The Disease that Infests The District Essay

The topic of queer community has always been a complicated and delicate subject to many conservatives in the state of Texas. In fact, a news article from 2009 discusses how a homosexual teacher in the outskirts of Dallas was ridiculed for assigning an essay to his students about the acceptance of all people, including Homosexuals (PR Newswire Association LLC). Ridiculous accusations started surfacing about the teacher such as him sodomizing one of his students, or he was having an affair with a well-known lawyer. Ivan brings in a quote from the woman she interviews about gay bashing in Midland Texas. The woman states that “there’s not a gay in Midland who would come out of the closet for fear people would think they’re a Democrat” (Ivan 784). People in Texas don’t want others to wrongfully stereotype them into something they are

Did you know “AIDS is the leading cause of death in Africa” (Quinn, online). Twenty percent of Africa’s population has died from AIDS. Poverty is a big problem in Africa. Men have been forced to become migrant workers in urban areas. And antiretroviral treatment at this time is not available to African people. AIDS is a big problem in Africa today that is now requiring help from the world.

( Washington Post 8/30/2016, Print), he states that a Maryland is trying to pass a new policy, that ensures that foster parents know how to care for LGBT youth. In the foster care system the houses are split for the children by gender. With some of the children who have changed their sexual orientation, it makes it hard for them to go to a gender split homes. Some children get placed in a home where the parents are entirely against homosexuality and the LGBT community as a whole. This causes the children not to be able to open up or feel comfortable with themselves being with the family they were put with . The motive of the new policy

Twenty states in the U.S currently have laws prohibiting the discrimination based on sexual orientation in public, as well as private jobs. These states include Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Main, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington Wisconsin and California. As found by California lawyers, the number of cases filed with the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing, or DFEH, pertaining to employment discrimination based on sexual orientation has “increased from 636 in 2001, to 714 in 2005 and to 821 in 2008. In 2011, the number of sexual orientation employment discrimination cases filed with DFEH spiked to 1,104.” This drastic increase may be attributed to the advocacy of equality in marriage laws in California and in other

According to a report published in the February 1998 edition of “Nature”, scientists identified what they believe is the earliest case of AIDs in a man from the Congo in 1959. (Lerner and Hombs 39) By the end of the year 1980, 80 men would have been diagnosed with at least of the opportunistic infections that are a characteristic of AIDs. (Lerner and Hombs 40) AIDs cases in the 1980s increased dramatically not only around the world but in the United States, primarily in larger cities like Los Angeles, New York City and San Francisco. The numbers of AIDs diagnoses and deaths spiraled out of control throughout the 1980s and towards the end of 1989 there were 117,500 cases of AIDS reported and 89,000 related deaths.(Lerner and Hombs 54) In the

In the 1980s, a mysterious disease began to take the lives of Americans. With the cause unknown, a fear grew among Americans. An unusually high rate of people was becoming sick with strange and rare diseases. When experimental treatments failed to work, people died. This mysterious disease is what we now know as HIV–Human Immunodeficiency Virus. In the past thirty-five years, the HIV has taken many turns in history. Although we do not hear about HIV and AIDS now, it is still a prevalent issue in the United States and in the world.

First, we need to raise awareness of the prevalence of HIV in Baton Rouge by posting flyers saying how the capital has one of the highest prevalence of HIV in the country and that HIV is no longer a death sentence with modern medicine available. Also, list a plethora of clinics and free HIV testing centers on the flyers if people are interested in getting tested. We also need to create efficient and committed HIV advocacy organizations and advertise them around Baton Rouge for those with HIV who are seeking help. Even so, a study in Canada constructed a trial run consisting of using HIV-positive peer counselors administering seven 2-hour counseling sessions to small groups of gay and bisexual men. The goal of these sessions was to help reduce the prevalence of HIV transmission and high-risk sexual behaviors through implementing motivational interviewing, behavioral skills, and information about HIV (Hart et al. 1). When the trial run was finished, there were some impressive results. No doubt, there was a significant reduction in a number of men participating in sex without a condom with all status partners by 30 percent. Also, there was a significant reduction in loneliness, sexual compulsivity, and fear of being sexually rejected for insisting on condom use, by which these factors heavily contribute to sexually high-risk behaviors (Hart et al. 11).

