A report examining substance abuse issues in the city's LGBT community was unveiled by the Chicago Department of Public Health ( CDPH ) and community-based partners at a press conference that took place March 17 at City Hall. The report's release coincided with the Third Annual National LGBT Health Awareness Week, March 14-19.
Compiled by the Chicago Task Force on LGBT Substance Use and Abuse and entitled 'Abuse?,' the report is a 26-page document that details everything from key areas of concentration ( research, public policy, training, education and programs, and communications ) to first-person accounts from former addicts. There are also many resources listed as well as a glossary that defines items such as harm reduction and relapse.
A who's who of local public health experts, service providers, activists, and other community leaders appeared at the conference, including Lora Branch and John Wilhelm of CDPH; Joe Camper of VALEO; the mayor's GLBT liaison Bill Greaves; Michael Segobiano of the Mayor's Office of Special Events; Rick Garcia of Equality Illinois; and Jim Pickett and Mark Ishaug of AIDS Foundation of Chicago.
Wilhelm made it clear that drug addiction cuts across all socioeconomic areas but that substance abuse may be more prevalent in the LGBT community 'due to such factors such as stigma, homophobia, isolation, HIV infection, and others.' He congratulated the LGBT community 'for taking the collective and personal responsibility for [ tackling ] this difficult issue.' Wilhelm also called on all Chicagoans 'to be introspective and look at their use of substances and to seek appropriate counseling and treatment if they feel they have a problem. We must remove the stigma of substance abuse and discuss it honestly as the public health issue that it is.'
Greaves echoed Wilhelm's sentiments by stating that 'the best way to fight substance abuse is to talk about it openly and frankly.' He labeled the report as 'a catalyst for action' and said that it represents the good work done by bringing together a large and diverse group of people from every corner of the LGBT community throughout the city: community leaders, service providers, community organizations, and interested individuals. He insisted that the report is not meant to be an all-encompassing research document on substance abuse regarding Chicago's gay demographic; however, Greaves added that the information in it is intended to build healthy communities.
Branch declared that the problem of substance abuse is complex yet simple. 'The problem is multipronged and requires a multipronged approach. The call to action involves more treatment, better education and providers, heightening awareness of drug problems to legislators, conducting more research, and developing creative media and social marketing campaigns to address the wide range of experiences on that continuum of use to abuse,' she said.
Edward Negron, an activist whose story is illustrated in the report, said he did not hesitate to include his account because he hoped that others 'would not be ashamed of their substance abuse issues.' He also hoped that non-LGBT individuals would be more sensitive to the needs of the LGBT community. Camper said that, as a treatment provider, he was grateful for raising awareness of the issue and providing resources for those who need them. In addition, he said that, by offering a 'culturally sensitive environment' more people are able to overcome addiction for longer periods of time.
A question-and-answer session followed. In response to a question about bar owners blowing the whistle on their employees, 23rd District police commander Gary Yomoshiroya prefaced his answer by stating that law enforcement is just one facet of the fight against substance abuse. He then talked about the recent bar owners' forum at Sidetrack and the need to get treatment for troubled employees. A question also arose regarding how to stop ordering drugs over the Internet; Branch replied that there are several organizations ( Center on Halsted and Howard Brown Health Center, among them ) that have implemented programs and that many individuals are 'actively involved.'
Dealing with an inquiry about the perceived tolerance of recreational drug use in the LGBT community, Camper said that there may be a more tolerant subgroup within the gay demographic. However, he added that, while that might always be the case, it is up to providers and others to step up educational efforts.
One of the most controversial questions revolved around the issue of classifying the substance abuse situation as a crisis because of the recent arrests of prominent figures in the LGBT community, namely Michael Jackson ( formerly of CDPH ) and Michael Anderson of Howard Brown Health Center. Branch responded that 'we have considered this a crisis for a long time. We started this process a long time ago. It certainly has been heightened by not only what's happened here but what's going on in other cities.'
Greg Harris of 48th Ward Ald. Mary Ann Smith's office said 'this wasn't started because of one substance but because of the awareness that people were using and abusing substances, with catastrophic results. ... There was also research that the incidence of use was statistically higher in our community; THAT was our wake-up call. If anything, we're grateful that the whole visibility of the issue has been raised a little.'
Community leaders' meeting
On March 18 there was a breakfast meeting of community leaders at Ina's, 1235 W. Randolph, in which the report was officially released to community leaders from such organizations as Chicago Gay Youth and Amigas Latinas.
Branch emphasized that the document was something that its supporters wanted to be available and helpful to everyone. 'We wanted to make something that was accessible to many different types of populations. It doesn't matter if you're a church leader, community provider, or policy maker—we wanted to make sure that this document would point you in some direction,' she said.
In addressing the crowd, Harris said that what started the ball rolling was that 'we would talk about friends and loved ones who were suffering from drug use and abuse and ... realized that these private discussions needed to be brought out into the light.'
Harris also stressed that the release of the report has nothing to do with a drug that has been in the spotlight as of late: 'This is not a document about crystal meth. Crystal meth is [ just one ] drug that people use and abuse.' He went on to say that ' [ s ] ubstances in our community range from legal prescription drugs to the steroids you [ heard ] about in Washington to street drugs to party drugs to alcohol. In some recovery programs they talk about the elephants sitting in the livingroom that no one wants to talk about. A lot of us have these elephants—and our community needs to talk about [ them ] .'
Pickett, the lead writer of the report, pointed out that people had worked on the document for a few years: 'There were so many different players involved so it took a long time. It was edited, revised, and approved [ constantly ] . It had many permutations; there were probably a dozen iterations before [ the final version ] .' He talked about an aspect of the document that provided a more human element: the personal stories. 'I want to thank all the people who agreed to talk to me, many of whom did not know me from Adam.' Pickett also mentioned that the report 'is not the beginning [ or ] end of the discussion ... and I hope it advances the discussion.'
Vernita Gray of the State's Attorney's Office talked about dealing with addicts and those closest to them: 'In my work, sad to say, I see the victims of this kind of abuse. I see those people whose partners are hooked on drugs and are beating them up. Also, unfortunately in the felony courts, I see the families of those victims who have been murdered by partners who have been addicted.'
Gray also talked about another issue that may have escaped the minds of most people: 'In the other part of my job, I travel all over Cook County to talk to high school students about ending hate crimes. One of the [ similarities I have noticed ] is that whether I'm at a school at Oak Park, New Trier, Calumet City, or some other place is that gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender children are being harassed in every language. I also thought about how [ GLBT ] children are four times more likely to commit suicide. I'm glad that we've come together, but we also need to reach out to our young people.'
Note: A PDF version of the report can be found online at the Web site egov.cityofchicago.org/webportal/COCWebPortal/COC_ATTACH/LGBTsubstanceabusebook.pdf.