LGBTQ+ Empowerment

A Mediaplanet Guide to Pride Month & the Fight for Equality

LGBTQ+ Empowerment

Frankie Grande Learn why the social media superstar decided to treat his content platforms like an “art gallery”

Read the op-ed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ senior HIV advisor on the effort to end the epidemic Find one GLSEN manager’s mustread call-to-action to save the lives of trans and nonbinary youth

JUNE 2021 | MODERNWELLNESSGUIDE.COM AND FUTUREOFPERSONALHEALTH.COM

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The Importance of Supporting Trans & Nonbinary People This Pride Month LGBTQ+ communities have made huge gains in the fight for equal rights in the past decades, but the rights of trans and nonbinary people are still under direct attack.

June 2021 is our second Pride month during the COVID-19 pandemic — but that doesn’t mean we cannot find ways to come together as a community or that our community does not need us. We are needed more now than ever before.

Many of us took to the streets last summer and fall in support of Black lives and to demand a transformation to policing and an end to white supremacy. This year, we have continued to see hateful violence targeting people of color, especially Black and Asian communities and LGBTQ+ people, particularly transgender and nonbinary individuals.

We must remain united against hate and continue to rise up and be proud of who we are. Already this year we have seen progress for LGBTQ+ equality, from the senate confirmations of LGBTQ+ trail@MEDIAPLANETUSA

blazers to the reversal of the ban on trans people in the military. However, we have also fought renewed assaults on the bedrock right of our democracy for our right to vote, — and a record number of bills targeting transgender people.

Fueled by hateful attacks and stigma, the epidemic of violence against trans and gender non-conforming people @MPMODERNWELLNESSGUIDE @FUTUREOFPERSONALHEALTH

Alphonso David President, Human Rights Campaign is only accelerating. In 2020, the Human Rights Campaign recorded 44 deaths of transgender and gender non-conform-

ing people — more than in any year since we began tracking this violence. And we continue to see a high level of violence in 2021.

Research also shows that those who live at the intersections of multiple marginalized identities are more critically impacted. Seventy-eight percent of victims have been transgender women of color,

with Black transgender women representing 66 percent of all known victims.

Stopping the violence and the stigmatization will require action from all of us, individually and collectively. We must lift up the stories of trans joy, resilience, and empowerment that are all around us, and we must make space as trans allies for the intentional inclusion of trans and non-binary voices. Transgender people simply want to live their lives every day as who they are, like anyone else. We all must have the freedom to do so, because until all of us are free, none of us are free.

This Pride month, we know that the challenges that face our communities are grave, but we also know that it is not the challenges that define us. It is our joy, our hope, our strength, and our determination. And it is these qualities that sustain us on our shared journey towards liberation. Today and every day, we will fight for a world where all LGBTQ+ people are empowered to live our lives as our full selves, free from discrimination. n

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Publisher Danielle Elbert, Nellie Dubin Business Developer Gretchen Pancak Managing Director Luciana Olson Lead Designer Tiffany Pryor Designer Kayla Mendez Lead Editor Mina Fanous Copy Editor Kathleen Walsh Partnership and Distribution Manager Jordan Hernandez Director of Product Faye Godfrey Cover Photo Todd Danforth All photos are credited to Getty Images unless otherwise specified. This section was created by Mediaplanet and did not involve USA Today.

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Why Pride Allyship Should Begin Internally GEICO is known for helping people get peace of mind with affordable insurance for their homes and cars, and for many other things they hold dear. What you may not know is that GEICO is also a leader in fostering inclusiveness for its employees and customers.

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EICO has long worked both to prevent discrimination, and to embrace people of all genders, sexual orientations, races, and ethnicities. That commitment extends beyond just creating better workplaces — GEICO is actively working to build more inclusive communities as well.

Through initiatives and partnerships, GEICO strives to create a workplace where everyone is welcomed and can be themselves.

“GEICO really prioritizes inclusion,” said Kevin Schweitzer, analytics manager for GEICO’s Community Engagement and Diversity and Inclusion department.

“That starts with education of our management teams to ensure they’re fostering those inclusive workplaces.”

“For a lot of people, the workplace might be the only place they feel safe to be out,” said Jessie Thatcher, a New England-based auto damage manager for GEICO. For Thatcher — who is also the location chair for GEICO’s Pride employee resource group (ERG) in Buffalo, New York — joining a welcoming and inclusive company straight out of college was exactly what she needed.

“I’ve been out at work from

PHOTO: JESSIE THATCHER (LEFT); KEVIN SCHWEITZER (RIGHT)

day 1, and my mentors, my peers, my employees even, nobody has ever been anything but supportive,” Thatcher said.

A winning formula For those looking to increase the diversity and inclusivity of their organization, Schweitzer and Thatcher said it starts with having leaders that are committed to change. Those leaders must then put that passion into educational programming and training that gives employees at all levels (especially supervisors and lower-level management) the cultural competency and

tools to deal with difficult situations. Internally, GEICO has set up LGBTQIA+ allyship education courses and initiatives for all levels of employees, including campaigns about pronouns.

“Supervisors and managers will likely be the first ones to hear about any concerns that the associates have,” Thatcher said. “We want to make sure they have the tools to address those concerns as they come up.”