HIV continues to be a global epidemic but the District of Columbia has seen its own epidemic with some of the highest rates of infection in the U.S. HIV/AIDS is a top health problem for health officials in the District of Columbia as many parts of the area face poverty, violence, and limited resources. This paper will introduce the HIV virus by discussing its brief history, the stages, and the current medication available. The District of Columbia will be the center of discussion as the reasons for the high rates; barriers to prevention, and prevention programs are discussed for this specific area and its population. The current prevention program and the measures of effectiveness will conclude this paper.

Out of all the states in America, everyone knows that Texas is the most LGBTQ friendly state. The first sentence is of course a joke and Texas is one of the worst states to live in if you are LGBTQ or different at all. If you do not live in Austin, then most likely there are largely homophobic or transphobic laws that target the LGBTQ community. As a very gay person, I have seen firsthand how homophobia in Texas is not only present, but how it affects people. Laws that allow businesses to discriminate against LGBTQ people are prevalent within Texas, such “bathroom bills” and “right to fire” laws. There are also laws that make it easier for discrimination to occur and to go unpunished, as well as numerous practices in Texas that make it

Washington, DC ha among the highest rates of HIV/AIDS in the United States. By the end of 2007, more than 15,000 people were living with HIV (PLWH) and AIDS in D.C., representing roughly 3 percent of the adult resident- a prevalence rate similar to Nigeria and the Congo in Africa. A number of factors have contributed to the severity of the epidemic. There is a high proportion of residents in populations at increased risk for HIV infection, especially men who have sex with men (MSM).

We look forward to continuing to build crucial partnership in cities all across our state in order that we achieve full equality for all. Sincerely, Rob Hill HRC Mississippi, State Director rob.hill@hrc.org | 601-613-0111 WHY CITIES SHOULD INVEST IN EQUALITY Beyond the important issues of fairness and equality lies an additional reason for cities to take matters of equality seriously: it is good business. Cities are in constant competition for residents, business, and employees, and inclusiveness is an important factor that attracts all three. A growing body of research has shown that cities that have vibrant LGBTQ communities have higher levels of income, life satisfaction, housing values, and emotional attachment to their community as well as higher concentrations of high-tech business. Additionally, college-educated people’s migration is strongly correlated with a city’s concentration of gay and lesbian people, more so than city size, city wealth and even the weather. Richard Florida’s fascinating work on this subject reveals a link between a city’s inclusivity and its ability to attract top talent and innovative business. The Fortune 500 has long recognized that top talent is attracted to inclusiveness. In fact, the private sector has been using fair workplaces as a tool to

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, LGBT people need culturally competent medical care and prevention services (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 2014). After viewing the video “Old Age is No Place for Sissies” I evaluated how I would care for this population as a nurse. Providing culturally competent care to this population is vital. A person should not avoid receiving preventive care and care for life threatening conditions due to a fear of discrimination, violence or stigma (Levitt, 2015).

Sexual orientation and gender identity are two things that members of the LGBTQ community often fear opening up about. They fear that they will be rejected or harmed because of who they are, and it is important that we make all aspects of our society a safe place for every human being, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity. As School-based risk and protective factors for gender diverse and sexual minority children and youth: Improving school climate explained, “64% of students feel unsafe at school because of sexual orientation prejudice, and 44% feel unsafe at school because of gender expression” (American Psychological Association). Therefore, schools in America should be making a conscious effort to make their buildings a safe, comfortable place for members of the LGBTQ community. Schools can do several things to promote the

Surprisingly one of, if not the, safest and some of the most prosperous neighborhoods one can live in are gayborhoods. A gayborhood is defined as an area of a city with a concentration of businesses that cater to a largely homosexual client base (Eyre 2007). In other words, gayborhoods are where gays, lesbians, bisexuals, and/or transgender peoples live. Research has shown that these communities have keen economic and sociological effects on urban areas brought on by large gentrification from homosexuals. Gay mecca's continue to flourish every year and are providing substantial benefits to the cities in which they reside in. Furthermore, gayborhoods has a wide range of ethnic, racial and socioeconomic groups. Researches believe that

Healthcare providers tend to focus on the person’s gender identity and not the actual physical or mental health conditions they are suffering from. In order to promote change, “biases against gender identity differences must be addressed to ensure access to quality health care and related services, eliminate health disparities, and increase quality of life and years of healthy life for all Americans” (Duke University Health System, 2015). Stonewall Columbus is currently the predominate leader of LGBT resources in Ohio. Regrettably, while they have many resources such as AID/HIV testing, local meet up groups, and volunteer opportunities they also lack greatly in LGBT healthcare