Gmhs Closing Plenary The 2009 Gay Men’S Health Agenda

Thank You to All Participants of the 2008 National Gay Men’s Health Summit!

And of course… A super special thank you to Gay City!!!

We’ve come a long way… ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE GAY MEN'S HEALTH MOVEMENT: 1999-2008 New organizations focusing on gay men's health- Safeguards (Philadelphia), Gay City (Seattle), Sexual Health Exchange, Montana Gay Men's Task Force, Fenway, Palm Springs Gay Men's Health, Southern Gay Men's Health Project, Gay Men's Health UK, National LGBT Tobacco Control Network, Gay Men's Health Wiltshire and Swindon, England, Warning Paris, Gay Men's Health Initiative APLA, GMH Center Melbourne, Xtra West Vancouver, GMH AIDS Council of South Australia, the Institute of Gay Men's Health (APLA AND GMHC), dozens of Regional summits internationally (southeast regional summit nov. 7-9, 2008), San Francisco Gay Men's Community initiative, Magnet Center in SF, numerous crystal meth task forces.Growth of programs in existing orgs: Fenway, Mazzoni Center Phila., LA Center, Howard Brown.Research and Books: Michael Scarce's Smearing the Queer, Daniel Wolfe's Men Like Us (GMHC guide), Eric Rofes's numerous books and articles, Tony Valenzuela's writings on gay men's health, Advocate guide to gay men's health and wellness, numerous guides and articles from GLBT Health Access Project at JRI in Boston, articles in NEJM, JAMA and AJPH (Stewart Landers associate editor), Mobilization around particular gmh issues: hepatitis vaccination, rectal microbicides, access to gay friendly health care. Mobilization in response to poor media coverage of gay men's health issues: MRSA scare, supervirus scare in NY, crystal meth.Outreach work to bisexual men, gay men of color, gay- identified transmen, and a myriad of allies.Gay Men's Health Summits- Boulder, Raleigh, Salt Lake City, Seattle—and sister LGBTI summits- Boulder, Cambridge, Philadelphia, (Chicago)and regional summits Gay Men's Health Leadership Academy—over 200 gay men and allies have attended one of the programs in the last five years.121,000 results for the query quot;gay men's healthquot; in google – and a powerful presence of blogs—including Lifelube and its taking the lead on the development of a gay men's health agenda, Trevor Hoppe's blog, and the leadership academy's blog.Government funding for gay men's health projects in numerous states and internationally.The hundreds of thousands of gay men internationally who, in the last decade, have benefited from a new focus on gay men's holistic health.

The 2009 Gay Men’s Health Agenda

Here’s what we’re going to do • The 2009 Gay Men’s Health Agenda • How feedback was solicited, collected • Who participated • Ideas, themes, proposals put forth • Group brainstorm - here • Accountability - now • Next steps – tomorrow, and the next day, and the day after that…

CLICK http://gaymenshealth.ning.com/

Mark it in lipstick • Creating Change – Denver, January 28- Feb. 1, 2009 • Lesbian Health Summit – San Francisco, March 6-9, 2009 • Trans Health Conference – Philadelphia, June 11-13, 2009 • LGBTI Health Summit and Bisexual pre-Summit – Chicago, August, 2009

And what about the next GMHS? No time like yesterday to start planning…..

“The gays really kick ass”

The 2009 Gay Men’s Health Agenda The M.O. • Ask • Listservs • Ask • Encourage • Plead, pimp • Ask • Publish

Who has participated to date? • Stewart Landers • Carl Schmid • Rebecca Haag • Diana Skoll • Michael Scarce • Michael Cook • Tony Valenzuela • Kali Lindsey • Jesse Pack • Charles Stephens • Mark Ishaug • Fred Swanson • Lee Carson • Kaijson Noilmar • George Ayala • Southern AIDS • Walt Senterfitt Coalition • Lance Toma • Randall Ellis

comments “I'd like to imagine for 2009 a gay men's health movement where we create two lists: Healthy and Unhealthy, to discuss all the ways we live our lives that fall under each category. Then I'd like us, along with media, researchers and activists to reflect in our conversations and work the substance of those lists. We might be surprised by what we find.”

“I think it is very naive to think that the larger society, even if we do have a major regime change in the US over the next several years, will be very sympathetic to our demanding totally non-judgmental and free healthcare for persons who want to practice unsafe anal sex and consider it a right to ignore what we now clearly know about the health consequences of unprotected anal sex and methamphetamine use…”

You’re next

But first Key themes, ideas, proposals • HIV – National AIDS Strategy – Stop de-gaying HIV/AIDS – Reverse HIV immigration ban – No mo “No Promo Homo” [Section 2500 of the federal Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. Section 300ee(b), (c), and (d))] – Natl watchdog coalition – monitor, respond to overly aggressive, inherently deceitful, and increasingly desperate HIV prevention efforts - stopwidespread tactics of racism, misogyny, blame, shame, fear, stigmatization

Key themes, ideas, proposals • Policy – Create Office of LGBT Health charged with developing and implementing a holistic, community-driven health agenda – Federal anti-discrimination legislation similar to EU which protects not just in employment but also in provision of goods, services – End military ban, gay marriage – Structural issues (poverty, homelessness, hunger, lack of access)