It’s also critical to ensure employees have a way for their voices to be heard by leadership, and to create community set-

tings where people in different groups can come together and share their experiences, successes, and frustrations.

GEICO has had success creating inclusive communities through its ERGs, which ensure employees from many backgrounds can find others going through similar journeys. They have also sponsored over 20 Pride parades and have developed partnerships with organizations like Casa Ruby, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit that provides social services and programs aimed at helping

transgender and gender-nonconforming people succeed.

“With the ERGs, we really try to make sure LGBTQIA+ associates have a space where they can be their most authentic selves,” said Schweitzer, who is the national co-chair of GEICO’s Pride ERG. “Even if it’s just a group Webex chat of members within their region, it’s a place where they can go and just talk to like-minded people. It really gives people an outlet they might not have in their personal lives.”

Change can be difficult, but when it comes to creating more inclusive organizations and communities, change is necessary.

“It’s going to take a lot of work and a lot of hard conversations,” Schweitzer said, “but they’re important conversations, and you need to make sure your company is bought into these ideals at the highest level.”

Fortunately, GEICO has been committed to doing the hard work. n Dustin Brennan

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Star of Bravo’s “Million Dollar Listing: LA” and Beverly Hills luxury real estate agent talks supporting LGTBQ+ people in the real estate industry and how trusting your instincts can help you make it big in any industry.

Why is it important to have representation in the real estate industry?

What isthe importance of relationships between a realtor and their clients?

It is important to have representation in the real estate industry for the same reason it is in all other industries: Representing real people and real stories. No two journeys are alike and it’s important that we continue to demonstrate that the world is filled with diversity which is something to be celebrated and proud of.

A client needs to trust their

A Q+A With Bravolebrity & Real Estate Virtuoso Josh Flagg realtor and vice versa. Buying or selling a home can be an extremely emotional, challenging, and difficult task.

You want to surround yourself with the right people during a pivotal time in your life such as this.

What are some struggles you have faced as an LGBTQ+ realtor? What are some issues that LGBTQ+ future homeowners face?

I have had my fair share of challenges within real estate.

Not everyone is understanding or accepting, and that’s something I have had to deal with a lot during my life. People can judge you or turn you away. What’s important is to focus on the positive and to not get too wrapped up in that

negativity. As a homeowner, why would you even want to live in the home of or work with somebody who doesn’t fully accept or celebrate you?

This is an important message to apply in all walks of life.

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The Company Making Homebuying More Equitable Owning your own home has long been considered the American dream, but decades of bad housing policies, redlining, and other forms of discrimination have made homeownership an inequitable process.

For people living in underserved communities, there tend to be few (if any) options to turn to when seeking a

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home loan, and so they’ll often go with whatever lender is the most convenient. In the past, that’s led to bad loan rates and predatory lending practices.

“You often are stuck with the only lenders you can find, and they can be bad actors,” said Jason van den Brand, Reali’s chief lending officer. “How do you get to a point where everyone gets a fair shake?”

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Reali.com is making real estate more equitable by offering digital tools that help throughout the entire journey of homeownership — from buying to refinancing to selling and more.

“Those are our core services, and we have combined all those disciplines under one roof,” van den Brand said.

“And ultimately, that helps provide a seamless process that addresses all the common pain points across all of those different businesses.”

Effective lending You can also get a quote for a home loan in just a few simple steps, making it easy to shop and compare interest

rates, and ensure you’re getting the best loan available.

“We want to empower our borrowers to understand their options,” van den Brand said.

“That information — it’s the power you need to make an informed decision, and it’s all right at your fingertips; it’s all on your phone.”

And because Reali is built on efficiency, the quote you get will usually come with a lower interest rate than whatever else is on the market. By working with Reali for real estate and loans, van den Brand said customers have the potential to save, on average, tens of thousands of dollars over the lifetime of their loan.

“When you do this online, you’re judged only by the quality of your application, not the color of your skin, not by your race, or your age, or your sexual preference, or gender identity,” he said. “That’s the real American dream.” n Dustin Brennan

See how Reali’s online tools are reducing discrimination in home finance by visiting reali.com/get-a-loan

How would the Equality Act being passed help this industry?

The Equality Act being passed will help this industry because it is something tangible that we can reference and look back on. I think all industries benefit from these acts being passed, not just real estate. We continue to see progress as a society and it gives us something to celebrate.

“ People can judge you or turn you away.

What’s important is to focus on the positive and to not get too wrapped up in that negativity.”

What tips do you have for first time homebuyers?

PHOTO: JANA WILLIAMS

Find an agent that you can trust, not every house is going to be perfect, have patience, and trust the process!

Why is finding the right mortgage company important when buying a house?

Finding the right mortgage

company is important because it is a crucial part of your journey. You are going to want to feel comfortable throughout the entire process and feel confident that you are being taken care of.

What helped you succeed?

What would you like to say to future LGBTQ+ home buyers and realtors?

Keeping myself motivated and constantly pushing myself really helped me succeed. I was also able to navigate the industry from a very young age, with the support of my close friends and family. I would tell future home buyers and realtors to apply your everyday outlook into this industry. Whether you’re finding a house for you or for someone else, stay true to yourself, trust your instincts, and do what makes you happy. n

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Expert Insurance Tips for LGBTQ+ Families When it comes to insurance and financial security, some studies suggest LGBTQ+ households may be under-insured.

