TRANSGENDER SUPPORT GROUP(MN)

Minnesota Transgender Health Coalition Support Group





The MN Transgender Health Coalition is offering a Bi-monthly support group for all gender variant folks no matter where they are in their transition. The group will be held on 2nd and 4th Wednesday of the month from 5:30-7:00pm at 3405 Chicago Avenue, Suite 103 in Minneapolis.
Please note: You do not have to be on hormones or transitioning to benefit from the support group. If you need information, contact 612-823-1152 or mntranshealth@yahoo.com

Topics to include hormone use, safe syringe use, HIV and Hep C, safer sex, medical referrals, weekly check-in, surgery discussions and name/gender change info.

The Minnesota Transgender Health Coalition is committed to improving health care access and the quality of health care received by trans and gender non-conforming people through education, resources, and advocacy. (taken from website)

Women Living With HIV Launch Human Rights Survey

Call for Integrating Sexual and Reproductive Health Services With HIV Services to Address Epidemic Among Women



Please take the survey and spread the word!


National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day 2010 comes just weeks after the United Nations announced that HIV is the leading cause of death among women globally.


In the U.S., a woman tests positive for HIV every 35 minutes, and nearly one-third of all domestic HIV infections are among women -- up from 8% in 1987. AIDS continues to be the leading cause of death among African-American women ages 25 to 34. Yet the general perception is that women are not vulnerable to contracting HIV -- and women are dying as a result.



Multiple members of the U.S. Positive Women's Network (PWN), a national membership body of women living with HIV in the United States, have personal experience with this issue. "Everyone is at risk for HIV," says Demetra Tennison, Peer Educator at Women Rising Project in Austin, TX. "But many providers don't perceive women as being at risk or are uncomfortable talking about it. I told my doctor that my husband was positive, and he didn't offer me a test. I was diagnosed late and got into care late, because of a missed opportunity on my physician's part."

Advocates specifically call for integration of sexual and reproductive health services with HIV services. "Early HIV diagnosis means less transmission and better health outcomes. Yet we see missed opportunities for HIV prevention and diagnosis throughout the medical system," says Dr. Monica Gandhi, director of HIV Consult Services at San Francisco General Hospital. "Women show up for sexual and reproductive health services multiple times a year. Every one of those appointments -- for pap smears, contraception care, and routine check-ups -- is an opportunity for HIV education, screening for HIV risk factors like domestic violence, and testing."

The PWN also notes that over half of all people living with HIV are not in regular medical care, and that co-location of sexual and reproductive health services with HIV services has enormous potential to transform women's ability to access care.

HIV-positive women across the United States have organized to urge the Obama Administration to finish health care reform, demand a gender-sensitive National HIV/AIDS Strategy, declare HIV an urgent crisis facing women and demand, the immediate appointment of an openly HIV-positive Black woman to the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS (PACHA). Events will occur in locations as diverse as Philadelphia, PA; Oakland, CA; San Diego, CA; Washington, NC; Washington, DC; and Boulder, CO.

Advocates also stress that an effective response to the domestic HIV epidemic must address social factors that put some communities at disproportionate risk. "We have the tools to end the HIV epidemic. What we need is political will to address structural issues including homophobia, gender inequity, and the deep racial and economic disparities that drive the rising rates of HIV among our most marginalized communities," says Waheedah Shabazz-El, a Muslim and Philadelphia-based trainer with the Community HIV/AIDS Mobilization Project, who was diagnosed in 2003.


In honor of National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, the PWN has launched a survey to track the extent to which HIV-positive women's human rights are being realized in the United States. This survey is the first in a series, and focuses on testing and disclosure, reproductive justice for women with HIV, and the criminalization of HIV.


Please take the survey and spread the word!


Learn more about the PWN -- and join the PWN's mailing list.


This article was provided by Positive Women's Network USA.

Disclosure Etiquette, Part 1: Do I Have to Kiss and Tell?

Deciding to share your serostatus is one of the most
difficult things a person living with HIV has to do.

First Published: 2/11/2010 from our friends @ http://blackaids.org/

This is the first in a series of articles from Black Aids Institute exploring the etiquette associated with telling other people that you have HIV/AIDS.

Over the past 20 years, I have watched people living with HIV/AIDS suffer and struggle with disclosing their status. The fear of rejection keeps many of us quiet but causes others to reveal intimate information at inappropriate times and places--such as on a first date in a cozy restaurant, with the people at the next table dipping into the conversation, as an HIV-negative friend once experienced when her dinner companion told her he was HIV-positive.