Key themes, ideas, proposals • Research – Standardized national bi-annual LGBT health survey – New prev tech – Promote research for gay men, MSM not in large urban gay-friendly centers – Research for gay/MSM of color

Key themes, ideas, proposals • Universal health care – Equal access to healthcare, treatment for all age, gender, sexual identity, immigration status – Cultural, linguistic competence of providers – Eliminate disparities in health access and stigma associated with AIDS, drug use, and homosexuality

Key themes, ideas, proposals • Sex Ed – Stop funding abstinence-only education – Nationwide comprehensive sex education that includes info that affirms sexual orientations and gender identities should be available to all youth

Key themes, ideas, proposals • Social marketing, communication – Anti-homophobia campaign – Anti-bullying – Nurture, support art – Safe, expressive place for community dialogue – Better utilization of internet, digital tech • GMH website! • wiki! • Virtual GMH summit • Market GMH snazzier!

CLICK http://gaymenshealth.ning.com/

Didja mark it in lipstick? • Creating Change – Denver, Jan 28 – Feb 1, 2009 • Lesbian Health Summit – San Francisco, Mar 6 – 9, 2009 • Trans Health Conference – Philadelphia, June 11 – 13, 2009 • LGBTI Health Summit and Bisexual pre-Summit – Chicago, August, 2009

Your turn • A webbadge about the gay men’s health movement that could be put on myspace, facebook, etc. And click to NING! • Gay marriage-- support passing gay marriage laws-- an access to health insurance. • Mental health access • Approach the entire gay men’s health agenda from a place of love. Infuse love.

Your turn • More of a mentorship of queer youth and not just around disease. • Healthy families. Create/Sustain • Use referrals-- GLMA referral page, other referral sites. Gayhealth.com • Space for/ways to deal with spirituality. Make room for many expressions of spirituality.

Your turn • Access and advocacy for finding funding streams that promote holistic health efforts. • Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence and Radical Faeries taking on the agenda (through leadership) • Communication through men-- male-to-male intimacy. • Intergenerational mentorship multi-generational- - access to a Summit-type community on the local level.

Your turn • Proactive public statements, activities-- proactive agenda around issues. National press action. Set our own agenda and push it forward. • Work on older HIV positive guys- the health issues faced. • Retirement for older people • Structure/broader leadership -- expand the leadership circle .

Your turn • Asset-based approach taken seriously? Take a serious concrete inventory of our assets-- deliberate strategies for how we leverage our assets to deal with the deficits. • Creating foundation/endowment to support work that others will not support. • Encourage local planning councils or funding bodies to create opportunities for innovation.

Your turn • Technology comes from a place of privilege- there are a lot of queer men who don’t have access to the technologies-- and may never see them. We need to reach them one-on-one. • More dialogue on the role of nutrition. • Buddy system between big, well-funded organizations and rural organizations that are less well funded. Important to hear ideas from the whole nation (and internationally) • Buy-in from gay media-- having to participate

Your turn • Call for an anti-homophobia campaign- homophobia affects different people in different ways (class, race, ethnicity, geography, bio gender, chosen gender)-- must be mindful that the various forums that we articulate campaigns in that all of those people are there at the table to match response to unique needs.

Your turn • Let’s identify the Q in LGBTQ-- what are the needs of the Q • Really being mindful of history prior to 1999-- learn from lessons and mistakes of prior movements. • Remember how to be poor in the movement • Homelessness among LGBTQ people • Push for more shelters that are welcoming to LGBT people

Your turn • What workshops drew people? Why? Why not? Opportunities to talk about things that can’t be talked about elsewhere. • Why don’t we use the structure that is already there and create more influence in that structure.

Your turn • We need to accept, acknowledge, and celebrate the messiness of our work. • Written feedback to presenters- evals for every session and feedback for overall conference. • If the Summit outlives its usefulness, it can pass on.

Your turn • None of us have universal experiences.

Next Steps • No promo homo is a neo-Nazi type legislation-- perhaps organizing allies to get rid of this horrible law. • Technology-- a techno mentoring program-- each one teach one. • Set up a phone call for about a month from now. Announced on Ning site. Commit to bi-monthly calls to move the work forward. Identify/Prioritize

Next Steps • Task force of people who have been involved to edit the agenda. A combination of attributes/values and then there are concrete legislative/policy proposals. Task force should work completely. We are at an urgent moment. The work has started.

Next Steps • Skepticism of organizations- some warranted, some not. After preamble is developed, that there be a meeting with national LGBT leaders and that the document be issued early in the year as a platform with groups having signed on. • Don’t have it be divided by class and race. Must represent men of color.

Next Steps • Sign on document • We have until March when there will be a new federal budget. We are at a very serious place. • We are individuals within the movement-- members of the community before organizational members. If you want to see something,make it happen.

Next Steps • Own the word anarchic. • Taking action with GLAAD-- phone meeting before the end of the month.

Gmhs Closing Plenary The 2009 Gay Men’S Health Agenda

by Jim Pickett

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Gmhs Closing Plenary The 2009 Gay Men’S Health Agenda Presentation Transcript