According to industry estimates, only 42 percent of LGBTQ+ adults have life insurance. Changing laws and trends toward expanding rights for LGBTQ+ families are encouraging, but there is still a need to make sure the surviving partners, loved ones, and children of prospective life insurance policyholders are protected in the event of their death.

Wills can be contested and wishes ignored. However, a life insurance policy secures financial protections for a policyholder’s chosen beneficiaries which cannot be taken away.

Most life insurance policies use similar application questions, which may require a medical examination to get a complete understanding of your health and family history as well as lifestyle choices, such as smoking or hobbies. Skydiving and hang-gliding can be exhilarating, but they carry risks a life insurer assesses when pricing a new policy.

Being nonbinary or transgender in no way disqualifies a prospective policyholder from getting life insurance.

Regardless of an applicant’s gender identity, every insurer assesses its applicants’ risk a bit differently. Just remember insurance is regulated at the state level and every state has different rules around gender identity.

When shopping for insurance, you should always ask a lot questions and get several quotes for premiums. The industry is highly competitive, so ask your friends about their experiences with various agents and companies.

You may choose to use a gay insurance agent or find an insurance company that advertises as gay-friendly who may have a better understanding of your specific needs. Then decide what’s right for you.

Just like the LGBTQ+ community, there is a lot of diversity in insurance.

Scott Holeman, Director of Media Relations, Insurance Information Institute

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The Fight Against LGTBQ+ Housing Discrimination Faces an Uphill Battle in Congress

More than half of states do not have any local laws that prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity.

Over the past decade, there have been numerous studies documenting discrimination against LGBTQ+ Americans attempting to secure homeownership or rental housing. Today, it is not uncommon for LGBTQ+ homebuyers to face real estate professionals who do not wish to represent them and sellers who will refuse to consider them for a purchase transaction. These homebuyers have also faced hostility from members of neighborhoods who do not want them moving in.

Today, 27 states do not have local laws that specifically prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. As a

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result, an LGBTQ+ individual within one of these states could be refused the opportunity to purchase a home or obtain a mortgage and have no legal recourse in the state courts.

On February 25, 2021, the House of Representatives passed the Equality Act, which would amend the 1964 Civil Rights Act and guarantee federal protection against discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, and it would cover areas including housing, employment, credit, education, and public accommodations.

The House passage came in a 224 to 206 vote, with all Democrats and three Republicans voting in its favor.

Passage in the senate is not guaranteed — at least 10 Republicans will need to show support to avoid a filibuster and enable it to come to the senate floor for a vote. As of this

writing, no senate Republican has spoken out in support of the Equality Act, although President Biden said he would sign the bill if it passed both chambers of Congress.

The Biden administration has been trying to mitigate this situation through executive orders and agency policy updates that use the 2020 U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Bostock v. Clayton County as a means of widening the anti-discrimination coverage to include LGBTQ+ Americans. While these actions are commendable, they offer no guarantee of permanence. After all, President Biden’s initial days in office were spent abrogating executive orders signed by his predecessor, and one can easily imagine a Biden successor with a different agenda erasing his executive orders.

Not only is it crucial to have solid laws that clearly prohibit discrimination, but it is vital to have LGBTQ+ representation in the real estate industry to ensure such behavior is not tolerated.

The residential real estate market was one of the relatively few sectors of the U.S. economy that was not dented by the economic tilt of the pandemic. And while there have been some challenges within the market, particularly a shortage of inventory in some areas, it has nonetheless offered a dynamic element to an environment struggling under unprecedented circumstances.

As participants in this strong and sturdy industry and as a continuous wave of Americans eager to have a property to call their own, LGBTQ+ Americans play an important role in housing. It is incumbent for both real estate agents and homebuyers to be cognizant of how federal law is evolving and to push back against effort that would deny basic civil rights to any individual, especially the right to housing. n

Jeff Berger, NAGLREP

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Frankie Grande On Letting Your Rainbow Flag Fly High The performer, reality star, and LGBTQ+ advocate explains his love-hate relationship with social media, and how he’s fighting homophobic bullying on all fronts.

Frankie Grande has a complicated relationship with social media. On the one hand, his viral YouTube videos and social media accounts are what first rocketed him to stardom, and they are where he creates and posts his artistic content. On the other hand, the internet is the first place he says he was ever bullied, and eventually became a dangerous addiction.

“I’m a creator and I’m an artist, but I’ve learned that now, I could be more like a painter and I create my artwork and then I hang it in the gallery and then I walk and I let the museum patrons go walk by and enjoy it without me standing next to my painting asking every single person what they think about it,” Grande said.

The vlogger, singer, actor, and former reality star described his relationship with social media as “intimate,” right from the very beginning. “I started posting two videos a week on YouTube, which eventually became viral and then became the reason why I had enough appeal to get onto Big Brother,” he explained. “And then when I got out of Big Brother, it was like full-on

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just social media, reality TV star, mega fame. And in those moments, that was when I started to experience bullying and hate for the first time in my life.”

