U.S. “Healthy People” Health Policy Blue Print NOW Includes Transgender Men and Women

You might have missed it since its one of those announcements that at first read sounds like yet another government program with a good heart but little substance or influence, but this is big, really big, on two levels.  First, the news, from a quote from Fenway Health’s Press Release:

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services took an important step forward for LGBT health as they unveiled Healthy People 2020 (HP2020), the blueprint for national public health prevention and policy goals for the next decade.

What this means is that, for the first time, being Transgender is seen as a national health issue that needs to be addressed.   Here’s a brief exerpt from the Healthy People 2020 (HP2020) report on this topic:

Research suggests that LGBT individuals face health disparities linked to societal stigma, discrimination, and denial of their civil and human rights. Discrimination against LGBT persons has been associated with high rates of psychiatric disorders,1 substance abuse,2, 3 and suicide.4 Experiences of violence and victimization are frequent for LGBT individuals, and have long-lasting effects on the individual and the community.5 Personal, family, and social acceptance of sexual orientation and gender identity affects the mental health and personal safety of LGBT individuals.6

What’s the takeaway on this?  Again, from Fenway Health’s press release,

The goals set forth in Healthy People 2020 will guide the allocation of federal public health resources for the next ten years.

That, brothers and sisters, are our tax dollars!  This is big.  Okay that’s the first level of this great news.  Now, the second level.

Fenway Health, OUR Fenway Health, right here in Boston, MA, was a major driver in making this happen.  Both Dr. Judith Bradford and Dr. Scout from The Fenway Institute attended yesterday’s public launch event.  For a long time, many of us in Greater Boston really felt that Fenway was out of touch with the Transgender community here in Boston, that they were well meaning, but, outside the efforts of a few wonderful people in Boundless and in the Fenway Transgender Health Program, that Fenway really wasn’t all the invested in our concerns.  Hearing what they did for us is big, happy news.

The complete press release is well worth a read, and I’d suggest clicking over to it here: “Historic Inclusion Of Lgbt People In Federal Healthy People 2020 Health Policy Blueprint“