The last LGBTI Health Summit, held in August of 2002 in Boulder, was a powerful five-day community that came together to address issues affecting health and wellness. At the conclusion, participants resolved to gather every two years to maintain and expand the national conversations around topics relevant to LGBTI lives.
The next Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Intersex Health Summit will be held Aug. 25- 29, 2004 in Cambridge, Mass.
'We are a community comprised of many genders, sexual orientations, races, ethnicities, and ages. We revel in our differences, knowing that it makes for a unique atmosphere where otherwise unheard of conversations can take place,' organizers said.
Organizers said that 'advances have been made since the last Summit which would have only been dreams not too long ago':
— The U.S. Supreme Court struck down Texas' anti-gay sodomy law, thus striking down any sodomy laws across the nation.
— The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled that excluding same-sex couples from civil marriage is unconstitutional.
— The Domestic Partner Rights & Responsibilities Act (Assembly Bill 205) went into effect in California.
— Broader protections for transgender people were enacted in more municipalities, corporations, and universities.
— An openly gay man was elected Bishop in the New Hampshire Diocese of the Episcopal Church.
— Canada legalized gay marriage.
'However, we still have specific needs around healthcare access, research, and strengthening our communities,' the group stated. 'Some have become all the more crucial in the context of an election year, while others represent long-term efforts to raise the levels of health and well-being for all of us.'
A few topics:
— Challenges to funding of NIH research relating to sexuality and/or HIV.
— The apparent rise in both HIV infection and syphilis in gay men.
— Newly funded research on lesbians and heart disease.
— The need to expand tobacco cessation activity.
— Increased visibility and media exploitation of life on the down low.
— Expanding notions of family to include traditional and non-traditional manifestations.
'Even with the urgency of many of these topics, the Summit is also a place to relax with friends and become reinvigorated for the work we do,' organizers said. 'The Summit will be held at the Royal Sonesta Hotel, overlooking the Charles River, across from Boston. It is convenient to public transportation and a wide variety of dining options. There is a pool, hot tub, fitness center, riverside patio, and free loaner bicycles for a ride along the Charles River. The entire hotel has wireless Internet access, and there are numerous places to settle down for a quiet moment or a conversation. As with past Summits, registration fee and hotel rates are being kept as low as possible.
'These health summits have been successful and enthusiastically received as a direct result of our commitment to grassroots organizing.'
For information or to volunteer, please send an e-mail to Thomas Lewis, administrative coordinator for the LGBTI 2004 Health Summit, at tlewis@jsi.com .