Grande considers himself lucky to have never experienced

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bullying growing up, but it also meant that when he started getting online hate, he didn’t have the right tools to combat it. Grande says he also identifies as an addict, and the social media bullying became triggers for him in turning to drugs and

alcohol. “I basically had to, in my sobriety, understand, identify those triggers and learn tools on how to combat those triggers. And now I’m capable of having a healthy relationship with social media so I can enjoy it because I always loved it.”

One of the biggest reasons social media hate affected Grande so badly, he said, was that he had never been targeted for his LGTBQ+ identity before. “That’s probably one of the biggest reasons why I was incapable of handling it because I was so proud of my identity. And I had worked so hard to build a community of support so that I felt comfortable being my out proud, gay rainbow, loving, glitter-wearing self. And that was, that was the thing that people started bullying me for,” Grande said. “It was just for being who I am. And that was the thing that truly, truly did hurt me a lot.”

While it took a lot of therapy to unravel the trauma of that experience, Grande said, he also leaned on the support of a loving LGTBQ+ community. He encourages others to seek out in-person or online communities of support, like the Trevor Project or the L.A. LGBTQ+ Center where he volunteers.

“That’s why the community exists so that we can support each other and so that you can have a mentor or guide to show you what the ropes of coming out are. Also that’s the beauty of the internet, because there are people like me, like other LGBTQ influencers, who show the world unapologetically, we are beautiful the way we are, you should not be ashamed, and you should feel safe being yourself in the world.” n Lynne Daggett

5 Things to Know for Optimizing LGBTQ+ Healthcare If we want to improve healthcare outcomes for LGBTQ+ people, there are some things that everyone should learn first.

1. LGBTQ+ healthcare needs and concerns aren’t monolithic Just as straight people don’t all share the same health experiences, neither do LGBTQ+ individuals. The healthcare system needs to consider all the various and individual factors that make up health, wellness, and experience in ways that aren’t identity-defining or diagnosis-limiting.

For example, transgender people may face barriers to specific healthcare needs like hormone therapy that cisgender people do not. And HIV positive gay and bisexual men are more than the sum total of their viral loads. There are just as many specific health needs as there are LGBTQ+ people, which is about 10 million American adults according to recent surveys.

2. Y outh homelessness, substance use disorders, and suicide disproportionately affect LGBTQ+ individuals LGBTQ+ youth experience more homelessness with far greater risks to their health, such as substance use and suicidality, than their cisgender, heterosexual peers. Black and Hispanic youth in particular

towards normalizing LGBTQ+ people’s health needs. Achieving health equity is a synchronous endeavor that requires care for the whole person.

are overrepresented among unstably housed LGBTQ+ youth, with racial discrimination further compounding the effects of sexual orientation-based discrimination.

Stigma and lack of mental health provider training also serve as barriers to consistent, high-quality medical care and supportive services for this vulnerable population.

3. Ongoing medical education can help healthcare providers reach LGBTQ+ and other underserved populations

Despite great strides in LGBTQ+ visibility and rights over the last decade, healthcare access remains an arena where LGBTQ+ people continue to face biases and other barriers to health. Continuing medical education that trains providers about the specific healthcare needs of LGBTQ+ communities can improve the ways providers integrate culturally competent and accessible care. The same goes for the training of office staff. From the front desk to the billing department, the more that staff are trained about the specific needs of their patients,

the more welcoming and effective these access points become.

4. Social support and mental health are vital Mental and behavioral health matters as much as clinical and physical health, and LGBTQ+ individuals are more likely to experience bullying and discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression. LGBTQ+ community organizations, mental health services, and advocacy efforts that spearhead acceptance and affirmation go a long way

5. LGBTQ+ health outcomes align with public policy Historically, LGBTQ+ individuals have had few legal protections from discrimination when seeking healthcare.

The Equality Act, passed by the House of Representatives in February 2021, would uniformly apply an anti-discrimination law to services and programs receiving federal funding in all states. If signed into law, healthcare providers would be required to provide the same standard of care to all patients regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.

The Equality Act faces a challenge in a senate that is split by party lines, and it’s unclear whether it has the support to cross the President’s desk. If you want to get involved, contact your senator’s offices and let them know you support LGBTQ+ health. n

Brian Hujdich, Executive Director, National Coalition for LGBTQ+ Health

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PHOTO: KRZYSZTOF HEPNER

A Transitional Moment In the Fight to End HIV

We’ve never been closer to the end of the HIV epidemic in the United States and worldwide, but we must come together to work harder now than ever before.

As a Black, gay man who lived through the early days of the HIV epidemic in this country, Pride month is a time when I recognize the power and resilience of the LGBTQ+ community, and being a part of this community gives me great joy. It also reminds me of the hard work ahead of us, particularly as we move forward to finally end the HIV epidemic in the United States and work toward a world free of stigma and discrimination.

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Ending the HIV epidemic is achievable. Today, we have the tools we need to prevent HIV transmission and keep those with HIV healthy. For example, pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is more than 95 percent effective at preventing HIV among those at high risk of acquiring it. While PrEP uptake remains too low, cost need not be a barrier. Free PrEP is available through the Ready, Set, PrEP program to those without prescription drug coverage.

Research has proven the importance of effective treatment. People with HIV who take HIV medicine, and achieve and maintain an undetectable viral load, protect their health, and also have

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effectively no risk of sexually transmitting HIV to others. Now, we must work harder and smarter to deploy these and other tools to the greatest effect among those populations that are disproportionately impacted by the disease.

