New US report: Women are more likely to experience poor mental health, but less likely to die from heart disease and breast cancer, than a decade ago

WASHINGTON– New data released Thursday by the Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR), as part of its Status of Women in the States: 2015 series, finds wide disparities across the states and among racial/ethnic groups when it comes to women’s health and safety. IWPR graded each state and the District of Columbia on Health & Well-Being…

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Anti-LGBT Texas lawmakers set to vote in an attempt to stop marriage equality in the state

Tuesday, the Texas House of Representatives is expected to vote on HB 4105, a last ditch effort to try to stop marriage equality in the state as the Supreme Court considers a case that could lead to nationwide marriage equality. Prohibiting state or local employees from recognizing, granting, or enforcing a same-sex marriage licence or…

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Asm. Chiu’s Equal Protection for All Families passes first committee

Thursday, AB 960, authored by Assemblymember David Chiu (D—San Francisco) and co-sponsored by Equality California, passed out of the Assembly Judiciary Committee. The committee voted unanimously to pass the bill, which now moves to the Assembly Floor for a vote at the end of May. The bill would update California’s assisted reproduction laws to help…

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Grammy-nominee Mary Lambert joins SAMHSA’s National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day

WASHINGTON — Singer/songwriter Mary Lambert joined U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Sylvia M. Burwell and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) in commemorating Thursday’s 10th anniversary of National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day. The national event, Strengthening Communities by Integrating Care, highlighted strategies for best supporting the needs of…

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Gay youth bullied more than straight youth, Boston Children’s Hospital study reports

BOSTON — A new study, published Thursday in the New England Journal of Medicine and led by Mark Schuster, MD, PhD, chief of General Pediatrics at Boston Children’s Hospital, shows that sexual minority youth (youth who identify as lesbian, gay or bisexual) are more likely to be bullied and victimized than their peers. “What really stands…

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UPDATE: Assurant Health Insurance reverses decision to stop covering Truvada as PrEP

A day after the news broke that Assurant Health Insurance would no longer cover the drug Truvada as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) to prevent contracting HIV, the company has reversed that decision. Mary Hinderliter, Assurant Health vice president of communications emailed LGBT Weekly today with the following statement, “We are reversing our decision and will be…

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Health insurance company stops covering Truvada as PrEP

A national health insurance campany has announced that it will no longer cover the drug Truvada as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) to prevent contracting HIV. The insurance company, Assurant Health, have notified customers who had been taking Truvada (comprising the antiretrovirals tenofovir and emtricitabine) as PrEP, reports POZ.com. The insurer has stated that it would end…

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Inaugural class of RISE Urban Leadership Fellows Program announced

SAN DIEGO, Calif – RISE San Diego announced its 2015 RISE Urban Leadership Fellows at a reception on the University of San Diego (USD) campus May 1. The program, which is delivered in collaboration with the USD School of Leadership and Education Sciences (SOLES), uses an adaptive leadership approach that requires active engagement and deep…

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Oregon to Join California, New Jersey and DC in protecting LGBT youth from conversion therapy

SALEM, Ore. —Today, the Oregon State Senate passed HB 2307, a bill that will protect lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) youth from the dangerous and discredited practice of conversion therapy. The bill was overwhelmingly approved by the State House on March 17 and is now heading to the desk of Gov. Kate Brown who…

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Path2Parenthood launches ‘Family Building Guide’ as an app

NEW YORK — In order to meet heightened demand from a new, younger patient demographic, Path2Parenthood (P2P), formerly known as The American Fertility Association, has made its respected and well-known Family Building Guide available as an app. The Path2Parenthood Family Building Guide has been successfully meeting the needs of hopeful parents for over 20 years. In…

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