Final Step in Process Ensures Transgender New Yorkers Have Access to Medically Necessary Care Posted by Melanie Nathan, March 19, 2015. The Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund (TLDEF) applauds news that transgender New Yorkers covered by Medicaid can now access the medically necessary health care they have been denied for nearly two decades. Governor […]
OPEN LETTER AS AIDS ACTIVISTS PRESS HRC ON HIV AIDS FIGHT
Open Letter to HRC Calls to Partner on AIDS/HIV Issues By Melanie Nathan, February 11, 2015. February 11, 2015 – New York, NY – The AIDS Coalition To Unleash Power (ACT UP) released the text of an open letter to Human Rights Campaign (HRC) as a follow up to its protest of HRC´s gala held on […]
New York State Acts to Remove Medicaid Ban on Transgender Health Care
Department of Health Proposes Regulation to Ensure Transgender New Yorkers Have Access to Certain Medically Necessary Care Posted by Melanie Nathan, Dec 16, 2014. New York, NY – The Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund (TLDEF) commends Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Department of Health for proposing a new regulation to end […]
Ebola Negligence in Dallas
Rueters reporting the patient traveled through Brussels | Airlines still not notified! By Melanie Nathan, October 01, 2014. Lest we forget that no amount of equality, human rights, decriminalization of homosexuality will save this world from badly managed disease, and from lack of medical supplies and resources to rural communities. Wake up world and wake […]
Boksburg Communiqué Report on SRHR and HIV/AIDS Services for Key Populations In ESA
By Melanie Nathan, September 23, 2014. I participated in this forum back in May, in South Africa, as a panel speaker with Justice Edwin Cameron, on the issue of homophobia in Africa and its impact on key populations, and was also panel chair. Here is, with thanks to SAfAIDS, the Boksburg Communiqué on the Tweet@ble […]
Malawi Religious Leaders Take Stand Against the Discrimination Fueling HIV
By Melanie Nathan, July 25, 2014. The Malawi Network of Religious Leaders Living with or Personally Affected by HIV and AIDS (MANERELA+) is a voluntary membership network of religious leaders living with or personally affected by HIV and AIDS in Malawi. It is an interfaith network, hence, people from any faith community are eligible to […]
Uganda Seeks to Introduce More Anti-Gay Laws to Stop NGO Services
By Melanie Nathan, April 28, 2014. It is clear that the Ugandan government is doing everything that the Hitler Government did – that which preceded the holocaust. As if the scapegoating and Anti-Homosexuality Bill is not enough, now the Ugandan Government is looking to close loop-holes in its new already onerous law, which became law […]
Medical Association Begs USA To Keep Funding Ugandan HIV AIDS despite Dangerous Raids
By Melanie Nathan, April 10, 2014. Michele Sidebè of UNAID warned Uganda before the enactment of the Anti-Homosexuality Bill that its policies could lead to disaster for all Ugandans when it comes to HIV/AIDS research prevention and services. We had a glimpse of the unfolding disaster last week when the Walter Reed Research project was […]
HIV AIDS Services Raided by Ugandan Police in War on Gays
More LGBT Ugandans placed at risk of death while Project left with no choice but to suspend activities By Melanie Nathan, April 4, 2014. According to a Ugandan Government spokesperson, and confirmed by an OBLOGDEE source at the scene, as well as AP reports, the Ugandan police raided The Makerere University Walter Reed Project in […]
Anti-Gay Christian Ugandans Rally in Shocking War on Gays
By Melanie Nathan, March 30, 2014. Updates with pics from the parade below Since the signing of the Anti-Homosexuality Bill, Pastor Martin Ssempa, in the name of Christianity, has been mustering up the forces for a huge rally to further endorse and celebrate the Christian Ugandan Anti-Homosexuality era, even usurping the notion of Pride with, […]
Marin County Opens Up on HIV AIDS
Marin launches outreach campaign to engage residents in response to HIV/AIDS San Rafael, CA – Greater than AIDS, the leading national public information response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic, has launched its Speak Out Campaign in Marin to encourage open communication about HIV in relationships and in the community. Printed ads will be displayed in mall […]
Concern as Uganda’s Anti-Gay law impacts HIV AIDS programs
Uganda’s Anti-Gay law could halt HIV/ AIDS programs among sexual minorities | A Call to Action by Spectrum Uganda Initiatives By Melanie Nathan, January 05, 2013. During 2013 Spectrum Uganda Initiatives Inc. provided health care and related services to Uganda’s LGBTI and HIV/AIDS community. The group reached close to 500 men who have sex with […]
ICASA Statement of the passing of former President Nelson Mandela
Dec 07, 2013. It is with great sadness and a profound sense of loss that we learn of the passing of Mr Nelson Mandela at his home in Houghton on 5 December. We join the many millions of people across the world in expressing our condolences to his family, to South African nation and the […]
Nelson Mandela 1918 – 2013
Nelson Mandela, our father has died. The man who believed in full equality for all, for everyone everywhere … One of the most remarkable human beings of all time By Melanie Nathan, Dec 05 , 2013. Our beloved Madiba, Nelson Mandela, has just died. With deep sadness we extend our condolences to Madiba’s family and […]
Unlawful Arrest of Ugandan LGBT Executive Director