This is a transitional moment. The COVID-19 pandemic has proven that we can operate differently by implementing innovations, such as telehealth and HIV self-testing, to meet the needs of people with HIV and those who are at risk of contracting it.

As we celebrate Pride month, I encourage my fellow LGBTQ+ community members to check your HIV status and to encourage others to do the same.

You can find an HIV testing site or other HIV services near you using the HIV. gov services locator. The past year has been traumatic for many of us, so it’s also essential to access mental health resources that are available to help as well. Let’s move forward by making whole-person health a priority and celebrating the resilience and strength of our diverse community. n

Harold Phillips, Senior HIV Advisor & Chief Operating Officer, Office of Infectious and HIV/ AIDS Policy, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

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PrEP is a daily pill to prevent people without HIV from getting HIV. Ready, Set, PrEP provides free PrEP to people without prescription drug coverage who test negative for HIV and have a prescription from a healthcare provider.

Go to GetYourPrEP.com to see if you qualify for free PrEP.

Sharing My Story of Love and Loss With HIV

Like so many others, I lost loved ones to the HIV epidemic, but there’s a brighter future on the horizon.

My life changed on June 5, 1981, though I didn’t know it at the time. That was the day the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced an unusual disease found in five gay men in Los Angeles.

Then reports started coming in from other cities. Gay men around the country were getting sick and dying, including my own friends. My partner died of AIDS in 1985, and then I was diagnosed with HIV. We cried. We attended funeral after funeral. We were terrified. We faced a federal bureaucracy paralyzed by homophobia and stigma. And so, we mobilized. We taught safer sex practices, fought for the treatments we needed and deserve, advocated for funding and policies, and we created programs and agencies to help us.

We’ve also learned a lot in the 40 years of the HIV epidemic. We have found that taking a medicine, called pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), prevents someone from contracting HIV. And we’ve discovered that with treatment, HIV levels in a person’s body can get so low that a lab test can no longer detect the virus. Undetectable also means untransmittable. A person with an undetectable viral load cannot pass the virus along to anyone.

This undetectable status means a person living with HIV won’t develop AIDS, and they can live a long and healthy life.

There’s now ample data that shows syringe access programs prevent the spread of HIV and connect people with medical care.

These prevention and treatment strategies are the backbone of reaching the end of the HIV epidemic. They are the tools necessary to stop new infections, illness, and death. As the HIV epidemic enters its 5th decade, we need the political will to invest in them and ensure everyone has access to prevention, treatment and care. n Jesse Milan Jr., J.D., President and CEO, AIDS United

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HIV and AIDS diagnoses inspired Raif Derrazi to start getting in shape and helped him find a passion for competitive bodybuilding.

Now a professional bodybuilder, he shares his journey on social media to increase awareness of and destigmatize HIV/AIDS. When Raif Derrazi was diagnosed with HIV (and AIDS soon after) in 2012, he felt powerless.

“It was a devastating moment, I kind

of just fell apart in the doctor’s office,” said Derazzi.

To take some semblance of control back in his life, he decided he would start working out and really focus on weightlifting. He was noticed by a bodybuilder at the gym who recognized the dedication Derrazi was showing and offered to help him train as a bodybuilder.

“He was this big, ‘roided-up bodybuilder,” Derazzi said. “I looked at him and I was like, ‘Uh, honestly, I’m not really trying to look like you.’”

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Bodybuilder Raif Derrazi Opens up About His AIDS Journey

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The bodybuilder assuaged Derrazi’s concerns about what bodybuilding entailed by saying that it takes on many forms.

In October 2019, Derrazi competed in his first professional bodybuilding competition at Muscle Beach in Venice, California, and took third in his category.

“That was the best I thought I could have ever done,” Derazzi said. “The guys that took first and second are veteran bodybuilders — they’ve competed internationally. So, I was stoked.”

Discrimination is still common for Derrazi and other HIV-positive people, largely because of the 1980s AIDS epidemic when those with the disease were essentially cast out of society. As Derazzi explains, much has changed about the treatment and management of the condition over the past 40 years.

“I’m on a one-pill regimen once a day, and it has three different drugs in it,” Derazzi said. “The medicine has advanced so much that most people experience little to no symptoms.”

To help break down stigmas surrounding HIV/AIDS and offer support to others with the disease, Derazzi shares his journey and words of wisdom via his Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube accounts.

“I want people to know they’re not alone — there is an enormous community of people living and thriving with the same thing, but because of stigma, people are afraid to come forward and be visible about it,” he said. “That’s why I do all of the social media stuff, because there is that visibility there.” n Dustin Brennan

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How a Medical Peer Navigator Program Is Destigmatizing HIV and Advocating for Care

PHOTO: COURTESY OF CAN COMMUNITY HEALTH

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CAN Community Health’s medical peer navigator program connects people living with HIV with newly diagnosed patients, and the program has proved lifesaving for patients and peers alike.

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alerie Wojciechowicz was diagnosed with HIV in 1985. “My doctor told me I had no more than 18 months to live and to not have kids,” she said. “We’re talking about the mid-’80s, when we had no computers, no cell phones, no medications. It was horrible. People were just dying left and right. We didn’t know what to do.”

