The FDA has ruled that a new at-home, over-the-counter HIV test is safe and effective, and it may be on the market soon. 

An FDA advisory committee voted unanimously that OraSure’s positive effects, namely its ability to prevent new infections and improve access to medical services, outweigh the potential for false results. That is to say it’s acknowledged that the test is not perfectly accurate, showing results that are less precise than those that would stem from a traditional HIV test. 

The test is an oral swab rapid test that gives results within 20 minutes. If it’s approved and marketed, the test would sell for under $60. More on accuracy from the Chicago Tribune:

FDA officials said the OraQuick In-Home test showed a high degree of effectiveness in detecting HIV infection. But some research data suggested the test lacked sufficient sensitivity to avoid false negative results.

False negatives are of particular concern because they could lead HIV-positive individuals to take fewer precautions, raising the danger that they will engage in unprotected sex.

Some panel members argued for strongly worded labeling about false results and procedures to link those who telephone a company hotline with questions with healthcare professionals.

This could be incredibly important for a lot of people. Excited to see what happens next.

Senators in Argentina yesterday approved a law that will let trans people get medical procedures like bottom surgery and hormone therapy as part of public or private health care plans. 

Details from the Washington Post, who will phrase it more eloquently than I:

It gives people the legal right to officially change their gender without having to go to court for a judge’s approval, and obligates health care companies to provide them with surgery or hormone therapy on demand.

Other countries, including neighboring Uruguay, have passed gender rights laws, but Argentina’s “is in the forefront of the world” because of these benefits it guarantees, said Cesar Cigliutti, president of the Homosexual Community of Argentina.

Treatments related to gender changes will be included in the “Obligatory Medical Plan,” meaning that both private and public health care providers will not be able to charge extra for the services.

This is pretty huge. Argentina was the first country in Latin America to legalize marriage equality, so this does seem like a valid next step. We’ll get there too. 

The National LGBT Cancer Network, an organization advocating for LGBT cancer survivors and more competent cancer care for LGBT people, has expanded its directory of LGBT-friendly cancer screening facilities.

The directory helps people to locate facilities that welcome LGBT patients into a safe, affordable and sensitive environment. The updated directory includes facilities in more than 40 states and Washington, D.C., and its creators say they’ll keep working at it until “every LGBT person in the country is within driving range of a safe and welcoming facility where they will be respected.”

More details from Queerty:

The directory is particularly essential to trans patients, who frequently face discrimination in medical services. (One out of five transgender patients has been turned away by a healthcare provider.)  Even compassionate doctors may not be aware of relevant data or necessary tests. For example, estrogen therapy and breast implants may affect incidents of breast cancer in trans woman, while trans men may be hesitant to undergo mammograms or breast-cancer screenings in the first place.

Acknowledging that LGBT patients are disproportionately likely to be uninsured, the directory also includes information on facilities that do not require health insurance.

This is important. If you know someone who could use services like these, pass it on - and don’t forget to get yourself checked out regularly. 

There’s a movement to revamp the Violence Against Women Act to include greater protections for LGBT victims of sexual assault. As this blog post from the Washington Post points out, these modifications are direly needed.

Only 24 states use federal funding to support LGBT-specific anti-violence programs, but anti-gay violence is everywhere. This piece starts off with a chilling account of a violent relationship between two women, one of whom simply didn’t know where to turn when things were at their worst.

The rate of domestic violence among LGBT couples is about the same as for heterosexual ones — an estimated 25 to 33 percent experience abuse in their lifetimes, according to National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs. But LGBT victims are significantly less likely to seek out help: 45 percent of them have been turned away from domestic violence shelters, and only 7 percent call the police after an incident of domestic violence. LGBT women are particularly at risk: they’re victims of the majority of murders related to domestic violence in the gay community, the coalition says.

This actually does happen all the time, but it’s clearly underreported, and mainstream media outlets may be hesitant to cover it. This article points out why the suggestions to the Violence Against Women Act are needed right now, especially as the world slowly tilts left on gay rights.

Give this story a read. It’s a little-heard perspective on an important issue.

