In some ways, the LGBTQ+ community has never been healthier. After losing almost an entire generation to the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the 1980s and ’90s, medical advancements in HIV treatment and prevention, Pre- and Post-exposure Prophylaxis (PreP and PeP), have transformed what used to be a death sentence into a manageable chronic disease, allowing more than one million PrEP users in the US to reclaim their sexual freedom while avoiding the disease altogether. People living with HIV have also been empowered in a new way by knowing that Undetectable equals Untransmissible.
Not only that, the medical community’s evolving understanding of sex and gender has made it possible for more transgender and gender-nonconforming people to access treatments to help their bodies match their gender identity. And expanded access to insurance, especially in places where advocates have lobbied for the expansion of Medicaid, puts good healthcare within reach of more LGBTQ+ people.
We are on track to be healthy. But are we happy?
After a string of judicial and legislative victories in favor of LGBTQ+ equality—marriage equality; the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell;” conversion therapy bans—we now repeatedly find ourselves on the back foot, defending against vicious attacks on our rights, especially against the most vulnerable among us: transgender youth and people of color. The number of anti-LGBTQ bills proposed in state legislatures has continued to rise year after year, and despite the fact that the overwhelming majority of Americans (84 percent) support equal rights for the LGBTQ+ community, that percentage has recently dipped slightly for the first time in a decade, according to a report from GLAAD.
Factor in the epidemic of loneliness that has affected people of all identities, but especially the LGBTQ+ community in the wake of COVID-19, and an alarming picture begins to take shape for our wellbeing. While we continue to make important strides in addressing our physical health, we may be facing a mental health crisis.
It’s why we at the Leonard- Litz LGBTQ+ Foundation have made Health and Wellness one of the core priorities of our grant program. Not only is it important for us to provide resources to organizations that help the LGBTQ+ community gain access to targeted social services, but we want to help make sure our community is treated with dignity and respect in all healthcare settings.
Further, we know that for all the reasons above and more, members of the LGBTQ+ community are disproportionately at risk to struggle with mental health. A lifetime of ingrained discrimination and prejudice tends to have that effect. One of our goals at the Leonard- Litz Foundation is to support cost-effective intervention programs that can deliver long-term positive outcomes for participants, enabling them to lead the fulfilling lives they were meant to lead.
We have also partnered with our friends at Circle Care Center, another institution that’s near and dear to my heart, to support a growing coalition celebrating Pride in small towns and communities throughout Connecticut and New York. Yes, Pride is about having a good time with our community and our allies. But it is also an opportunity to connect LGBTQ+ people with affirming services that can help improve their lives. Many of us have spent too much of our lives trying to learn how to love ourselves fully. At its core, Pride is a celebration of joy and acceptance, a radical expression of love for ourselves and each other.
Circle Care Center was Connecticut’s first public health center specializing in LGBTQ+ affirming care and sexual health. In addition to high-quality, sensitive, and comprehensive primary care for all patients, our providers specialize in working with people living with HIV and responding to the unique health needs of members of the LGBTQ+ community.
But we know that being healthy far goes beyond the physical.
Our partnership with the Leonard- Litz LGBTQ+ Foundation allows us to think of health in a holistic way that celebrates both mind and body. We are living longer and more fulfilling lives than ever before. Let’s make sure we enjoy them, too.
To your health!
—Anthony Crisci
Anthony Crisci is a Trustee of the Leonard-Litz LGBTQ+ Foundation, and the CEO of Circle Care Center.
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