Wojciechowicz has worked in HIV/ AIDS advocacy for over 25 years and is currently a medical peer navigator with CAN Community Health, a nonprofit organization providing medical and counseling support to people liv-

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ing with HIV. The peer navigator program, which Wojciechowicz helped spearhead, connects newly diagnosed patients with people living with HIV. “Many peer programs are designed just for someone who is newly diagnosed or not taking their medication, but we decided early on that we were going to see everybody,” Wojciechowicz said.

Extending care Medical peer navigators guide their patients through doctor visits to managing medications, but it’s the emotional support that really makes a difference in a patient’s life. “The

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minute we disclose our status, there’s a different level of connection,” Wojciechowicz said, “especially when people are just diagnosed. That’s the greatest gift for us, to be able to work with them because we all know how that feels. We know that fear, that terror, and so working with someone who’s just finding out they have HIV is such a gift.”

CAN Community Health began in Florida, which in 2018 had the third highest rate of HIV infections in the United States, according to the CDC. CAN has since initiated peer navigator programs in Texas, New Jersey, Virginia, Arizona, and South Carolina,

and has been serving the needs of the Southeast United States for over 29 years, with now 36 locations nationwide.

Isaiah McCall, one of four peer navigators in Columbia, South Carolina, was diagnosed with HIV in 2009. “I started becoming an advocate for HIV and AIDS because one of my very close friends passed from HIV/AIDS,” McCall said. “Ever since then I’ve been an advocate for people going out and getting tested, practicing safe sex, and trying to reduce stigma.”

Even today, when HIV has become medically manageable, the stigma around the virus prevents many people from getting care. “They don’t want to tell anybody their status so they’re not taking their medicine,” McCall said. “The rate here in South Carolina keeps going higher and higher.”

Overcoming barriers In states like South Carolina, where the HIV infection rate is increasing — they have the ninth highest HIV rate in the country — there are other factors that exacerbate the situation.

“Housing is one of the major barriers,” McCall said. “If I don’t have a house to stay in, I’m not going to be focused on my medicine. The same barriers apply for unemployment. So many people think they have to disclose their HIV status to their employer. I tell them, no. That is a personal matter. The only person you need to tell your HIV status is your doctor or the person you’re having sex with.”

Working as a peer navigator, McCall has helped establish transportation for people living in rural areas to have access to inner-city medical care, connected with church groups to educate congregations about safe sex, and visited colleges to offer testing, counseling, and prevention options such as PrEP. “It’s my goal to break down all of these barriers to make sure patients are mentally and emotionally prepared for this journey,” McCall said.

Becoming a peer navigator gave McCall a sense of purpose and connection. “In my community, being an African American male, being LGBT, being a pastor, it’s something that needs to be done,” he said. “It’s not the same for a client to come in and talk to somebody that’s not living with HIV. At least with me they know we share a similar story, so it’s easier for them to open up to me and talk about things that they won’t talk about with their doctors.”

What makes the role so fulfilling is making the connections with patients, McCall said. One of his current patients is a young man McCall met when they were both working at McDonald’s years earlier. “Something told me to reach out to him,” McCall said. “He came by later that week and I got him enrolled in care. We got him on his medication. It really brightens up my day that I have an 18-year-old who went through so much. It’s little stuff like that when you know you’ve made a positive change in someone’s life.”

Disclosure and support Disclosing one’s status can be one of the biggest hurdles for newly diagnosed patients, particularly in areas where the stigma surrounding HIV is still prevalent. “We can’t get people to attend our support groups, even virtually — they can do it anonymously — because they’re afraid someone’s going to figure out who they are,” Wojciechowicz said. “There’s still a lot of closed-minded people out there and the discrimination manifests in so many different ways for us.”

One of Wojciechowicz’s patients, who asked to remain anonymous, found the peer navigator program so helpful because he had no one else with whom he could discuss his status. “I didn’t have anyone to talk to at all and I was really scared,” he said. “I didn’t feel like I had anyone to turn to.”

The peer support program partnered the patient with Wojciechowicz, who has helped him through some of his most difficult times.

“Valerie was able to help me survive

and get through all of this,” he said.

“When I first got out of the hospital, they told me I was better, but they had had me on all these really strong steroids.” The patient’s steroids induced powerful hallucinations — a common side-effect but one the patient wasn’t prepared for. Wojciechowicz was able to connect with the patient and he received care he might otherwise not have had. “There’s not a moment or day that goes by where I don’t think of my peer navigator,” he said. “She means the world to me.”

“The impact of our peer navigators is evident with our clients in overcoming the stigma-related barriers.

Peer navigators assess the situation to determine what works for each individual and how they can help a newly diagnosed person through a very frightening time,” shares Richard E. Carlisle, president and CEO of CAN. “They are the stars of our organization, and without them, we couldn’t do what we do.”

As well as being a peer navigator,

Wojciechowicz speaks nationally about HIV awareness, particularly in schools, and she said she gets asked this question a lot: If you could give it back, would you? “My answer is always no,” she said. “I’ll do everything I can in prevention — from preventing anyone else from having to live this life — but I get up every single day and I get to make a difference in the world. Watching my team grow and them watching our clients grow, it’s the most amazing thing.” n Ross Elliott

To learn more about medical peer navigators and other services at CAN Community Health, visit cancommunityhealth.org.

