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ELECTIONS 2023 Jessie Fuentes: 26th Ward candidate talks mental health, LGBTQ+ Chicagoans
This is part of a series of interviews Windy City Times is running on LGBTQ+ candidates in the 2023 municipal elections taking place Feb. 28. The 2023 race to represent Chicago's 26th Ward—which includes parts of ...
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NATIONAL Missing student, Utah bill, Atlanta Pride, crime items, Castro bar
A New York City law student has been missing for weeks—and his brother said his last known location was The Q, a gay bar in Manhattan's Hell's Kitchen neighborhood, NBC News reported. Jordan Taylor, 29, a ...
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Quigley commends progress in FDA LGBTQI+ blood donation draft guidance
--From a press release
Washington, DC — Today, U.S. Representative Mike Quigley (IL-05), Vice-Chair of the Congressional Equality Caucus, released the following statement commending long-awaited updates to the FDA's blood donation guidance for LGBTQI+ ...
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FDA to relax rules of blood donations for gay, bisexual men
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is reportedly slated to lift restrictions on blood donations from sexually active gay and bisexual men. However, there's at least one stipulation, The Advocate reported: A gay or bisexual ...
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TPAN announces merger with Vivent Health
Local HIV/AIDS organization TPAN announced Jan. 19 that it would be merging with Milwaukee-based Vivent Health. The merger is expected to be finalized by March 1, according to both organizations. Vivent Health, so named in 2019, ...
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One in five older LGBT adults experienced poverty during the COVID-19 pandemic
--From a press release
A new report from the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law found that during the COVID-19 pandemic LGBT adults aged 50 and older were more likely to have household incomes below the federal poverty level ...
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Controversial conversion therapy doc has its Chicago premiere
Chronicle Cinema presented the celebrated and controversial documentary film Conversion in its Chicago premiere on Jan. 12. The nearly sold-out premiere, which took place at the Landmark Century Centre Cinema, also featured a red-carpet experience and ...
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NATIONAL Asylum-seekers, equality updates, cannabis, HIV and COVID
Advocacy groups that specifically work with LGBTQI+ asylum-seekers and migrants criticized the Biden administration's expansion of the use of "expedited removal" of Cubans, Nicaraguans, Haitians and Venezuelans who enter the ...
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Pritzker signs bill protecting healthcare providers
Gov. JB Pritzker signed a bill explicitly offering protections to Illinois healthcare providers working on reproductive and/or gender-affirming care issues for their patients on Jan. 13. The bill, HB4664, also protects out-of-state clinicians who come to ...
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Illinois General Assembly passes legislation to protect reproductive and gender-affirming healthcare, leaders respond
--From a news release
From Equality Illinois Statement from Equality Illinois Deputy Director Mony Ruiz-Velasco on passage by the Illinois General Assembly of essential legislation to protect patients, providers, and families seeking and providing ...
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WORLD Murder suspect arrested, Israeli official, conversion therapy, couple's win
Kenyan authorities arrested a suspect in the death of fashion designer/LGBTQ+-rights activist Edwin Chiloba after his body was found dumped in a metal box by the roadside near the town of Eldoret, according to CNN. Last ...
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Howard Brown, union officials dispute allegations around sidewalk incident
As striking Howard Brown Health Workers United (HBH Workers United) members represented by the Illinois Nurses Association (INA) and their allies were picketing outside of the Andersonville Brown Elephant location at 5404 N. Clark St. on ...
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Howard Brown strike reaches third day
Amid layoffs of 60 unionized and four non-union staffers at multiple Howard Brown Health (Howard Brown), Broadway Youth Center and Brown Elephant locations across Chicago, over 400 HBH Workers United non-nurse members represented by the Illinois ...
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WORLD Conversion therapy, Indian school, trans boxers, anti-LGBTQ+ move
South Florida Gay News noted that efforts to ban so-called conversion therapy gained a lot of traction around the world in 2022. For example, Canada and France introduced LGBTQ+-inclusive bills to ban conversion therapy for minors ...
