Each week HuffPost Gay Voices, in a partnership with blogger Scout, LGBT HealthLink and researcher Michael G. Bare, brings you a round up of some of the biggest LGBT wellness stories from the past seven days. For more LGBT Wellness visit our page dedicated to the topic here.
1
When Pregnancy is Fatherhood
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NPR reported on a first ever study on trans men who become pregnant. The findings show the men often experienced suspicion and hostility from the public, as well as healthcare providers, including denial of prenatal care. One participant even had Child Protective Services called on him. Researchers also reported prior testosterone use did not affect pregnancy.
2
LGBT Youth Smoking Rate 3x Higher Than Others
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Research in Minnesota has found that between 2011 to 2014, cigarette smoking by high school students dropped from 18.1% percent to 10.6 percent. Unfortunately, smoking rates stayed nearly 3x as high for queer youth. 37 percent of bisexual youth smoked, 29 percent of gay/lesbian youth did. Good thing LGBT HealthLink has just updated their best practices document for states entitled “Identifying and Eliminating LGBT Tobacco Disparities.”
3
HPV News
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The UK’s Joint Commission on Vaccination and Immunization has suggested that gay men be offered the HPV vaccine currently only available to adolescent women. We also learned that US states with high rates of vaccination have lowered cancer rates and that HPV can be transmitted through oral sex and kissing. For lesbians and bisexual women, a new study shows that HPV self-testing may be a great tool in HPV-related cancer prevention.
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4
UN Worried US Allows Torture of Queer Youth
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The UN Committee Against Torture expressed concern that 48 states still allow LGBT conversion or reparative therapy, profiling it for the first time as a human rights violation and potential torture. This followed testimony from one of our favorite organizations, the National Center for Lesbian Rights.
5
Protecting LGBT Health & Rights Pays Off
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Research that looked at “police abuse, violence, health disparities, access to employment and discrimination and harassment in schools” of LGBT people found that countries with pro LGBT laws had better economic growth!