Dear Dr. Eva, We are hearing about another new Covid variant, Delta. We’ve already heard about, and some people have panicked over, the British variant and the Brazilian variant. However, those don’t seem to have changed the course of the pandemic in our country. Is this just another cry of “wolf,” or is it really time to go get the masks out again? Skeptic Dear Skeptic, It does seem as if there’s a new coronavirus scare every month. So far, new strains haven’t affected most people’s lives or the Covid death rate in this country as a whole. Unless […]
Pride in Pride
As I look at these light displays in two of Baltimore’s iconic buildings, I am aware that in all the years, it is the first time that this has happened here. I think of how the White House was bathed in rainbow colors when marriage equality became a reality. I think of friends and acquaintances who are now wife and wife, and husband and husband. I think of the couples who are now enjoying parenthood. And I feel proud. Then my other, more realistic side kicks in: The bills being introduced against trans kids and adults, the effort to deny […]
Trans is the TARGET
Every year for LGBTQ Pride month, those of us who have chosen LGBTQ advocacy as our work are inundated with requests for presentations, panels, keynotes, workshops – you name it. My team at the Center for LGBTQ Health Equity is no different. We will be many places in June and then again in October, when many additional LGBTQ-centered awareness days occur. It is strange though: no one has asked us to talk about the public policy assault our community is experiencing. And I want to talk about it. I think no one has asked us to talk about this issue […]
Celebrating ElderPride – Our Roots Keep Us Strong
The LGBTQ movement grew, as all do, because it was necessary. Our Elders and 20th century ancestors were degraded, pathologized, systematically brainwashed to deny their own truth. Those who couldn’t or wouldn’t be “discreet” were outcast, murdered, and institutionalized. The only safe option for so many was hiding, and we now know from a pile of research that living a shadow life of deception and shame slowly kills you. Pride dawned from the dignity of our people. Pride was the flower of our convictions—the way I love is valid, my gender is worthy, the desires I have are honorable—and our […]
Queer Youth Under Stress: New Survey from The Trevor Project
The Trevor Project 2021 Survey The Trevor Project started in 1998 as a suicide prevention hotline for LGBT youth. Besides directly supporting youth through its phone and text hotlines, the Trevor Project has become a major force in advocating for better social conditions and more accessible mental health care for LGBTQ young people. This month, the Trevor Project released the results of its third annual survey on LGBTQ youth mental health. Thirty-five thousand young people throughout the United States, aged 13-24, were included in this study. Thirty-eight percent reported identifying as transgender or non-binary. Participation by youth of color was […]
Think Twice Before Going Solar
The Solar Industry Reaps the Profits from Your Good Intentions One of the most popular additions people have been making to their homes in the last few years is a green energy source, like solar panels. The sales pitch for these systems is very enticing, usually involving saving money and reducing your carbon footprint. While solar is a fast growing energy segment, it does not make sense for most homeowners. First, estimates are that only about 25% of American homes have the roofline, geographic orientation, and amount of sunlight per year needed to take full advantage of a solar energy […]
Off to the Races
(Photo by Laura Gilchrist on Unsplash) We are in the middle of the horseracing season, what with the Kentucky Derby and the Pimlico Preakness already over. We are also in the middle of emerging from more than a year of hibernation to protect ourselves and our loved ones from a deadly virus. This change in lifestyle with the isolation, the diminished social and physical contact (read: hugs at the very least) meant that our relationships were affected in many ways. Those who lived alone and those who had others in the household experienced reactions ranging from increased senses of loneliness, […]
Walk, Run, and Bike to Support the AIDS Walk & Music Festival 2021
The disruptions of the COVID-19 pandemic have made the fight against HIV and AIDS even more important, and heightened the need for awareness of the importance of HIV testing and treatment. As the nation prepares to mark 40 years of HIV in America this summer, Chase Brexton Health Care will host its AIDS Walk & Music Festival to support local HIV and AIDS programs. This year, to help participants remain safe, the event will take on a virtual form. We asked Clare Elliott, Assistant Director of Development for Chase Brexton Health Care, to share some details about this year’s event, […]
Covid: New strains and meeting without masks
Dear Dr. Eva, From what I’ve read, none of the really dangerous new strains of Covid has made it to the United States. Do we need to be concerned about the new strains at this point? Skeptic Dear Skeptic, We should be concerned about mutant new strains of Covid. Many new strains are being found. Some are about as dangerous as the original virus, some are more contagious, and some are more deadly. The B.1.1.7 strain, also called the UK or London or Kent strain, is now the dominant (main) strain of Covid in some states in the US, and […]
Blah Days And Anniversaries
Photo credit: Adrian Swancar, unsplash.com) It has been many months of indistinguishable days, warped time concept, fatigue, losses in many ways, and just getting through what we have to do, again and again. In a very thoughtful and informative article, Adam Grant, an organizational psychologist, uses the term “languishing” for this state of the world:(https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/19/well/mind/covid-mental-health-languishing.html). Whatever you may call it, we all have to recognize that none of us, in this universe, is immune to the pandemic and its effects. The question then becomes, how do we deal with this in our relationships, friendships and even more so, within ourselves? […]