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Join Me In the Fight to Protect Trans Kids

Transgender youth are in urgent need of support from compassionate adults like you.

T

his year, anti-LGBTQ+ politicians have introduced hundreds of bills that try to take away basic healthcare rights from transgender children and block them from participating in sports with their friends.

As a transgender person, I know how devastating it is to be told I can’t have access to life-saving medical care, and as a former student athlete and now high school coach, I know from experience that transgender student athletes

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just want the same things as other kids — a chance to be part of a team with their friends and release their energy through physical activity.

I’ve dedicated my career to supporting transgender kids and other LGBTQ+ kids by working with GLSEN to promote inclusion in K-12 schools.

Each day, I work with children who put their safety on the line by sharing their personal stories and fighting for what’s right. They represent a generation of strong, compassionate leaders

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who we must all listen to and learn from. The truth is, no kid should ever have to justify their existence or stand up to politicians, coaches, or teachers who try to tell them they’re less deserving than their classmates just because they’re transgender. Adults like me — and you — need to protect these student athletes so they can focus on their education and grow up to reach their full potential.

We can each do our part to protect the kids in our families, schools,

and neighborhoods by calling on our elected representatives to fight back against anti-transgender bills and instead support strong nondiscrimination protections, like those found in the Equality Act. Their lives depend on it. This Pride month, we have a chance to make sure that transgender kids, and all kids, can be proud of who they are.

I’m proud to support them. Are you? n a.t. Furuya (they/them), Youth Programs Manager, GLSEN

PHOTO: WALKER FAMILY

How One Dad in Alabama Is Advocating for His Daughter’s Rights

When Jeff Walker’s 10-year-old daughter Harleigh came out to him as trans, he began a journey full of research, growth, and equal rights advocacy.

Jeff Walker is the kind of father who works hard for his family all week. He’s a guy with a big heart, big smile, and a big beard. When it’s time to kick back and relax, he goes out to his garage and works on his

car, a 2013 Ford Mustang. He is happily married and has a son in the Army National Guard.

For a man from East Central Alabama, life is pretty great, but one more thing makes Walker’s life complete — his daughter, Harleigh.

“Harleigh came to us when she was 10 years old after doing her own research,” Walker said. “‘I believe I am transgender,’ she said.”

Harleigh had been assigned

male at birth, and for a Southern dad like Walker, it took some getting used to. “That started a journey that’s four years behind us and has been full of research, heartache, happiness, and growth,” he explained. “Of course, the first thing we had to figure out was what did that mean, what do we do?”

One of the resources Walker and his family turned to was their nearby chapter

of PFLAG. Walking into their first support meeting, Walker and his wife Lisa found a community of parents and LGBTQ+ people who could help him navigate those important questions. There was even a group just for trans and gender nonconforming kids. “PFLAG has been really great,” Harleigh shared. “It’s the first place where I could be with a bunch of other kids who were just like me.”

When Walker talks about Harleigh, he glows with pride. He is clearly impressed with his daughter, who aspires to one day be President. “At 14, she spends her time learning about our government system and watching the legislative debates on C-SPAN,” he noted.

But Walker acknowledges that having a child who is transgender hasn’t always been smooth sailing. “In school, Harleigh has faced hatred, bullying, and physical altercations just for being who she is,” he said. Alabama is one of the states that has passed a law to ban trans kids from participating in school sports.

The state also nearly passed a bill that would have banned trans children from gaining access to medical care.

“If they had passed that bill, my choice was to stay in Alabama and risk felony charges for the health of one child, or to leave the state and make my other child homeless because he has a commitment to the Guard.”

Having a child who is part of the LGBTQ+ community makes the issue of inequality very clear to Walker. “This community demands the same rights people like me already have,” he said. In the past year, Walker and Harleigh have become outspoken advocates for equality. They have met with representatives and senators, written the governor, and spoken at numerous events to garner support for the Equality Act and to stop the passage of anti-trans bills.

“People just accept me for who I am. Harleigh deserves the same thing.” n Laura McGinnis, PFLAG National

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Finding Hope for Those Suffering From Mental Illness and Addiction The presence of both substance abuse and mental illness is known as a co-occurring disorder. Left untreated, this condition poses a serious threat to an individual’s quality of life, including increased risk of family problems, frequent drug relapse, numerous hospitalizations, unemployment, homelessness, serious physical illness, and death.

The reality of undiagnosed co-occurring disorders This is an important public health challenge. In 2016, more than 8 million American adults struggled with co-occurring disorders, including 2.5 million who had a serious mental illness such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or major depression. Many more are undiagnosed. Less than half of those living with co-occurring disorders are getting treatment. It is critical that we get the message out: early detection and treatment can improve outcomes and quality of life for those with co-occurring disorders.

Seeking care An integrated approach that treats both conditions simultaneously is the most effective.Individuals receive one consistent message about substance abuse and mental health treatment.

Providers who offer these services specialize in treating both mental illness and substance abuse. They understand the complexity of interactions between disorders and are trained in the skills necessary to provide the appropriate treatment.

As part of care, many patients with a co-occurring disorder require medication to address their mental health symptoms and treat a substance use disorder. If appropriate, providers may also ask to include loved ones and friends as part of the treatment approach. Social and family support can help promote positive treatment and recovery outcomes.

Elinore F. McCance-Katz, Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

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The Benefits of Online Therapy According to a Licensed Counselor A Chicago-based counselor explains why she’s working with online therapy.

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ichelle Murray, a licensed professional counselor based in Chicago, specializes in helping patients with depression, anxiety, grief, and loss, and the stressors of everyday life. Since November 2020, she has been working in partnership with Calmerry, the online therapy platform.

Calmerry is one of many online therapy sites that have gained popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic. It offers an affordable, convenient way for people to see a licensed therapist and clients can choose to either communicate with their therapist via text messaging or through video calls.

“With the clients that I have, it seems that the messaging works better because some people are not really comfortable with speaking

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openly about their issues,” Murray said. “It gives those patients a kind of anonymity, which can be beneficial. I wasn’t quite sure how the messaging would work, but I can still send clients resources they may need, such as worksheets or homework, and the only difference is it’s just not face to face.”

Murray said that she has always been interested in telehealth, but the pandemic really opened the door for new opportunities in the online space.

Telehealth offers unprecedented convenience for patients and therapists alike, as they can speak frankly from the comfort of their own homes. “The beauty of it is that clients can text me when something comes up during their day,” Murray explained. “For instance, they may be having a little anxiety or a trigger of some sort, and they can just

send me a message and know I will respond. And I can remind them of exercises or grounding techniques that we may have gone over.”

Murray’s clients range in ages and circumstances, but each find value in the flexibility teletherapy offers. For instance, one of her clients is a young mother whose children have to go to preschool.

Telehealth allows counselors like Murray to work around their clients’ schedules.

“I have one client who is addicted to porn,” Murray said. “[Telehealth] works for him because he has found his addiction embarrassing. He has a sense of shame, and he’s never shared his addiction with anyone, so he’s one of my clients that prefers text messaging.”

As expected, here are some cons alongside the many benefits of telehealth. Murray mentioned that only communicating with her clients via the computer takes away an aspect of human contact that is hard to simulate.

“I’m a hugger,” she said. “With telehealth, it takes away human contact. I can’t even shake a client’s hand or give them a hug.”

While Murray has clients of all ages, she does note that several of her clients are in their early 20s, and these clients in particular found it easy to adjust to the online texting style.

In general, Murray said she was impressed by the service a platform like Calmerry provided for her as a counselor, and sees telehealth becoming a staple in healthcare even beyond the pandemic.

“It’s a game changer,” she said. “I don’t have to travel to an office, so I can see more clients. And the subscription is so much more affordable than traditional healthcare options.

It’s absolutely a game changer.” n

Lauren Hogan

This has been paid for by Calmerry.

Rachel Slawson On Being the Role Model She’d Like to See In the World

Rachel Slawson, who is bisexual, became the first openly LGBTQ+ contestant to compete in Miss USA. “I started pageants when I was about 19 years old and when I did, I saw all of these women that I thought were just so perfect and had their lives so together,” Slawson said. “And growing up in a more conservative community, I really associated my sexuality with there just being this thing that was kind of inherently wrong with me.”

Becoming a role model Slawson considered that if one of these role models were “like me,” then she might feel better about her own sexuality. So, she decided to be the role model she wanted to see in pageants herself and came out publicly. “I just really thought that there just needs to be more space and more room for my sexuality to be considered perfect,” she said. “You know, even though it might not be perfect in everyone’s

eyes, it was perfect for me.”

Another place where Slawson felt she was made to feel like she didn’t belong was with her bipolar disorder.

By sharing this personal story as well, Slawson hopes to help destigmatize the disorder, and maybe help others who share her diagnosis to reframe it in their own minds.

A different angle “I don’t think anybody who struggles with something like bipolar disorder is usually excited to talk about it,” Slawson joked. “There’s just really not the same kind of acceptance for that sort of identity or diagnosis.” But, she said, learning to see her bipolar disorder as a medical issue, rather than a personal defect, has helped her become more open and accepting.

“Really all it is, is a specific list of requirements that I have for how I need to show up and take care of myself,” she said. “That’s what a diagnosis is to me. It’s not who I am as a person. It’s just details on how I need to love myself.”

So just like a person with an allergy needs to avoid certain foods, or a nearsighted person needs glasses, for Slawson it’s all about recognizing what her body and mind best to function smoothly. “I found that one of

PHOTO: JORDAN ZOBRIST

Advocate, public speaker, and onetime Miss Utah, Rachel Slawson, has worked hard to come to a place of self-love and acceptance. And she’s using her personal story and her public platform to help others like her reach the same place.

the first things that really impacts me is sleep, so I really honor my need for sleep, even if it looks like more than the average person,” Slawson said.

She also said that a low dose of medication and a meditation and mindfulness practice have been helpful for her to maintain stability in her life.

But while Slawson has identified ways to stay healthy, that doesn’t mean she doesn’t also need help

sometimes. “Even though I have learned so many tools and there’s so many people that I have been able to help firsthand, I need support and I need help. I’m still a person who has bipolar disorder,” she said. “Part of the gift of my life experiences is that I have something that continually humbles me and realizing I have to keep asking for help.” n Lynne Daggett

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