drew & That Harder Boy: The Mystery of the Family Jewels” in Rosendale on Saturday, April 16th. Outfits will be judged by our performers TRIXIE STARR, JOJO GERARD, ANITA LAY and AVI MUNSTER, so dress to impress!
Learn More About BGHV’s upcoming show:
Great jumping catfish! Someone has snatched Lady Dubois’ cherished family jewels! Never fear, stripper sleuths Nasty Drew and That Harder Boy are on the case. Watch as they hunt for clues, ward off menacing suspects and loosen up a few buttons of their own on their search to find the dastardly diamond deviant.
Presented by Big Gay Hudson Valley and GayHudson.com, Nasty Drew & That Harder Boy: The Mystery of the Family Jewels is written and produced by Chris Harder (who you may remember from BGHV’s annual burlesque cabaret, HUNG With Care). This queer and campy “whodunit” play features some of NYC’s hottest names in burlesque, drag and circus performance.
Learn more and watch the trailer online at www.BigGayHudsonValley.com/NastyDrew
NYS Issues Urgent Warning About Syphilis
Monday, October 12th, 2015Infectious syphilis is increasing in New York State, with a 13% increase in New York City and a 44% increase in upstate New York between 2013 and 2014. In many areas, the number of cases has more than doubled in this period. The highest burden of cases is seen in New York City and surrounding counties (which would include the Hudson Valley). Cases are mainly among males, especially gay men and men who have sex with men.
We encourage everyone to be aware of the risk factors, signs, and symptoms of syphilis. Having unprotected sex, multiple sex partners, or a new sex partner can all increase the risk of syphilis infection, as well as other STI’s and HIV.To learn more about syphilis, visit our RPI team or http://bit.ly/NYSDOHSyph. Call (845) 471-0707 x12 to schedule a test, or stop in at one of our testing events. You can also check out the basics on our website.
Transgender People Less Likely to Have Healthcare
Thursday, January 30th, 2014The Henry K. Kaiser Family Foundation recently released an intriguing issue brief on LGBT healthcare entitled “Health and Access to Care and Coverage for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Individuals in the U.S.” The report is chock-full of fascinating statistics from a variety of recent studies. Check out the full report for sources.
While lesbian, gay, and bisexual individuals have higher rates of unmet medical needs and are less likely to have a regular provider compared to heterosexual people, transgendered people have it far worse.
- 48% of transgender people have postponed or went without medical care due to not having enough financial resources.
- 39% of transgender people have experienced some type of harassment or discrimination when seeking health care.
Transgender people also face higher poverty levels, have higher suicide rates, and huge disparities in HIV/AIDS and STI infection rates.
Mental Health & Substance Abuse Issues Among LGBT Populations
Wednesday, January 29th, 2014The Henry K. Kaiser Family Foundation recently released an intriguing issue brief on LGBT healthcare entitled “Health and Access to Care and Coverage for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Individuals in the U.S.” The report is chock-full of fascinating statistics from a variety of recent studies. Check out the full report for sources.
The issue brief explored access to mental health services and rates of substance abuse among the LGBT population in the United States.
- 25% of LGBT people abuse alcohol, compared to 5-10% of the heterosexual population.
- MSM (men who have sex with men) are 12 times more likely to use amphetamines.
- MSM are 10 times more likely to use heroin.
- 41% of transgender people have attempted suicide.
LOFT LGBT Center Loses Hotline Funding – Act Now to Help!
Thursday, December 9th, 2010Via the LOFT:
Westchester County Cuts Important LGBT Funding
The LOFT Needs Your Help!
The LOFT Needs Your Help!
Westchester County has funded The LOFT’s Helpline since the early 1990s, and has been one of the first counties in the entire nation to offer acknowledgment much less resources to the LGBT community through The LOFT’s Helpline.
However, this all unexpectedly changed yesterday when, without advance notice, The LOFT received notification from the Westchester County Department of Social Services that the grant was immediateley terminated due to county budget cuts. Although the $22,000 annual grant is small in comparison to the rest of the county’s budget, to The LOFT it is much, and what is done with it helps a community that now more than ever needs these services. With little movement on equality for the LGBT community in many areas, and with LGBT youth bullied to the point of suicide, now is not the time to terminate funding for The LOFT Helpline.
What You Can Do:
If you’re a Westchester resident, please contact your County Legislator, and ask them to restore The LOFT’s Helpine Funding. Although it was not the County Legislature that caused the cut, they are now in possession of the County Budget, and may have the power to restore it. This grant is vitally important to The LOFT and its ability to provide the Helpline services our community has needed.
Click Here for a list of contact information of Westchester County Legislators.
Click Here for text to use if you’re going to email your County Legislator.
