Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Cancer Survivor Program OutWithCancer Network

Cynthia Wade won the 2008 Oscar  for her short documentary Freeheld, about the 2006 struggle of New Jersey police officer Laurel Hester’s struggle to transfer her pension to her domestic partner during the final months of her life.

Hester, who worked as a detective  for 25 years, took on the locally elected Ocean County Freeholders as she battled cancer to give the financial security of her pension to her partner, Stacie Andree, a right automatically afforded to married heterosexual spouses.

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Gay and bisexual men on surveillance or “watchful waiting” for prostate cancer are urged to participate in this telephone survey. 

The Scott Department of Urology at Baylor College of Medicine and the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center is conducting a study to understand how cancer affects the lives of men on “watchful waiting” or surveillance for their localized prostate cancer. The goal is to create a new patient education program for men on watchful waiting, so we need to understand their concerns.

Participation in the research project will not cost you anything and does not affect your healthcare at MEDVAMC or any other Baylor-affiliated hospital.  You can be a patient at any hospital or clinic anywhere in the United States.

A short phone call to make sure they are eligible to be in the study and to schedule the interview
An interview that will last 60 to 90 minutes. The interview can be in person or on the phone, depending on where a man lives.
The interview will include questions about when you were diagnosed with prostate cancer, how you feel about having cancer, and how having cancer has impacted your life.
Eligibility
To be eligible for the study, a man must be

Diagnosed with localized prostate cancer within the last 3 years
No prostate cancer treatment (surgery, radiation, hormones)
Able to read and speak English
Able to receive project materials through the mail
All information is CONFIDENTIAL

Phone: 1-877-794-7852

E-mail: CancerOutcomes@bcm.edu

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LGBT individuals often face homophobia when coming out to their medical care provider. Heterosexist assumptions create the false perception that lesbians and bisexual women are not at risk for sexually transmitted infections. Many medical providers lack any basic knowledge about the lives of LGBT Americans and that lack of knowledge stands in that way of quality healthcare while putting patients at risk.  Indeed, this is why Malecare started it’s LGBT cancer project several years ago.

Consider the documentary Southern Comfort directed by Kate Davis, which followed the last year in the life of a female to male transgender person who was dying from cervical cancer. Robert Eads lived in rural Georgia and could not find a doctor willing to treat him for cervical cancer because he was transgender. The film follows Eads through his last year of life while his family and friends struggle with the possibility that his death was preventable but for transphobia. more to read at  http://www.rhrealitycheck.org/blog/2008/02/21/coverage-check-access-not-yet

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The ratio of uninsured gay individuals is 2:1 compared to heterosexuals. Even with the rising number of domestic partnership benefits, most homosexuals are excluded from the same benefits afforded to married heterosexual couples. Additionally, even with domestic partnership benefits, some gay men still refuse to come out at work due to the threat of homophobia. Complicating matters further is the issue of insurance carriers delaying benefits or refusing to take on individuals with preexisting conditions such as HIV or cancer.

The dilemma of health care and gay men is complex and disheartening for all these reasons and more. The American Cancer Society recently published data showing that, since gay men are less likely to have health insurance and seek out medical attention for reasons concerning homophobia, they are more likely to suffer from lung cancer, especially since gay men tent to smoke more (41 percent) than the general population. Incidentally, smoking is known to accelerate the progression of HIV disease.  http://www.planetout.com/fitness/article.html?coll=health_fitness&sernum=5388&navpath=/channels/health/

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OutWithCancer, at http://www.outwithcancer.com , the worlds first international program for  LGBT cancer survivors, celebrates Valentine’s Day.   LGBT cancer survivors find more than just support at OutWithCancer .  Several members have connected around their diagnosis and then found that they had more in common than just cancer.  “It’s a really great and helpful place to meet other cancer patients, who know that their diagnosis is just a start….and that life is about more than just cancer.”   OutWithCancer is part of the nonprofit, Malecare’s LGBT cancer project, which also includes lgbtcancer.com .

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