sexual health care

So when a friend of mine, a lesbian-about-town everyone knows and loves, asked, “Can you help me with my Pap smear?” I joked that technically, no, that’s above my pay grade. But I soon realized she really needed help.

It’s the worst and most severe global epidemic in modern history and the numbers are shocking: More than one in three women worldwide is a victim of physical or sexual violence.

Paula Ettlebrick died of ovarian cancer last week and a whole movement grieves her loss. Her beauty, passion, and intelligence do not come around very often. My close friend Adria died six years ago after a losing struggle with ovarian cancer and she was mourned by her lover, her son, an entire caseload of psychotherapy clients, and me. We played tennis together every Thursday at 1 p.m. for 15 years. Ruth, one of my best friends since college, died of ovarian cancer three years ago. I have not yet recovered.

Do a cluster of risk factors explain the high number of cancer deaths?

Eight million more women than men voted for Obama for president.  And one of the reasons we did was because of his purported position on reproductive justice issues like abortion and emergency contraception (EC). But with the stroke of 20 pens that is just what President Obama did, when he signed into law on March 23, the long awaited  "Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (H.R. 3590)" by pandering to pro-life Democrats.

In the wake of a smear campaign by anti-choice activists, GOP Congressmen seek to defund Planned Parenthood. Here's how that would affect us as queer women.

The founder of the National LGBT Cancer Network notes a new study that found LGBT breast cancer survivors are put off by the dominance of "cancer-pink" in advocacy and doctor's offices.

For years medical professionals have advised women over the age of 40 to get annual breast exams as a way to detect cancerous tumors. However, the new guidelines from the U.S. Preventive Service Task Force, which shun breast self-exams and suggest only women between the ages of 50 and 74 get mammograms every other year, are startling to some, while others welcome the recommendations. However, the new guidelines fail to mention lesbians.

A transgender woman, 23-year-old Lashai Mclean (pictured), was shot to death in northeast Washington, D.C., early Wednesday morning. Police say the investigation is still under way but, according to The Washington Times, the shooting occurred about 10 blocks from a group home for homeless gay and transgender youth where Mclean had sought housing assistance.

Massachusetts may join the growing list of states that will outlaw gay "conversion therapy" being practiced among minors.

Television personality Rachel Maddow wishes activist Phyllis Lyon happy birthday and talks about meeting long-time LGBT rights activists Phyllis and Del Martin for the first time when she was in college at Stanford, and how that experience changed her perspective on being out and fighting for equal rights.