Deciding to share your serostatus is one of the most difficult things a person living with HIV has to do. Unlike on television, where reality-show participants sometimes disclose their HIV status in such a way that allows editors to script the conclusions, real-life disclosures occur in real time; the outcomes are uncertain.

We wonder: What will this person think of me? Will they reject me? Try to hurt me? Wonder what "horrible" thing I did to deserve my fate? And after sharing my most intimate business, will I lose the relationship?

When and whether we decide to tell often depends on how we believe the person will react. If we think the person will be cool about our status, we're more likely to tell, or to tell sooner. If we think we'll be rejected or get some other negative reaction, we may either consider not telling or actually not tell at all. Our approach also hinges on how vulnerable we are willing to feel and how much we are willing to risk in the relationship. That said, I do not believe that it is ever acceptable to trick or harm anyone.

Recently a colleague shared findings from a small research study suggesting that people who tell others about their HIV status may not always experience as much stigma from their loved ones as they feel within themselves. This makes me wonder whether part of what we dread is having someone reinforce feelings we've already internalized about living with HIV/AIDS. I know that after two decades of absorbing messages that I am "not good enough" and/or just not "normal," I have internalized feelings of shame, guilt and helplessness. Is this part of what makes disclosure so difficult--that I dread learning that other people will think the same negative things about me that I sometimes secretly think about myself?

I came of age as a person with HIV/AIDS in an era where I was indoctrinated that it was my responsibility to disclose early and often, whether or not it was my intention ever to have sex with the person I was telling. Intellectually I understand this approach, but emotionally it puts me in a straitjacket. What if I don't want to disclose to you? What if I want to become friends first? And if I'm not interested in sleeping with you, why do I have to tell you my personal business?

I had--and still have--nothing to lose and everything to gain by disclosing my HIV status; I am willing to risk much to regain my personhood and shed my lingering sense of internalized oppression. But I have to admit that had I gotten infected today, I might have approached my life much differently. An HIV diagnosis is no longer the end of the world. Many people now know that if you are diagnosed early and do what the doctor tells you, you can live a pretty normal life--and life span. You do have to learn how to protect yourself and your partners, but maybe you don't have to tell everything to everybody.

Given this new reality, I am reconsidering my options. I want the choice of
telling my friends and colleagues--or not; maybe it's none of your business. And
for once, it would be nice if my prospective partners took responsibility for
their own health and asked me if I had HIV so that I wouldn't have to carry the
burden of telling them first.

Unlike what we see on reality television, life cannot be edited or played back to change the result or make us into someone we are not. People living with HIV/AIDS should have the option of deciding when and where we will reveal our HIV status. We should never do it because we're following some rigid rule from a bygone era. But when and under what circumstances should it happen? The answer isn't always clear. Check back on the fourth Tuesday of each month as I share my thoughts about the etiquette of when and why we should tell.


Vanessa Johnson, J.D., who has volunteered and worked in the HIV/AIDS field for approximately 14 years, is executive vice president of the National Association of People With AIDS (NAPWA).

CVS PETITION to UNLOCK CONDOMS in CONCENTRATED MINORITY AREAS

I received this in a personal email and think it's important to share, not only because I do know some people who have been affected by HIV/AIDS but because this has been an important issue for me from my days of having a candy dish/plate full of condoms in my room for my friends and family alike to take--no questions asked--to attending college and passing out Condoms on campus. Listen, Minorities will always be in a loosing battle if we are not equipped or willing to take care of ourselves and our families.

You can show you care by reading this blog, passing the info on to family, friends and colleagues. signing the petition, http://www.amplifyyourvoice.org/curecvs

CVS is one of the nation's largest pharmacy and drugstore chains. With more than 6,000 stores across the country, they are a major provider of condoms to people of all ages. However, a recent study showed that CVS stores in low-income and minority neighborhoods tend to lock up condoms. Often times these stores are in communities where the rates of HIV infection are the highest.

Advocates for Youth, in partnership with the Cure CVS Campaign, is working with college organizations to push CVS to adopt a policy that would prohibit stores from locking condoms behind glass. CVS's largest competitor, Walgreen's, already has a policy in place forbidding locked condom cases. It's time that CVS does the same!