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2022: Gains made against a backdrop of attacks
There was no shortage of dramatic and consequential events to consider as the top stories for the LGBTQ+ community in 2022, and most of those events threaten to spill over into 2023: the Supreme Court's interest ...
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Howard Brown Health staff prepares for January strike
Illinois Nursing Association (INA) filed an intent-to-strike notice against the Howard Brown Health medical organization on Dec. 23, after negotiations between the two sides have further strained in recent months. ...
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Report released on online hate and gender-affirming providers
The Human Rights Campaign Foundation (HRC Foundation) has released "Online Harassment, Offline Violence: Unchecked Harassment of Gender-Affirming Care Providers and Children's Hospitals on Social Media, and its Offline Violent Consequences." ...
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Attorney General Raoul joins coalition to protect access to gender-affirming care
—From a press release
CHICAGO — Attorney General Kwame Raoul today stood up for transgender rights, joining a coalition of 16 attorneys general in filing an amicus brief supporting efforts to promote equal access to healthcare in West Virginia ...
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Their stories: Chicago scholar focuses their work on LGBTQ+ seniors
When we think about how LGBTQ+ age, helping people feel connected and "seen" is just one of the many ways a community can care for LGBTQ+ elders. It can contribute to their mental health as they ...
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Michael Horvich: A caregiver remembers his talented husband
Michael Horvich has had many roles in his lifetime, among them teacher, photographer and author. However, one of his most important was being caregiver to Gregory Maire—Horvich's husband of 41 years, who died in 2015. Maire ...
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Annual STRUT event shines spotlight on World AIDS Day
On the evening of Nov. 4, the annual STRUT fashion show celebrated its 13th edition at Joe's on Weed St. As in the past, STRUT shined its spotlight on up-and-coming young fashion designers while raising funds for ...
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276,000 transgender adults in the U.S. are enrolled in Medicaid
-- From a press release
More than 40% lack guaranteed access to coverage for gender-affirming care under state law An estimated 276,000 transgender adults are enrolled in Medicaid in the U.S., according to a new analysis by the Williams Institute at ...
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Howard Brown Health set to lay off 15 percent of the staff, union members respond
Just two months after Howard Brown Health (HBH) leadership and non-nurse employees represented by the Illinois Nurses Association (INA) finalized a three-year union contract, the nonprofit has announced that about ...
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Mpox Working Group sends letter to Congress calling for $900 million in funding
-- From a press release
WASHINGTON - The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) the nation's largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) civil rights organization, in partnership with 39 other leading public health, HIV/AIDS, medical ...
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Santa Speedo Run returns with plenty of holiday cheer
The 11th annual Santa Speedo Run took place at Sidetrack Video Bar Dec. 3. The event, a fundraiser for Center on Halsted, has grown exponentially year after year and has managed to take on a life ...
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NATIONAL Trans officials, marriage equality, Karl Schmid, Pelosi, Buttigieg
Video below
Once all of the newly elected officials are seated, there will be nine transgender state legislators (up from eight this year) and nine non-binary state legislators across the country, NBC News noted, citing The Victory Institute. ...
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Pritzker administration announces highly effective HIV treatment coming to Illinois in 2023
-- From a press release
CHICAGO — Governor JB Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) announced today on World AIDS Day that a new, long-acting HIV treatment called Cabenuva will become available to thousands of ...
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GLAAD responds to renaming of Monkeypox
-- From a press release
(New York, NY) - GLAAD, the world's largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) media advocacy organization, is responding to the World Health Organization (WHO) announcement recommending a new ...
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WHO renames monkeypox
On Nov. 28, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that monkeypox has been renamed "mpox." According to a press release from the organization, "both names will be used simultaneously for one year while 'monkeypox' is phased out. " ...
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Chicago's COVID level returns to 'medium'; boosters/shots encouraged
According to the latest information on the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) website, the city's COVID-19 risk level is now at medium level. In a news release, the Chicago Department of Public Health explained Cook ...
