Things You May Not Know About Queer DC

This post was submitted by Tyrone Hanley, a "black snowflake."

DC is a pretty gay place. However, with the great racial, class, and gender divide of the DC queer community there may be a few things that some TNG readers may not know about queer DC. Here are some of those things:

• "Gender identity" and "gender expression" are included in DC’s Human Rights law. DC actually has one of the most progressive policies protecting one’s rights based on an individual’s gender identity and expression. Under these polices, one has the right to use a bathroom that matches his/her/hir gender identity and single-stall bathrooms cannot be labeled gender specific. Contact the DC Transgender Coalition to find out how to get involved in promoting and enforcing these rights and more information about gender identity and expression protections in the District, go to http://dctc.squarespace.com/. For more on the DC Human Rights Act go to its website.

• Transgender Health Empowerment (THE) is about to open DC’s first transitional living house for homeless LGBT youth - The Wanda Alston House. THE is hosting an opening for the house on Tuesday, July 8th from 4:30pm-8:30pm at 804 46th ST, NE. You can visit THE at theincdc.org.

• DC has a VERY high rate of HIV infections. It is estimated that 1 in 20 people living in DC are infected with HIV, making it the top city for HIV infections in the U.S. Black men who have sex with men (MSM) in DC have been the most impacted. 63% of MSM newly diagnosed with HIV infections in DC from 2001-2006 are Black. HIV/AIDS is still a serious EPIDEMIC. One may not know this given the focus of (white) mainstream LGBT advocacy organizations. For more information about HIV in DC, visit the DC Department of Health’s website.

• DC’s Youth Risk Behavior Survey reported 12% of DC Public School students who took the survey identify as Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, or “Unsure.” View the DCPS YRBS GLBT fact-sheet online.

• In June, Different Avenues (a DC organization that works for the rights of youth and young adults impacted by HIV discrimination and violence) released a report on the impact of the policing of sex workers. One of the key findings was that Latinos, transgender people, youth and young adults were disproportionally subjected to police mistreatment and abuse. You can see the report online.

• La Clinica del Pueblo is opening soon a youth center for Latino gay/bisexual young men and young transgender women in Mount Pleasant. For more information, contact Jose Ramirez at jramirez@lcdp.org.

Do you know of other community resources that we should know about? Let us know via the comments, or submit a post.