Report taken from Amplify.org:

a report released by Change to Win highlights the fact that in many low-income and minority neighborhoods CVS stores display condoms only in locked cabinets. Those who want condoms must find a store employee and wait for them to unlock the cabinet – which might make some people turn right around and not buy the condom at all. The study looked at stores in Detroit, Los Angeles, Houston, Philadelphia, New York City and Miami between September 2007 and January 2008. In some cities, the percentage of CVS stores with locked condoms was more than three times higher in communities of color than in areas that are predominately white.The cities listed also have some of the highest numbers of AIDS cases in the country.

CVS says they lock up condoms “based on whether shoplifting is to such a degree that they’re becoming unavailable for customers to purchase.” However, competitors Rite Aid and Walgreen's both have policies against locking up condoms.

Don’t let CVS create barriers for young people who want to act responsibly and protect themselves. Join Advocates for Youth and Change to Win in demanding that CVS adopt a corporate policy against locking up condoms!

Want to help make a difference Like I just did , sign the petition:

http://www.amplifyyourvoice.org/curecvs

learn about Advocates for Youth, Click Here! http://www.advocatesforyouth.org/

Homeless Minorities at greater risk for Sexual Violence among other things According to U of Washington Study

"People tend to think homeless are a homogeneous group. We are trying to show this isn't true," said co-author Ana Marie Cauce, a UW psychology professor.

"A lot of people believe homeless adolescents are on the street by their own choice. That usually isn't the case," said Bryan Cochran, lead author of the study and a UW doctoral student in psychology.

When you see these quotes above:
Does it motivate you to find out more?
Do you think all homeless females are prostitutes by choice?
Do you believe that your friend(s)may have been homeless at one point in their life?
Do you want to help debunk the myth that only Young White Heterosexual, Older African -American Males are the ones who live on the street?

Homelessness hits all of us in various ways and no one is hit harder then the parent of a child on the street.

“Homeless youths who are gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender have a perilous existence on the street. Compared to heterosexual homeless youth, they experience more physical and sexual violence, use more drugs and abuse them more frequently, have more sexual partners and have higher rates of mental illness”, according to a new University of Washington study.


*The study that was done by the University was multi-ethnic,of which Fifty-five percent were male and out of that an overwhelming majority, 71 of 84, identified themselves as bisexual.


I myself haven’t been homeless,but I had the pleasure as a youth to work on behalf of Homeless Adults. I also had a few friends growing up,just like many others out reading this who didn't think that it would be that bad to live alone, be free, have fun, chill with friends, not have to work, come and go as you please, be a free spirit and etc.. Not one of us knew the implications or the problems this new found freedom and glory would have in our lives. and like so many youth out there right now, we also had underlying reasons for walking or running away or may have felt at the time, in that very moment had no choice or recourse.


As I type this, I am still looking for and holding out for Jenny(my free spirit)who at the age of 17 decided to be a drifter. The last I heard of her was a year later, she was said to be teaching youth to rally,sounds just like Jenny! Man, I hope she made it and for those reading who may be in fact wondering, the answer is YES, she was a Libra. The last thing we did together was talk which lead to laughter, then dancing in a circle spinning 'til we fell down. She then told me she was into women,thinking of eating only cheese(as a protest) proceeded to kiss me then said,always remember to make ME happy and just F__ the world!

Well, to all my "Jenny's" may you be safe on your journey home & you will be happy to know I finally learned how to make me happy.

Hopefully by continuing to read this blog among other sources, you increase your awareness and sympathy to the fight we have ahead of us to make everyone save.

The study showed sexual minorities had nearly twice as many sexual partners in their lives than did heterosexual homeless youth, 24 vs. 13. Both groups reported having unprotected sex about half the time. However, Cochran said, the important factor is who street youth are having sex with and sexual minorities may be more likely to be having sex with partners who have HIV or other sexually transmitted diseases.

I think that it is important that we not only be aware of but address the different issues that may come when dealing with someone who was or currently is homeless. You never can know who come to your doorstep, clinic or group so for that alone we should learn not to be so technical, mechanical when it come to playing a supportive role, or assuming that everyone is a “clinical case”. We should follow the rule of thumb like we do when it comes to sexual violence,which is that no two Victims of a sexual crime or abuse will be alike, that is especially true of women and men who have been or continue to live on the street.

The study gave insight on what is a staggering scaling problem for each city.

Click the link for full article

http://uwnews.washington.edu/ni/article.asp?articleID=2400


if you are a runaway or know one who is call 1-800-RUN-AWAY(786-2929)

if you would like help or info check out these resources http://www.rachelmiller.info/linkso-africanamerican.htm