Pride Month is celebrated in June to honor the 1969 Stonewall Uprising in Manhattan. The first Pride march in New York City was on June 28, 1970, the first anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising. At the first pride march, there were three to five thousand marchers at the inaugural in New York City, and as of 2022, marchers in New York City account for millions. Since 1970, LGBTQ people have continued to gather together in June to march with Pride and fight for equal rights.
Members of the LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and Queer) community belong to different races, ethnicities, religions, ages, and socioeconomic groups. According to a literature review, the LGBTQ youth around the country are at a higher risk for health outcomes including substance use, sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), anxiety, depression, and suicide compared to the general population. LGBTQ youth receive poor quality of care due to stigma, lack of healthcare providers’ awareness, and insensitivity to the unique needs of this community (Hafeez et al., 2017). This literature review gives us a clear insight into what measures need to be taken to improve the health of our LGBTQ community. These health disparities can drastically decrease as we bring our attention to the LGBTQ community members.
In New York, an estimated 1 million adults identify as LGBTQ. The LGBTQ community faces higher rates of health disparities compared to the state’s overall adult population. The following table shows the key findings for the LGBTQ community vs the overall state’s population from a report released this year by the New York State Department of Public Health.
These findings show the significant health disparities and other differences between the state’s population and the LGBTQ community. With a large percentage of the community with no health insurance or healthcare providers, we can expect to see other health issues such as increased depression, mental distress, and heavy drinking to follow. The community does not have basic access to the healthcare one might need therefore we see higher rates of health disparities among the LGBTQ community.
To work on decreasing the health disparities mentioned above, we must focus on creating a welcoming environment. This includes providing LGBTQ resource materials in waiting areas or posting LGBTQ-friendly materials such as the rainbow and transgender flag symbols. Then we need to become educated on how to care for the LGBTQ community by providing training to physicians and other healthcare providers.
The current lack of training can lead to discrimination which results in an increased incidence of diseases and their risk factors. Moreover, new guidelines need to be developed to provide proper care for this community. Guidelines include sexual orientation and gender identity in non-discrimination policies and asking patients for their preferred name and pronoun and using them.
Below are a few resources to be aware of to take care of your well-being. You may also visit NYC.gov for a complete list of resources available.
Resources:
BROOKLYN COMMUNITY PRIDE CENTER: Brooklyn Community Pride Center provides services and support to the borough’s LGBTQ+ community through original programming and partnerships with other organizations.
Locations:
Bed-Stuy
1360 Fulton Street, Ground Floor
Brooklyn, NY 11216
Crown Heights
1561 Bedford Avenue, Suite Ground A
Brooklyn, NY 11225
(Inside Major Owens Health & Wellness Center)
Main phone: 347-889-7719
THE LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL & TRANSGENDER COMMUNITY CENTER: Offers the LGBTQ communities of NYC advocacy, health and wellness programs; arts, entertainment, and cultural events; recovery, parenthood, and family support services.
Location:
208 W 13 St
New York, NY 10011
Phone: 212.620.7310
PRIDE CENTER OF STATEN ISLAND: Offers counseling, support groups, and legal assistance in English and Spanish.
Location:
66 Willow Ave. Suite 202
SI, NY 10305
Phone: 718.808.1360
DESTINATION TOMORROW: THE BRONX LGBTQ CENTER: Offers economic, social, and mental empowerment through a variety of holistic educational, financial, support-based, housing, and health programs.
Location:
452 E 149th St 3rd Floor
Bronx, NY 10455
Phone: 646.723.3325
LGBT NETWORK: QUEENS LGBT CENTER: A Non-profit organization for LGBT people, their families, and the support systems of Long Island and Queens. The LGBT Network’s community centers help LGBT people to be themselves, stay healthy, and change the world. Focus on pioneering advocacy and social change to promote safe spaces where LGBT people live, learn, work, play, and pray.
Locations:
Queens LGBT Center (Q Center)
35-11 35th Avenue
Astoria, NY 11106
Phone: 718.514.2155
LGBT Network Headquarters & Center
125 Kennedy Drive, Suite 100
Hauppauge, NY 11788
Phone: 631.665.2300
Heritage of Pride: Heritage of Pride works toward a future without discrimination where all people have equal rights under the law. We do this by producing LGBTQIA+ Pride events that inspire, educate, commemorate and celebrate our diverse community.
The Pride organization is currently working on becoming accessible to the entire community of NYC. Future events will include ASL interpreters, ADA entry/exit, and dedicated areas for wheelchairs and mobility devices. Restrooms will be ADA accessible and gender-neutral with appropriate signage, and a selection of our events will be available for streaming.
Location:
154 Christopher St, suite 1D
New York, NY 10014
Phone: 212.807.7433