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Transgender Day of Resilience: Town Hall panelists tackle allyship, discrimination and immigration
Brave Space Alliance (BSA), Life Is Work (LIW) and Chicago Therapy Collective (CTC) hosted three free events across the city that they named—TDOR Weekend: A New Era, Together— to celebrate ...
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SHOWBIZ Grammy nominees, Gabrielle Union, Trevor Noah, Brendan Fraser
Out Magazine compiled a list of some of the 2023 LGBTQA+ Grammy nominees. Among those on the list were Brandi Carlile (who earned another seven Grammy nominations this year, raising her career total to 25), Lady ...
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Center on Halsted hosts health resource event for LGBTQ+ seniors
Center on Halsted hosted How to Plan for your Changing Health Needs, a Senior Citizen Resource Fair with a particular focus for members of the LGBTQ community on Nov. 8. A host of representatives from medical, ...
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QPOC and transgender elders become focus of grad school student's master's thesis
When we think about how LGBTQ+ age, helping people feel connected and "seen" is just one of the many ways a community can care for LGBTQ+ elders. It can contribute to their mental health as they ...
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Santa Speedo Run Northalsted to return, has raised more $500,000+ for Chicago's LGBTQ+ community
-- From a press release
CHICAGO (Nov. 1, 2022) The Santa Speedo Run Northalsted is back with a full afternoon of events that begin at noon on Saturday, Dec 3. Proceeds from the annual event benefit Center on Halsted, Chicago's LGBTQ ...
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SAVOR Matcha Cita
Just steps from the Morgan stop on the Pink and Green lines is a heavenly place. And if you don't believe this writer about Matcha Cita (1017 W. Lake St., with an additional spot at Studio ...
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NATIONAL Birth certificates, university items, drag-show standoff, 'Models of Pride'
Following a lawsuit from ACLU, ACLU of West Virginia and the Harvard Law School LGBTQ+ Advocacy Clinic, the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources' Vital Registration Office has introduced more accessible and safer policies ...
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Howard Brown Health's Big Orange Ball has 'Saturday Night Fever' theme
Howard Brown Health's Big Orange Ball was back in-person at Park West on Oct. 22—this time with a big (not orange) disco ball. About 300 people brought their Halloween spirit to the event, dressed in costumes ...
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WORLD Anti-LGBTQ+ countries, UK monkeypox/MPV, vigil, intersex activist
Video below
Thirty-four Commonwealth nations still have anti-LGBTQ+ laws—roughly three-fifths of the group's total of 53 nations, according to Erasing 76 Crimes. Worldwide, 69 countries still cling to such anti-homosexuality laws. Just ...
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Chicago Dept. of Public Health reports first two monkeypox/MPV deaths
On Oct. 21, the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) announced two deaths of Chicago residents caused by this year's monkeypox virus (MPV) outbreak. According to a CDPH press release, both individuals had multiple other health ...
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Racial-equity symposium in Andersonville on Nov. 5
Andersonville Chamber of Commerce (ACC), in partnership with Dynamic Cooperative, will host "Re-imagining Health, Safety and Racial Justice in Andersonville"—a free, one-day collaborative learning environment to explore the meaning of ...
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BOOKS Lesbian co-author discusses 'No More Police: A Case for Abolition'
"We don't need all the answers to start down the road toward where we want to go: a world where everyone has safety, food, clean water, shelter, education, health, art, beauty, and rest."—No More Police: A ...
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NATIONAL Cleveland's ban, LGBT center, Black Public Media, Folx Health
The Cleveland City Council passed a ban on conversion therapy for LGBTQ+ youth and impose criminal penalties for mental health professionals who provide it, cleveland.com reported. The ban, which Councilman Brian Mooney proposed, applies to talk, ...
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ViiV announces recipients of largest U.S. fund for HIV prevention in Black women
ViiV Healthcare announced the recipients of an $8-million investment to increase awareness and action around HIV prevention and care for Black women, according to a press release via CSR Wire. Funding will support community programs focused ...