Five men detained without cause By Melanie Nathan, November 14, 2013 Samuel K Ganafa, The Executive Director of Spectrum Uganda Initiatives and Board Chairperson of Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG), was arrested on Tuesday November 12, 2013. He had reported to Kasangati Police Station on the outskirts of Kampala pursuant to a phone call from the […]
100 arrested in mass civil disobedience action for Immigration Reform
We Belong Together and allies are turning up the heat in Washington DC! By Cathy Kristofferson, September 12, 2013 As I write this more than 100 women are being arrested in front of the House of Representatives in Washington D.C. They are part of a mass civil disobedience action calling on Congress to pass immigration reform that […]
Ghana Press misrepresents UNAIDS blaming AIDS and HIV on Homosexuality
By Melanie Nathan, August 20, 2013. In an unconscionable gross misrepresentation and twist of wording the press in the African country Ghana is seizing on the words of the UNAIDS (United Nation’s AIDS Organization) to further demonize homosexuality and local LGBTI people. Following a conference in Abidjan Cote D’Ivoire, as reflected in the example of […]
Mandela Critical
Posted by Melanie Nathan, June 23, 2013. Nelson Mandela’s health has deteriorated and he is now in critical condition, the South African government said Sunday. The office of President Jacob Zuma said in a statement that he had visited the 94-year-old anti-apartheid leader at a hospital Sunday evening and was informed by the medical team […]
Rev. Canon Albert Ogle gives three amazing reasons to celebrate IDAHOT
By Rev. Canon Albert Ogle – SDGLN Contributor As 100 countries celebrate IDAHOT today, United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon is calling for greater education to reduce the stigma and discrimination experienced by almost 50 million people living in countries (from a total 1.5 billion) where it is still illegal to be LGBT. In his […]
Today is World Health Day | focus high blood pressure and salt
By Melanie Nathan, Sunday April 07, 2013. So while there are probably many health issues we should be considering and on more days than once per year, here is what we can think about today- it may save your life. The World Health Organization (WHO) theme for World Health Day in 2013 is high blood […]
San Francisco Pride expects bigger crowd due to SCOTUS Prop 8 and DOMA decisions
SF Pride is looking for medical volunteers By Melanie Nathan, April 04, 2013 In an announcement naming Rock Medicine a partner in services to San Francisco Pride this year, organizers noted that this June, San Francisco Pride will need as many medical volunteers as possible because they will be expecting an increase in Pride attendees […]
LGBT Groups Challenge Medicare’s Refusal to Provide Healthcare to Transgender Patients
By Melanie Nathan, April 02, 2013. (Washington, D.C., March 29, 2013)—Last week, several national LGBT groups and a cooperating attorney filed an administrative challenge to Medicare’s ban on medically necessary healthcare for transgender patients. Medicare, which provides healthcare to Americans ages 65 and older and younger people with certain qualifying disabilities, currently prohibits all forms […]
After the Apology demands that HRC be all inclusive on all issues
Will HRC put its money where its mouth is? By Melanie Nathan, April 1, 2013 Thousands of LGBT community members and allies showed up at the steps of SCOTUS this past week to support marriage equality, and many were there because of the extraordinary organizing efforts of a coalition of LGBT organizations under the title, […]
Lord of Dance Gay Icon Stephen Fry visits Uganda in the same week Kill the Gays on Parliament’s Agenda
Melanie Nathan, February, 17, 2013. Thanks to Michael Petrelis it has come to my attention that British actor Stephen Fry has been tweeting about his arrival in Uganda. Fry describes himself on his Twitter accounts as “British Actor, Writer, Lord of Dance, Prince of Swimwear & Blogger – NEVER reads Direct Messages. London · http://www.stephenfry.com/ […]
Princes William and Harry remind us of HIV/AIDS stigma
“Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge, and Prince Harry have kindly written to us to celebrate 30 years of our fight against HIV,” notes the Terrence Higgins Trust, beside a heartwarming picture on the charity’s website, reminding of their mother, Princess Diana and how she broke barriers by embracing people with HIV and AIDS around […]
Atlanta area gay community’s inspiring project to save homeless queer youth
Lost-n-Found – A do it yourself homeless queer youth shelter By Cathy Kristofferson, January 29, 2013. Update Feb. 7 2013: Creating Change ’13 Conference session handout. In the fall of 2011 I saw posts online about a new queer youth shelter opening in Atlanta. Local homeless queer youth were being turned away from shelters and […]
Homeless Queer Youth – Emancipation, is it really so “out of the box”?
Legal emancipation can give homeless queer youth the tools they need to become independent By Cathy Kristofferson, January 21, 2013. Thinking about a comment I had heard that maybe we need to ‘think out side the box’ for solutions to help with issues of queer youth homelessness I thought of emancipation. It’s not a new […]
San Francisco Help LGBT Homeless Youth on MLK Day of Service
Help LGBT Homeless Youth on MLK – Day of Service, 1/21/13 At HRC and Larkin Street Youth Services, we believe that we have a responsibility to ensure the safety and well-being of our LGBT youth, who make up 40 percent of homeless and at-risk youth. In our first year participating in MLK Day of Service, […]
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