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GLMA Action Alert: #PriceIsWrong for HHS Call your Senator now! Confirmation hearings for Rep. Tom Price to serve as the next US Secretary for Health & Human Services are underway and GLMA members need to call Senators and tell them that Rep. Price should not be confirmed. Find out how you can take action here.
GLMA Statement on HHS Secretary Selection GLMA President Jesse Joad, MD, MS, and Executive Director Hector Vargas, JD, issued a statement on November 29, 2016, saying GLMA was “deeply concerned” about the nomination of US Rep. Tom Price, a physician and Congressman from Georgia, as US Secretary of Health and Human Services. Read the statement here.
Statement on 2016 Elections GLMA President Jesse Joad and Executive Director Hector Vargas released a statement on November 10, 2016, commenting on the results of the 2016 election. In it, the GLMA leaders said: "GLMA is committed to doing all that we can to preserve the progress we've made and continue our policy, advocacy, and education work to improve the health and well-being of LGBT people regardless of who sits in the White House." You can read the full statement here.
GLMA Adopts Resolution on Care for Children with DSD In what is believed to be a first for a US-based health professional association, GLMA recently revised its position statement on care for children with differences of sex development (DSD) to call for delay in any medically unnecessary surgical intervention until the patient can provide consent/assent to the treatment. NIH Designates LGBT Community a Health Disparity Population GLMA applauds the NIH for taking the groundbreaking step of designating the LGBT community a health disparity population, as described in the NIH statement below. NIH's October 6th announcement is the latest in a series of actions by NIH over the last few years that address the health and well-being of LGBT populations. GLMA also extends its deep appreciation to the many advocates and our colleagues at NIH and HHS who have worked so hard over so many years to make this accomplishment a reality. You can read the NIH statement here. GLMA Stands with Orlando - GLMA's Statement on the Mass Shooting in Orlando
- GLMA Leads Effort in the AMA to Pass Gun Violence Policy
- LGBT Organizations Issue "A Call for Unity"
- Support the Local Community through WeAreOrlando
GLMA Applauds Federal Action on LGBT Health On May 13, 2016, the Department of Health and Human Services issued final regulations establishing that Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act provides nondiscrimination protections in healthcare access and coverage for the entire LGBT community. GLMA President Jesse Joad, MD, MS, issued a statement. To read GLMA's response, click here. Amicus Brief Filed Against Missouri Law Criminalizing HIV GLMA joined numerous organizations in filing an amicus brief opposing Missouri’s law criminalizing HIV transmission and exposure. Learn more here. DC Council Passes LGBT Cultural Competency Requirement The District of Columbia is set to become the first jurisdiction in the nation to require continuing education for healthcare providers in LGBT cultural and clinical competency. Read GLMA's statement here. Final FDA Guidance on Blood Donation Falls Short The FDA released final guidance establishing a one-year deferral period on blood donation for men who have sex with men (MSM), including gay and bisexual men. GLMA President Jesse Joad, MD, MS, and GLMA Executive Director Hector Vargas, JD, issued a statement. To read GLMA's response, click here. Take Action Now to Support Nondiscrimination in Healthcare
Please ACT NOW to tell HHS you support efforts to establish clear and comprehensive regulations ensuring lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people do not face discrimination in accessing healthcare and coverage.
GLMA Applauds Game-Changing HHS Policy Initiatives
GLMA applauded the Administration and the US Department of Health & Human Services for two game-changing policy initiatives calling for an end to conversion therapy for minors and requiring electronic health records systems to include sexual orientation and gender identity. Learn more here.
GLMA Applauds Proposed HHS Regulation on Transgender Discrimination
The Department of Health and Human Services Office of Civil Rights issued a proposed regulation expanding on its position that discrimination based on gender identity is prohibited under the Affordable Care Act. GLMA issued a statement applauding the move.
GLMA Statement Celebrating Supreme Court Decision on Marriage
“The nature of marriage is that, through its enduring bond, two persons together can find other freedoms, such as expression, intimacy, and spirituality. This is true for all persons, whatever their sexual orientation,” wrote Justice Kennedy his majority opinion establishing the freedom to marry. Read GLMA’s Statement here.
GLMA Statement on Supreme Court Decision Upholding the ACA
The US Supreme Court issued a 6-3 decision in King v. Burwell upholding the Affordable Care Act. GLMA issued a statement applauding the decision, which reads, in part: “GLMA will continue its efforts working in coalition with other LGBT organizations and through a strong partnership with the US Department of Health & Human Services to ensure the ACA addresses the healthcare needs and concerns of LGBT people and those living with HIV…” Click here to learn more.
GLMA and WPATH Support Healthcare for Transgender Inmate
GLMA and the World Professional Association for Transgender Health submitted a friend-of-the-court brief to the Ninth Circuit US Court of Appeals in support of a transgender woman who was denied gender affirmation surgery while in the California State Prison system. The brief argues that, consistent with the WPATH Standards of Care, treatment for gender dysphoria, including gender-affirming surgery, is medically necessary care and that prisons must provide medically necessary care to transgender inmates. Click here to learn more.
AMA Adopts GLMA-Led Policy on Transgender Military Service
The American Medical Association’s House of Delegates unanimously passed a GLMA-led resolution stating “there is no medically valid reason to exclude transgender individuals” from US military service. Click here to learn more. GLMA and Other Associations Speak Out On Religious Freedom Laws
As the Governors of and legislators in Arkansas and Indiana work to address the concerns about how religious freedom legislation in their states impact discrimination against LGBT people, GLMA worked to organize health professional associations to join a letter sharing their perspectives as healthcare providers about the potential impact of these laws on care for LGBT patients and their families. We are extremely grateful for the response of our colleagues at sister organizations and the support they have shown to ensure these laws are not used to deny care to LGBT individuals and their families. Click here to read the letter. Amicus Brief for the Supreme Court Highlights Research Showing Sexual Orientation is an Innate Human Characteristic
GLMA, the American Academy of Nursing and Boston-based law firm Sullivan & Worcester submitted a friend-of-the-court brief to the US Supreme Court in the marriage equality cases they will hear oral arguments for on April 28th. The amicus brief highlights the scientific evidence that “sexual orientation is an innate human characteristic that deserves the full and equal protection of the law.” The brief cites decades of studies establishing that genetic, hereditary, hormonal and biological influences are major factors in determining sexual orientation. Click here to read the press release.
GLMA Issues Statement on Change in FDA Blood Donation Policy
In response to the Food & Drug Administration’s (FDA) announcement in December that it is planning to remove the decades-old FDA policy banning any man who has had sex with another man since 1977 from donating blood and replacing it with a one-year deferral period for MSM, GLMA President Henry Ng, MD, MPH, and Executive Director Hector Vargas, Esq., issued a statement calling for an optimal policy that addresses individual behavior, noting GLMA remains concerned about the stigmatizing impact of a one-year deferral on gay and bisexual men. Click here to read GLMA’s statement. |