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NATIONAL Health advisor, Supreme Court, Monica Roberts, bar promoters
Spahr Center Executive Director Adrian Shanker has been appointed senior advisor on LGBTQI+ health equity in the office of the assistant secretary for health at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, The Advocate reported. ...
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CDPH report: New HIV, AIDS diagnoses at lowest points since the 1980s; other STIs rise
-- From a press release
CHICAGO — The number of Chicagoans newly diagnosed with HIV and AIDS in 2020 was at the lowest level in four decades, according to a comprehensive new HIV and STI (sexually transmitted infections) report from the ...
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AIDS Run & Walk raises approximately $500K
Nearly 2,400 advocates, community partners, runners, walkers, volunteers, staff members and more gathered at Soldier Field on Oct. 2 for the 31st annual AIDS Run & Walk Chicago. The event raised approximately $500,000 (although online fundraising ...
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Quigley helps send letter about ending reproductive-care bias against LGBTQI+ individuals
-- From a press release
Chicago—U.S. Representative Mike Quigley (IL-05) and U.S. Representative Chrissy Houlahan (PA-06) sent a comment letter to the Administration affirming Congress's intent that health plans provide covered services regardless of gen ...
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National Day of Action reproductive-rights rally set for Oct. 8
In Chicago, a broad group of more than 40 organizations—including a who's who of reproductive-justice groups—is organizing a rally in solidarity with a National Day of Action to defend and expand access to safe and legal ...
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Harris receives Outstanding Leadership Award from IHA
Illinois House Majority Leader Greg Harris was presented the Outstanding Leadership Award at the recent Illinois Health and Hospital Association's (IHA) Leadership Summit in Lombard. Harris, who is retiring from ...
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Report finds systemic abuse in U.S. women's soccer
An independent investigation into the scandals that were revealed in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) last season found emotional abuse and sexual misconduct were systemic in the sport, impacting multiple teams, coaches and players, N ...
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Iceland releases extensive LGBTQ+ action plan
Iceland has published its extensive action plan on LGBTQ+ issues for the years 2022 to 2025, PinkNews reported. The strategy includes an end to discrimination for queer blood donors, training in LGBTQ+ issues for police, "appropriate ...
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WORLD Fertility strategy, trans youth charity, French PM, Mexican spots
The British government committed to a 10-year strategy to end discrimination against "female same-sex couples" seeking fertility services, according to Human Rights Watch. The first-ever Women's Health Strategy for England ...
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BREAKING Howard Brown Health nurses' strikes averted
On Sept. 30, the Illinois Nurses Association (INA)—which represents 30 registered nurses who work at Howard Brown Health—reached a tentative agreement with the North Side clinic, averting a series of strikes slated to begin Monday, Oct. ...
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Trevor Project returns donation from controversial tech company
The Trevor Project—a leading nonprofit devoted to the mental well-being of LGBTQ+ youth which wants "a world where all LGBTQ young people see a bright future for themselves," according to its website—has returned a donation from ...
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SPORTS Soccer legend leaves drug company; women's team in gold-medal game
Lesbian soccer legend Abby Wambach told ESPN that she intends to fully sever ties with a concussion drug company that is backed by former NFL quarterback Brett Favre and is at the center of a Mississippi ...
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Howard Brown Health nurses planning series of strikes
Thirty nurses employed by Howard Brown Health and represented by the Illinois Nurses Association (INA) will go on a series of strikes starting Monday, Oct. 3, ...
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MONKEYPOX/MPXV Rapid PCR test in development
Last spring, a rapid polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test for COVID-19—developed by Northwestern University spinoff company Minute Molecular Diagnostics—received emergency use authorization (EUA) status from the ...
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MONKEYPOX/MPXV More than 100 groups call for increased action
Human Rights Campaign (HRC) and the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) penned a letter to elected leaders calling for more funding and action to help stop the monkeypox (MPXV) outbreak. More than 100 LGBTQ+, health ...
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AIDS Foundation Chicago holding Women's Connection Summit of Hope on Oct. 6
-- From a press release
AIDS Foundation Chicago (AFC) is hosting a Women Connection Summit of Hope in partnership with the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC) to address the needs of cis and transgender women who have been recently released from ...
