Walking with Dignity
Porfirio Bueno, OptumHealth NM
Suzanne Pearlman, New Mexico Systems of Care
Who are we…
Challenge by choice
• How many of you…
– Interested in civil rights for all people?
– How many of you know what LGBTQI2-S means?
– Feel uncomfortable thinking about sexual orientation
issues?
– Work for a behavioral health organization?
– Feel that you received enough training to work with the
LGBT community?
A Cultural Perspective
Definitions
•
Sex – person’s biological identity
•
Gender – person’s social and cultural identity as male or female
•
Sexual Orientation - is the organization of a person’s eroticism and emotional
attachment with reference to the sex and gender of their desired partner; whether
a person’s primary attraction is to the opposite sex (heterosexuality), the same sex
(homosexuality), or both sexes (bisexuality).
•
Gender Identity - refers to a person’s internal, deeply felt sense of being a man or
woman, or something other or in between, which may or may not correspond with
the sex assigned at birth. Because gender identity is internal and personally
defined, it is not visible to others.
Definitions…
The following definitions illustrate the commonalities and differences between the
LGBTQI2-S population:
Lesbian – a woman who is physically, emotionally, and mentally attracted to other women.
Gay – a man or woman who is physically, emotionally, and mentally attracted to the same
gender. This term is used either to only identify men or all sexual minority individuals.
Bisexual – a man or woman who is physically, emotionally, and mentally attracted to both
genders.
Transgender – a person whose self-identity as male or female differs from their anatomical
sex determination at birth.
Questioning – a person, often an adolescent, who questions his or her sexual orientation
or gender identity and does not necessarily identify as definitively gay, for example.
Definitions Cont…
Intersex – a person born with an indeterminate sexual anatomy or developmental
hormone pattern that is neither male or female. The conditions that cause these variations
are sometimes grouped under the terms “intersex” or “DSD” (Differences of Sex
Development).
Two-Spirit – a contemporary term used to describe North American Aboriginal People
who possess the sacred gifts of the female-male spirit, which exist in harmony with those
of female and male. Two-spirit people were respected, contributing members of
traditional Aboriginal societies. Today, Aboriginal people who are two-sprit may also
identify as LGBT. The term is not universally accepted among Native communities and
nations; some also use terms from their own nations.
Transitioning – often defined as the process of ceasing to live in one gender role and
starting to live in another, undertaken by transgender and transsexual people. Many
people also use the term to refer to the entire transgender/transsexual process (from
living 24/7 in the beginning gender role to after sexual reassignment surgery).
Adapted from Lambda Legal, 2006; Bearse, 2007
History…
1779: Thomas Jefferson proposed a law
that would mandate castration for
gay men and mutilation of nose
cartilage for gay women.
Here's the scary part: Jefferson was
considered a liberal. At the time, the
most common penalty on the books
was death
224 years later: the U.S. Supreme Court
finally put an end to laws
criminalizing same-sex intercourse in
Lawrence v. Texas.
1961: Illinois Sodomy Law is repealed
2003: US Supreme Court strikes down all
remaining sodomy laws
1940s and 1950s: Same-sex sexual
attraction and behavior was a mental
disorder.
1957: Dr. Evelyn Hooker’s landmark study
finds gays and lesbians “normal.”
Riot at the Stonewall Inn
– June 28, 1969
– Police raided the Stonewall Inn, a
popular gay bar in Greenwich Village
– Crowd gathered and attacked the police
– Riots consumed Greenwich Village for
several weeks after
1973: The American Psychiatric
Association removes homosexuality
as being a mental disorder.
LBG Disparities:
% of Adults NOT Seeking Healthcare
* Center for American Progress & the National Coalition for LGBT Health
11
LBG Disparities:
% of Adults Experiencing Psychological Distress
* Center for American Progress & the National Coalition for LGBT Health
12
LBG Disparities:
% of Adults Likely to Abuse Alcohol
* Center for American Progress & the National Coalition for LGBT Health
13
You can be fired for being gay:
Gay Marriage Statistics & Facts:
States Where Gay Marriage Is Legal:
• Massachusetts (2004)
• Connecticut (2008)
• Iowa (2009)Vermont (2009)
• New Hampshire (2010)
• Washington, D.C. (2010)
• Washington (2012)
States That Recognize Out-of-State
Gay Marriages:
• New York
• California (Proposition 8
repealed)
Highest LGBT Concentration by
Major Metropolitan City
• San Francisco, CA 15.4%
• Seattle, WA: 12.9%
• Atlanta, GA: 12.8%
Lowest LGBT Concentration by
Major Metropolitan City
• Detroit, MI: 1.5%
• Richmond, VA: 3.4%
• Cleveland, OH and Memphis, TN:
3.5%
Gay Marriage Facts and Statistics Source:
2000 Census
It Gets Better…
National Resources:
The Trevor Project
www.thetrevorproject.org
866-4-U-TREVOR
212-809-8585
www.lambdalegal.org
Human Rights Campaign
www.hrc.org
1-888-THE-GLNH (1-888-8434564)
Youth:
1-800-246-PRIDE (1-800-2467743)
New Mexico Resources:
Equality NM (advocacy):
505-224-2766
Email:
info@eqnm.org eqnm.org
PFLAG NM:
www.pflagabq.org
(505) 873-7373
Common Bond NM:
www.commonbondnm.org
505-891-3647
Agora Crisis Hotline:
(505) 277-3013 in ABQ
1-866-HELP-1-NM
Or 1-866-435-7166
Transgender Resource Center
of NM:
www.tgcnm.org
QUESTIONS?
HOW ARE YOU FEELING?
THANK YOU!!