Hey Everybody!!!! It's Day 1

The LGBTI Health Summit is great and you just might want to attend next year. That is if you like being informed, helping folks, bonding with really cool folks and making life better for yourself and others.

OK, all that hype so, I'm sure ya'll are like what's happening at the Summit. Maybe who the heck I am first might be best. Hi, there! I'm Blue. I'm the Interim Executive Director of The Lesbian Gay Bi Transgender Community Center of Metropolitan St. Louis. I'm here to take valuable information back to my community particularly on LGBT health issues due to tobacco. Also I'm here to let ya'll know what's going on here. So on that note.

Shän and I came in yesterday evening and got settled in after a great meal at the hotel restaurant Bistro Off Broad. Then we hooked up with the folks from The National LGBT Tobacco Control Network of The Fenway Institute in Boston, our sponsor. It was cool having faces to match the names but chillin' with cool people, like I said, is the best. After all that it was nighty, night time. Then....

RISE AND SHINE at 7 AM to get ready for the day. We headed out for the Plenary and a quick bagel with a bottle of juice. The plenary, "Bodies, Health, Gender and the Future" set the conference off well. The purpose was to present issues that Intersex and Transgender people, from infants to adults face and discuss how the larger LGBT and mainstream community can support and advocate for Intersex and Transgender community members. The main answer that I gathered was to be educated. For instance, know that if a child is born intersex that cutting (mutating) their genitals is a problem for that child immediately (extreme pain from the cutting and healing process) and throughout their lives (the unnessasary surgeries could leave the person without sensations, with anatomy that doesn't match their gender identity and a host of other issues from forcing their bodies to do things unnatural to its design). This may seem like logic to some of ya'll. It did to me. Yet many in the health industry disagree and have caused massive pain to a lot of people. Darlings, we saw a wonderful film during the session called, "One in 2000" by Ajae Clearway, and one point that messed me up was that 5 infants a day, yes, a day, are, in my opinion, genitally mutilated. If you feel I'm being a little dramatic then go to www.fanlight.com and get the film. See for yourself. I personally had the privlege to hear a panel give some of their experience and lots of their opinions on the health issues of intersex and trans people. Again education is the key. We have a lot of children to protect and a big mess from the past to help our Intersex and Trans family members to clean up.

After that emotionally stirring session Shän and I got to sit tight for the first session/workshop of the day, "How the Tobacco Industry Targets Queer America". This began really fun. We played "We're in JEOPARDY". The facilitators asked us questions about statistics on Queer folks in California in relation to tobacco use. Ted from the California LGBT Tobacco Education Partnership brought his media stuff and facts. If you answered right or wrong.... basically, if you participated you got a cute little Ciggy Buttz doll. Ciggy is really cute and supports you in giving up the butts. We also saw a few anti-smoking video ads and some cool print ads. Why all this effort you might ask. Smoking is a huge issue in the LGBT community. It is bigger than alcohol. And it's making people really sick if not killing them. And, the tobacco industry is focused on us with a laser beam. Why? We're great customers. So during the conference there are a lot of workshops focused on educating and helping the community on tobacco issues. Jamie from Central Indiana Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Agency told us how her agency assists the minority populations to stop smoking and also asked our suggestions on working with the LGBT community. We left this session with our Ciggy Buttz doll, 2 Ciggy Buttz band aids dispensers, two Ciggy Buttz.com catalogue of anti-smoking fun stuff and lots of media information to use at home. Next was....

LUNCH! Goodness we were hungry. We went to Whole Foods with Marta and had a good walk then great food. Sweethearts, its all about vegan chocolate chip cookie bars. Yes, yes.

For the next session Shän and I split up (just to do different tasks... don't get excited). I went to the "Missing In Action; why is the B missing from most LGBTI Health Services?". It was great being in a workshop facilitated by Julie from Fenway Community Health. She's a big ol' Bi Activist and just super cool (one more reference to cool folks at these sorts of events, uh hun.). We talked about the definitions of bisexual, biphobia and bi-invisibilty. From there we started talking about the issues bi folks have when seeing a health professional. Julie kept us on task and we flowed right into how we can help improve the experiences of bi folks in health care situations. Some of the suggestions were advertise with media (posters, websites, etc.) that shows recognition of bi folks; train staff to be educated on bi individuals; Bi folks that inquire about a physician ask if they have bi clients and what is their experience with bi people. For referrals (besides your local LGBT community center) was www.bizone.org/bap for "Bisexually Aware Professionals" and 'Gay and Lesbian Medical Association' website.

Shän and I now played hookie and took an hour to sit in the lobby. Well, maybe not just sit. Shän, as you saw, started her blogging and I worked to begin coordinating our weekend schedule (had just got our hands on the schedule this morning). So it was an hour of non-workshop work. At the end of the hour I went to the Sound Healing session. It was WONDERFUL. A guided meditation with candle light, singing bowls, bells and rattles, what more can a stressed out girl ask for? Marta indulged also and we were really ready for the evening afterwards. Tony, our guide, was very calming and educated us on the powers of sound. I am so happy I got to attend this session.

After this session was Me Time or Our Time for Shän and I. We did some love work for The Center but then we ate dinner. And here I am chatting with ya'll. I'm gonna go now cause Shän is looking at me like I'm gonna explode if I keep typing for one more minute. But don't worry I'll be back on the blog tomorrow to let ya'll know all the happenings.

Have a beautiful night and see you in the morrow.


Love,


Blue