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Howard Brown Health partners with Chicago Dancers United
-- From a press release
Howard Brown Health and Chicago Dancers United (CDU) have announced a partnership to improve healthcare outcomes for local dance community members. Through the partnership, Howard Brown will be the go-to ...
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EPA launches Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights
The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) announced that it is establishing a new national office charged with advancing environmental justice and civil rights. The new Office of Environmental Justice and External ...
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WORLD Bias claims, Qatar policy, AHF pledge, drag queen dies at 28
People of color have accused several LGBTQ+ venues in the heart of the Gay Village in Manchester, England, of racism and racial prejudice, VICE noted. Ten Black, Asian and Latinx people who identify as lesbian, gay, ...
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NATIONAL Veterans bill, Charlie Crist, Task Force honor, Elton John
California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed legislation to assist LGBTQ+ veterans discharged under "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" (DADT) in updating their records and accessing education, health, burial and other benefits available ...
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AIDS Foundation Chicago hosts two-day event about unique challenges facing elders living with HIV/AIDS
AIDS Foundation Chicago hosted a two-part educational webinar about the complex needs of elders living with HIV/AIDS Sept. 22-23, where experts discussed how to better serve patients through healthcare, policies ...
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Chicago, Cook County drop to low COVID-19 community-level rating
COVID-19 case and hospitalization rates are steadily improving in Chicago and Cook County—moving both the city and county from the medium into the low COVID-19 level for the first time since early May, the Chicago Department ...
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Bisexual, pansexual leaders meet with HHS officials in historic roundtable
For Bisexual Awareness Week, bisexual and pansexual community leaders met with federal agency officials at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on Sept. 20 to discuss remedies to the health disparities facing the bisexual ...
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SHOWBIZ 'Watermelon Woman,' 'Dragula,' Indigo Girls, 'Dahmer' series
Video below
Cheryl Dunye shared a photo on Facebook confirming that her 1996 groundbreaking lesbian-themed film Watermelon Woman is now officially part of the National Film Registry Library. According to the library's website, some of the other movies ...
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Elle Lett keynotes 'Transgender Health Equity in Troubled Times' at symposium
Statistician, epidemiologist, physician-in-training and Boston Children's Hospital post-doctoral fellow Elle Lett kicked off the eighth annual Midwest LGBTQ+ Health Symposium with a keynote, "Transgender Health Equity in Troubled Times," on ...
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Gov. Pritzker adjusts COVID-19 requirements to address current needs
-- From a press release
Chicago — As part of his continuing plan to carefully unwind the state's COVID-19 executive orders, Gov. JB Pritzker updated testing requirements for school and childcare personnel, rescinding the requirement ...
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Indiana abortion law goes into effect; PPIL expands services
Sept. 15 marks the day that Indiana's near-total ban on abortion takes effect, according to IndyStar. Gov. Eric Holcomb signed the new policy into law in early August after the Indiana General Assembly passed the measure ...
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Illinois HIV Care Connect introduces its HIV and Aging Campaign
In advance of National HIV/AIDS and Aging Awareness Day on Sept. 18, Illinois HIV Care Connect has introduced its HIV and Aging Campaign. Persons aged 50 and older make up nearly half of persons living with ...
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Lindsey Graham proposes national abortion bill
On Sept 13, U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) introduced a measure that would ban abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy. It's the most significant proposal by Republicans in Congress to curtail the procedure since the ...
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WORLD Death in Bali, Chile constitution, Wales items, Israel petition
Video below
Bowing to pressure from activists, prosecutors in Peru launched an investigation into the suspicious death of a transgender man from Peru who died in custody in Bali after he was arrested for alleged cannabis possession, Gay ...
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NATIONAL Protests, Respect for Marriage Act, photographer, Fla. Democrat
The Inland Empire Pride festival in Riverside, California, was disrupted when far-right extremists demonstrated outside the event venue, The Advocate reported. Violent clashes erupted between protesters and those attending the ...
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