The LOFT’s Helpline has been an asset to the LGBT community for over thirty years. Last year, The Helpline received 3,764 contacts, ranging from crisis calls from LGBT youth, to parents whose children have just come out to them, from LGBT seniors looking for doctors who might be gay-friendly, to those looking for information on HIV/AIDS.
June is National LGBTQ Pride Month
Wednesday, June 2nd, 2010
The ARCS team carries our banner through New Paltz at the 2009 Pride March.
LATEST NEWS: View a photo slide show from the New Paltz Pride March and Festival!
June is National LGBTQ Pride Month, and several Hudson Valley communities are carrying on their annual Pride marches and festivals. ARCS participates in these celebrations of diversity and dignity to honor our roots as a spin-off of The LOFT LGBT Community Center, and because of the ongoing HIV/AIDS crisis among men who have sex with men (MSMs).
New studies show that MSMs are newly infected with HIV at a rate 44 times higher than other men…and 40 times higher than women. ARCS has responded to these statistics by successfully creating a new program to educate young MSMs of color. We’re especially proud to be offering enhanced HIV prevention services to guys ages 16 through 24 in Westchester as of June 1st – and we are working hard to secure additional funding to expand the program to the entire Hudson Valley.
If you’re out and about at any of the upcoming LGBTQ Pride events, please stop by and say hi!
This June, you’ll find ARCS’ big red tent at the New Paltz Pride March and Festival on Sunday, June 6th and at Gay Pride Rockland in Nyack on Sunday, June 13th. Please stop by to say hello, pick up some free brochures and condoms, and fill out health surveys that help us plot the course of future programs. There are tons of Pride activities all week long at the Hudson Valley LGBTQ Community Center, (the hosts of New Paltz Pride) so be sure to check them out.
ARCS will also be tabling at the Westchester County LGBT Town Hall meeting on Wednesday, June 9th at the County Center in White Plains from 6:30 to 8:30.
And don’t forget the Valley’s newest Pride event, Hudson Pride! This charming, quirky town has organized its first LGBT Pride march and festival on Sunday, June 20th. The fun kicks off with a sunset cruise on Saturday, June 19th from 7 to 9:30 pm.
For all the latest Pride happenings, be sure to check out our friends at BigGayHudsonValley.com, and for national events visit TheBody.com’s new Pride section.
"The Big Yvent" Honors Westchester County's Former LGBT Liaison
Thursday, April 15th, 2010The Westchester Pride Coalition has announced that Yvette Christofilis, former head of the Westchester County Office of LGBT Affairs, will be honored at a special event on Wednesday, May 5, 2010 at 6:00 pm in White Plains. Christofilis’ office, along with several other minority services, was eliminated from the Westchester County government as of January 31, 2010.
The Westchester Pride Coalition, a group of non-profits serving the LGBT community, grew out of a meeting convened by the former LGBT Liaison. With her nurturing and support, the WPC was able to hold Westchester’s first ever LGBT Pride event last September at Rye Playland, which attracted over 400 participants. “It was only natural for us to honor Yvette Christofilis,” said David Juhren, Executive Director of the LOFT LGBT Community Center in White Plains. “She in effect launched the Coalition, which carries on her work without direct county government ties.” An LGBT Advisory Board will continue to provide vital feedback and policy advice to the county legislature.
The WPC invites the community to join them in thanking Yvette Christofilis for her two years of service to Westchester’s LGBT community at a cocktail reception on Wednesday, May 5, 2010 at Cabo in downtown White Plains from 6:00 to 9:00 pm. This fundraising reception, playfully called “The Big Yvent” in Christofilis’ honor, will also raise much-needed funds for this year’s Westchester Pride at Playland.
Tickets are $20.00 and can be purchased in advance at www.westchesterpride.org/bigyvent.html or at the door. There will be complimentary appetizers and a cash bar. Cabo is located at 107 Mamaroneck Avenue in downtown White Plains. There is plenty of municipal parking within the immediate area, including the parking lot directly behind Cabo. Supporters can also purchase a congratulatory listing in the program to thank Christofilis for her work and legacy.
The second annual Westchester Pride at Playland 2010 is set for Saturday, September 11, 2010 with a rain date of Sunday, September 12. The WPC is already planning festivities and aims to increase the event’s attendance and importance.
Members of the Westchester Pride Coalition include AIDS-Related Community Services, Center Lane, the Gateway Program at Westchester Medical Center, GLSEN Hudson Valley, Lambda Peer Support Services, The LOFT LGBT Community Services Center, NYTRO, PFLAG Westchester, Planned Parenthood, Rainbow Alliance of Westchester, Straight Spouse Network, Victims Assistance Services, and Westchester Lesbian Connection. For more information visit www.westchesterpride.org.