Report on Areas for Immediate Action and Improved Health Outcomes
Washington, DC — In response to LGBTQI public health challenges that were amplified and exacerbated by the Trump Administration, a group of leading LGBTQI advocates have published a report identifying opportunities for immediate action for improved health outcomes for LGBTQI people throughout the United States.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and intersex (LGBTQI) people– in particular those who are Black, Indigenous or people of color — are often stigmatized and subjected to systemic discrimination within the healthcare system. LGBTQI people encounter outright refusals of care; hostility and lack of understanding from health care providers; and a system based on heterosexual, cisgender norms that disregards their needs. As a result, LGBTQI populations suffer worse health compared to the general population. Policies throughout the Trump Administration magnified these issues and created a more dangerous environment for LGBTQI people. The Biden-Harris Administration must address these unparalleled challenges in domestic health policy in a swift and comprehensive manner.
“Good health is the right of all people and LGBTQI communities need bold policy reforms that build on the framework of nondiscrimination and equity already laid out by the Biden-Harris Administration to achieve that goal,” said Dan Bruner, Senior Director of Policy at the Whitman-Walker Institute.
The scope of the document reflects the urgency to address health disparities in LGBTQI communities and identifies many ways that the Biden-Harris Administration can remove barriers to well-being and health for marginalized sexual and gender minority people. It highlights opportunities for improving LGBTQI health across many areas of federal health policy, from deployment of the SARS-COV-2 vaccine, to ensuring that agencies fully implement nondiscrimination rules, to collecting sexual orientation, gender identity and intersex data in federal surveys and health records.
“Whitman-Walker will work closely with other national leaders in LGBTQI health to reverse damage inflicted by the previous Administration,” continues Bruner “and to advance LGBTQI health and dignity through much-needed new policies.”
A copy of the report can be found on whitmanwalkerimpact.org. The effort was a collaboration of the following organizations: AIDS United, Callen-Lorde Community Health Center, Fenway Health, GLMA: Health Professionals Advancing LGBTQ Equality, Howard Brown Health, interACT: Advocates for Intersex Youth, Lyon-Martin Health Services, National Black Justice Coalition, National Center for Lesbian Rights, National Center for Transgender Equality, National LGBT Cancer Network, National LGBTQ Task Force, SAGE, Transgender Law Center, Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund, and Whitman-Walker Institute.
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About Whitman-Walker Institute: Whitman-Walker Institute is one of the country’s premiere organizations focused on advancing the health and wellbeing of people facing barriers to quality care, particularly LGBTQ people and people living with HIV, through the strategic integration of clinical expertise, research acumen, quality education and policy change. The Institute endeavors to remain grounded in community by seeking feedback and promoting ideas that reflect the lived experiences and identified needs of those we serve. The Institute conducts cutting edge research and engages in evidence-based education and policy advocacy to end the HIV epidemic, eliminate health disparities, and promote wellness and resiliency. Through such work, we empower all persons to live healthy, love openly and achieve equality and inclusion.
For Immediate Release
February 18, 2021
Contact:
Abby Fenton, 202-204-5531, afenton@whitman-walker.org