Researchers at UCLA have drawn on findings from 2009 to develop a genetically engineered stem cell that kills HIV in mice.

As it’s working on a living organism, the researchers believe it could be the beginning of an “aggressive approach” to attacking HIV cells in humans as well. More on how it works:

After implanting engineered stem cells into virus-affected mice, the researchers found the cells developed into a large population of “mature, multi-functional HIV-specific CD8 cells that could specifically target cells containing HIV proteins.”

HIV may mutate slower in mice than humans, so researchers are working on ways to combat that difference.

Oooh, so cool. This is very, very exciting news.

Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel released an “LGBT Community Action Plan” on Friday that examines the specific health problems faced by LGBT people and proposes ways to solve those problems.

Some of the health concerns of Chicago’s LGBT population, according to the document, are high rates of smoking, HIV among gay men, cancer and obesity among lesbian women, and a lack of health care that’s “culturally competent” and specific to the needs of LGBT people, as well as bullying and hate crimes targeting gay and transgender people.

Proposed solutions include health care providers collecting information about patients’ sexual orientation, health care training that caters more towards LGBT health issues, and a better method of reporting hate crimes. The plan would focus specifically on policy work within the City of Chicago, and the city would work with health care providers to implement these policies.

This sounds like a pretty great way to address the needs of a community that’s often looked over when it comes to health. What do you think? Should health care for LGBT people use this localized, city-centered approach?

You’ve probably heard some buzz in the last couple of weeks about the Affordable Care Act, President Obama’s health care reform law that was passed in 2010 and seems to constantly demand our attention. Health care will undoubtedly be a major issue in the election and it’s something we can’t seem to agree on.

Brad Jacklin, who’s worked with Congress and now heads a project at the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, knows this law has benefits not just for the American public, but specifically for LGBT people. He explains them in the Huffington Post column linked above. More specifically, a couple to note:

• The law includes a clear rule that state insurance exchanges cannot discriminate against LGBT people or their families.
• There are tools readily available whereby people can search for insurance plans that offer benefits to domestic partners.
• Community health centers and other sites of localized health care will have more funding to offer greater coverage, a plus for LGBT people who want to seek health care in neighborhoods they know and trust.

It can be hard to comprehend a law like the ACA, but Jacklin seems pretty convinced that health care reform will be better for all of us, especially those of us who are LGBT. What do you think?

Children who display behavior unlike what’s expected for their sex are more likely to face abuse, according to new research from the Harvard School of Public Health. 

The study, published in the journal Pediatrics last week, says that gender nonconforming kids are more likely to suffer physical, psychological or sexual abuse from adults. “Discrimination against nonconformity” affects about 10 percent of kids and is likely to leave lasting effects, including post-traumatic stress disorder. 

Using the nationwide study Growing Up Today, researchers looked at responses from 9,000 young adults who recalled childhood experiences. These memories included feelings of masculinity or femininity, media characters they imitated and whether they suffered abuse.

Those who reported the most gender nonconformity were more likely to have been physically, psychologically or sexually abused, the study says. Young adults who didn’t conform to gender norms in childhood were twice as likely to suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder than those who did conform.

This is such important work, and it’s one of the biggest reasons we need to let our kids dress how they want, play with the toys they want and make the friends they want. Kids are kids no matter how they identify, and how we treat them at an early age makes a huge difference. 

Forced sterilization of transgender people in Sweden may soon come to an end, thanks to political changes facilitating a change in policy. 

Seventeen countries in the European Union currently require sterilization in order for people to change genders on legal documents. Sweden is currently one of them, mainly because a coalition of conservative groups called the Christian Democrat Party has historically blocked any efforts to change the country’s stance.

However, the Christian Democrat Party itself recently changed its position on forced sterilization, saying it wants the policy removed. This could be thanks to momentum garnered through online petitions and other forms of activism demanding action. 

As the article points out, it’s not certain that this change will happen anytime soon, but this is absolutely a step in the right direction. The concept of forced sterilization is horrifying, and every single accomplishment to beat it is important.