Month: April 2017

2017 LGBTQ Community Survey

April 3, 2017 by DavidMariner

The DC Center for the LGBTQ Community is proud to partner with Community Marketing Inc for the 11th annual LGBTQ Community Survey. When you complete the survey using our unique link (tinyurl.com/lgbtqsurvey17) your survey data is shared with the DC Center.

In 2016 we had 299 individuals complete the survey. Download this PDF File and see the complete results of the 2016 survey.

2016 LGBTQ Community Survey

Here are a few of the things we learned from the 2016 Survey.

Top 3 LGBTQ Priorities

The top three priorities identified in 2016 were:

63.5% LGBT youth/anti-bullying/teen suicide prevention (connect with thedccenter.org/youth to learn more about our work in this area).
58.9% Stopping anti-LGBT “religious freedom” legislation (connect with thedccenter.org/faith for faith community resources).
50.5% Workplace Equality (connect with thedccenter.org/careers to learn about our work around employment)

Top 3 General Priorities

The top three general priorities (aside from LGBT Equality were) in 2016 were:

79.3% Affordable healthcare (visit thedccenter.org/health to learn about our LGBT health related work).
76.8% Racial Discrimination (visit thedccenter.org/poc to see information and resources for LGBTQ People of Color)
75.8% Homelessness/Poverty

Demographics

Our oldest respondent was 75 years old and our youngest was 19%. While over 60 percent of our respondents came from folks who identify as gay men, many diverse identities were reported including same gender loving, non-binary, genderqueer, pansexual, asexual, genderfluid and genderqueer.

In terms of race/ethnicity 68% identified as White, 17% identified as Black or of African descent, 4.7% identified as mixed ethnicity, 4% identified as Latin(o/a) of of Hispanic descent, and 2.3% identified as Asian or of Asian descent.

Next Steps

We’re counting on you to make your voice heard in the 2017 survey. Take a few minutes now and visit tinyurl.com/lgbtqsurvey2017. We look forward to the results and better understanding our local LGBTQ community.

LGBT Memorial Planned for National Cemetery

May 13, 2018April 2, 2017 by DavidMariner

The LGBT Fallen Heroes Fund Fund has signed the contract and made a down payment to buy the sites that we will eventually hold the LGBT Fallen Heroes Memorial at the Historic Congressional Cemetery. The LGBT Fallen Heroes Fund works to identify and honor those fallen LGBT Law Enforcement Officers, Firefighters, EMS, and members of the Military who have dedicated their lives to their communities and give recognition to their survivors.

The memorial will be located in what has become a special location at the cemetery, where several LGBT community members are remembered. The memorial is steps away from the gravesite of Sergeant Leonard P. Matlovich, a vietnam veteran remembered for bravely coming out as gay on the cover of Time Magazine in 1975. The site is adjacent to the memorial marker for LGBT civil rights pioneer and veteran Frank Kameny.

An annual service to honor LGBT Veterans takes place every year at the cemetery on Veterans Day.

Other individuals memorialized at the Cemetery include Barbara Gittings (Daughters of Bilitis, The Ladder); Alain Locke (hailed by many as the father of the Harlem Renaissance); and Peter Doyle (believed by historians to have been the greatest love of gay American poet Walt Whitman).

While the deposit has been made on the memorial site, the LGBT Fallen Heroes Funds will be making monthly payments for the site for the next two years. To make a donation to support this important work, visit their website at lgbtfallenheroesfund.org.

New Trans Health Coordinator at HAHSTA

April 1, 2017 by DavidMariner

The DC Department of Health (DOH) HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis, STD and TB Administration (HAHSTA) has hired Diedre Gray to serve in a newly created role as the Trans Health Coordinator. Ken Pettigrew, from HAHSTA, stated:

” Diedre has been at HAHSTA since June 2016 as a Health IMPACT Specialist. Now serving as the Trans Health Coordinator, Diedre will be responsible for establishing and maintaining relationships with community partners from the academic, medical, governmental and community that are involved in transgender health. Diedre will further be responsible for establishing guidelines on approaches for gender affirming procedures like transitioning, hormone replacement therapy, safety and other elements that would have an impact on transgender persons overall health and wellness. Diedre will be working across the agency to inform, support and assess specific needs as it relates to transgender health.”