HRC Foundation Youth Ambassador Spotlight: Zoey Luna

Post submitted by Sula Malina, Children, Youth & Families Program Coordinator

As HRC celebrates Bisexual Health Awareness Month, we sat down with Zoey Luna (she/her/hers), an HRC Foundation Youth Ambassador from Downey, California, to learn about her experience navigating life as an out and proud transgender, pansexual young person.

Founded by the Bisexual Resource Center, Bi Health Month is dedicated to raising awareness about the startling social, economic and health disparities facing bisexual, pansexual, queer and sexually fluid people.

Luna is a vocal advocate who often shares her story, starring in documentaries and television shows that focus on the journey of a modern trans person — including “Laverne Cox Presents the T Word,” “Raising Zoey” and “15: A Quinceañera Story.”

What inspired you to become an HRC Youth Ambassador?

Deciding to become a Youth Ambassador wasn’t a hard choice. Deciding when it was time was the difficult part. I had represented youth on several panels, conferences and on different boards, but I had never felt like my voice was enough representation. When I heard about this program, I was truly inspired by the youth they had chosen, and I knew that I had to be a part of such an amazing group of young, dedicated and ambitious youth focused on creating positive, effective change.

What has been one highlight of your experience as an HRC Youth Ambassador?

There have been so many wonderful moments that I’ve experienced as a Youth Ambassador, but the brightest has been getting to know my fellow ambassadors. Each one of these extraordinary people has a very real and very empowering backstory that has crafted them into these resilient, glowing and fierce leaders who exude wisdom and light. Hearing their stories personally and spending time with them was everything!

This March, we celebrate Bisexual Health Awareness Month. Can you tell us what this month means to you as a young bi+ activist?

Bisexual Health Awareness Month to me is a firm foot in the door. I think many people have terrible and unfavorable opinions of who bi+ people are, and that’s due to the constant lack of representation of our stories. We aren’t humanized in media; we’re mostly stereotyped. Saddest of all, we’re over-sexualized in most films, TV and other media outlets due to the lack of information, respect and willingness from our LGBTQ siblings and supporters to acknowledge us as more than “curious.”

What’s your message to other young bi+ people who may not see themselves and their stories represented in mainstream media?

Start creating your own stories to share with the world! Start by making short films and uploading them to YouTube about literally anything. Write blogs about your experience and create community in life and/or online. Change starts with you, so don’t be afraid to stand up and say that you’re bisexual and proud! You are who you are, and that’s perfect.

The HRC Foundation Youth Ambassadors are a group of inspiring young people from across the country who show courage in sharing their stories and demonstrate a commitment to speaking out about issues facing LGBTQ youth. As Youth Ambassadors, they represent the HRC Foundation, using their voices to raise awareness about HRC’s youth-focused programs. Learn more here.

www.hrc.org/blog/hrc-foundation-youth-ambassador-spotlight-zoey-luna?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

GLAAD: Heather Wilson Must Receive Thorough Vet by UT’s Board of Regents Before Serving as UTEP President

www.glaad.org/blog/glaad-heather-wilson-must-receive-thorough-vet-uts-board-regents-serving-utep-president

Genderqueer Drag Queen Maebe A. Girl Is Running for Office in L.A.

A drag performer is seeking a spot on the Silver Lake Neighborhood Council in Los Angeles.

www.advocate.com/politics/2019/3/26/genderqueer-drag-queen-maebe-girl-running-office-la

Colorado will become the 16th state to ban conversion therapy
Pretty much every major psychological association calls conversion therapy a form of psychological torture.

www.queerty.com/colorado-will-become-16th-state-ban-conversion-therapy-20190326?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+queerty2+%28Queerty%29

This Health Insurance Company Can’t Handle the Fact That ‘Michael and Michael Are Gay’ — WEB SERIES

Have those of you who are married gay couples ever had a problem adding your spouse to your health insurance plan?

Perhaps the insurer made unwarranted assumptions about your sexual orientation, or they didn’t even know two men could be married, or perhaps, as in Michael and Michael’s case, heads just exploded.

Find out what happened when one Michael had a real emergency.

Michael And Michael Are Gay is an ongoing web series by real-life married couple Michael Feldman and Michael Rachlis that throws back the curtain on open relationships.

Check out the previous episodes by clicking the images below, in which they attend a dinner party with a straight couple who share how they’re spicing things up in the bedroom, and here, in which they go to Burning Man, and here, in which they attend a party in which clothing is not optional, and the last clip, in which they try to make a splash in entertainment.

PREVIOUS EPISODES (Click on images)

The post This Health Insurance Company Can’t Handle the Fact That ‘Michael and Michael Are Gay’ — WEB SERIES appeared first on Towleroad Gay News.

This Health Insurance Company Can’t Handle the Fact That ‘Michael and Michael Are Gay’ — WEB SERIES

AARP Reminds Us Not to Forget the History of the LGBTQ Movement

Post submitted by Katalina Hadfield, Outreach & Research Coordinator

While popular media often focuses on the increasing number of young people identifying as LGBTQ, recent work by AARP is highlighting the history of the LGBTQ movement — from our pioneers who led the way to the ongoing need to support LGBTQ older adults.

“The 50th Anniversary of the Stonewall uprising feels like a good time to take stock of how far we’ve come and how far we must go to ensure that all LGBT older adults are free to be their whole selves, in every community under the rainbow, without fear of any kind of discrimination,” said Dr. Nii-Quartelai Quartey, AARP Senior Advisor & National LGBT Liaison. “AARP is proud to do our part to advance and maintain the dignity of all of our members.”

AARP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that empowers people to choose how they live as they age, with nearly 38 million members nationwide. An estimated 900,000 of AARP’s members identify as LGBT.

Last fall, AARP worked with Next Day Better to help produce the #LivingHistory project, a storytelling series honoring past, present and future heroes of the LGBTQ movement. The first video in the series chronicles the history of the LGBTQ movement in the U.S. and highlights prominent LGBTQ figures such as Walt Whitman, Marsha P. Johnson, Harvey Milk and Laverne Cox.

In 2017, AARP conducted a national survey of more than 1,700 LGBT people, collaborating with Community & Marketing Insights. Based on the compelling findings, AARP published a report in March 2018 called “Maintaining Dignity: Understanding and Responding to the Challenges Facing Older LGBT Americans.”

One of the most notable findings revealed that 76 percent of older LGBT Americans reported concern about having adequate family and/or social supports to rely on as they age. Race also plays a strong role in how older Americans are treated: 37 percent of Black respondents and 25 percent of Latinx respondents reported being very concerned about abuse in long-term care, compared to 19 percent of white respondents. In addition, 56 percent of Black respondents and 49 percent of Latinx respondents reported being very or extremely concerned about having adequate family and/or social supports to rely on as they age, compared to 30 percent of white respondents.

What can you do to support LGBTQ older people? According to AARP’s research, it starts with long-term care facilities designed to be welcoming for LGBTQ adults. Eighty-eight percent of survey respondents reported wanting LGBTQ-trained providers, and 85 percent said that they want providers that are also LGBTQ. A majority of respondents also want facilities to include advertising for LGBTQ-friendly services, including LGBTQ-inclusive signs displayed on site.

To learn more about the work of AARP’s work with LGBTQ people, visit aarp.org/pride.

www.hrc.org/blog/aarp-reminds-us-not-to-forget-the-history-of-the-lgbtq-movement?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed