Press Release:: LGBT Healthcare Bill of Rights Launched

LGBT Healthcare Bill of Rights Launched

When PROMO started to contact local hospitals as part of a LGBT health policy project, they learned firsthand how large the gap between protections and knowledge was. According to PROMO’s Andrew Shaughnessy, “The Joint Commission now prohibits hospitals from discriminating against LGBT people, but when we contacted hospitals almost no one knew this was the case. We’re happy to report that many of our hospitals have now adopted nondiscrimination policies, but this just emphasized how important it is for LGBT people to be educated about our rights.”

The release was timed to coincide with the beginning of open enrollment in insurance exchanges. “Too many of us don’t realize these insurance exchanges can’t discriminate against us for being LGBT,” Prachniak pointed out. “This is the type of information we need to be shouting from the mountaintops.”

Over fifty national and regional organizations have signed on as partners for the HBOR. “LGBT community centers, equality organizations and national LGBT leaders have all signed on; it just shows how important health equality is to all of us,” added Prachniak.

LGBT HealthLink’s Dr. Scout expressed hope that the new Healthcare Bill of Rights will have a long-term effect. “We know LGBT people suffer from stigma related health issues like smoking or mental health problems. We know we see doctors less, which means we also don’t get well-person care like cancer screenings. The first step in breaking this chain is getting LGBT people in regular healthcare; we hope this tool will help many of us take that step.”

To learn more and to download the bill, visit HealthcareBillOfRights.org. Organizations interested in becoming partners and receiving a copy of the bill with their own branding should visit the Our Partners page or contact HealthLink@lgbtcenters.org.

Current Partners (list in formation)

AccessMatters (Philadelphia, PA)

Affirmations (Detroit, MI)

C.L.A.S.H. (San Francisco, CA)

Campus Pride

Center for Black Equity, The

Center on Halsted (Chicago, IL)

Community Center, The (Boise, ID)

DC Center for the LGBT Community, The

Equality Federation

Equality Florida

Equality North Carolina

Equality Ohio

Fair Wisconsin

Fierce Pride (NM)

Gay Community Center of Richmond

Gender Expansion Project

Gender Rights Maryland

Georgia Equality

GLAAD

GLMA

Health Initiative, The (Atlanta, GA)

Kalamazoo Gay and Lesbian Resource Center

Lambda Legal

Los Angeles LGBT Center

Marriage Equality USA

Memphis Gay and Lesbian Community Center

Montrose Center, The (Houston, TX)

National Center for Lesbian Rights

National Center for Transgender Equality, The

National LGBT Cancer Network, The

National LGBTQ Task Force

National Youth Pride Services

Newark LGBTQ Center

One Colorado

one*n*ten (Phoenix, AZ)

Organization for Transgender Health Empowerment Resources

Out, Proud and Healthy In Missouri

Out2Enroll

Perceptions Saginaw Valley (MI)

PFLAG

Phoenix Pride LGBT Center

Q Center (Portland, OR)

Resource Center (Dallas, TX)

Safe Schools Alliance

SAGE

Tennessee Transgender Political Coalition

The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Community Center (NY)

Trans People of Color Coalition

Transgender Law Center

Triangle Community Center (CT)

William Way LGBT Community Center (PA)

Utah Pride

# # #

LGBT HealthLink, a program of CenterLink, links people in order to spread LGBT wellness best practices across state and federal health departments and  community organizations. We are one of eight CDC-funded tobacco and cancer disparity networks. www.lgbthealthlink.org

PROMO is Missouri’s statewide organization advocating for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender equality through legislative action, electoral politics, grassroots organizing, and community education. www.promoonline.org

CenterLink – was founded in 1994 as a member-based coalition to support the development of strong, sustainable LGBT community centers. A fundamental goal of CenterLink’s work is to help build the capacity of these centers to address the social, cultural, health and political advocacy needs of LGBT community members across the country. Now in its 20th year, CenterLink continues to play an important role in addressing the challenges centers face by helping them to improve their organizational and service delivery capacity, access public resources and engage their regional communities in the grassroots social justice movement.

www.lgbtcenters.org