Last month, Portland City Council officially recognized March 21st – March 25th as LGBTQ+ Health Awareness Week. The proclamation was made following a panel of guests from local health agencies, including Cascade AIDS Project, the Equi Institute, Portland Trans Housing Coalition and Quest Center for Integrative Health. CAP was proud to be represented by Public Policy & Grants Manager Jonathan Frochtzwajg and Prism Health’s RN Gender Care Coordinator Lindsey Sipos.  

 LGBTQ+ Health Awareness Week was first founded in 2002 to raise awareness about queer and trans communities’ distinct health needs and the discrimination, barriers and disproportionate negative health outcomes that LGBTQ+ people often face.   

 In Oregon, lesbian, gay and bisexual adults are more likely than their straight counterparts to engage in chronic disease risk behaviors, and almost twice as many lesbian, gay and bisexual individuals as heterosexuals report frequent mental distress. In a national survey, more than half of lesbian, gay and bisexual respondents and 70% of transgender and nonbinary respondents said they had experienced at least one type of discrimination in healthcare. This year, states across the country have also dramatically escalated legislative attacks against affirming healthcare access for transgender people.  

 Panelists emphasized gender-affirming care, affordable housing, and trans and nonbinary inclusive houselessness services as key areas where city policy can impact LGBTQ+ health for all Portlanders. Sipos detailed the positive outcomes of Prism Health’s fully-integrated gender affirming healthcare services—and the joy that can come with it: “...being there for someone as they describe the relief and pure excitement they feel, knowing that they are finally in a city where they feel safe enough to truly explore themselves, is something really special.”  

 Katie Cox of the Equi Institute and Portland Trans Housing Coalition explained how housing is intricately connected to LGBTQ+ health: “...Access to basic needs such as a roof over their head, safety, peer support, food, and hygiene gives residents the bandwidth to address more complex needs like obtaining insurance coverage and engaging in primary care.” According to the National Transgender Discrimination Survey, 23% of trans respondents living in Oregon reported becoming homeless because of their gender identity or expression.   

 Finally together under one roof, Cascade AIDS Project, Prism Health and Our House are proud to work towards strengthening LGBTQ+ health and wellbeing every day. “I hope that together, we can continue to do everything we can to make Portland a place where folks can live their fullest and truest lives,” said Sipos.   

About Cascade AIDS Project

CAP is a non-profit organization that was founded in 1985 as a grassroots response to the AIDS crisis. As the oldest and largest community-based HIV services provider in Oregon and southwest Washington, we seek to support and empower all people with or affected by HIV, reduce stigma, and provide the LGBTQ+ community with compassionate healthcare. We do so by helping to ensure the health and well-being of our program participants each year through health, housing, and other social services. When the need for affordable, accessible, and culturally affirming primary care services was identified as a community need, we responded by opening Prism Health in 2017.  More information can be found at www.capnw.org.