KNOWhomo

LGBTQ* Comics and Graphic Artists You Should Know

Tim Barela’s Leonard and Larry 

LGBTQ* Bans and Health Codes 

Since 1983, during the advancing years of HIV/AIDS scare, the FAC (Federal Advisory Committee) has placed a ban on gay* men donating blood. When filling out the blood donation questionnaire provided, donors are asked (if male) if they have slept with another male since 1977. If they answer yes, they are then told they cannot donate.

The FAC will be reviewing the policy again in the next few years (it failed to overturn the ban in 2010). 

LGBTQ* Stories of Survival

“I’m living proof that Hitler didn’t win.

I’m aware of that every day.” The speaker is Friedrich-Paul von Groszheim. (pictured above) At the age of eighty-eight, this charming gay man celebrates his birthday twice a year. “You never know,” he says.

One can hardly imagine the suffering he endured. Von Groszheim was among 230 men arrested in Lübeck in the course of a single evening in 1937. The police hauled him from his home and imprisoned him for ten months. He was released, but re-arrested. This time, the Nazi authorities forced him to choose between castration, or incarceration at the concentration camp in Sachsenhausen. He submitted to castration.

His nightmare had not ended, however. In 1943, von Groszheim was arrested a third time, and was put into a satellite camp of Neuengamme. He survived that ordel, but half a century would have to pass before he started to tell his story.

— Dr. Klaus Müller

Introduction to THE MEN WITH THE PINK TRIANGLE

LGBTQ* Laws and Issues You Should Know

Ban on Gay* Blood Donations

Since 1983, during the advancing years of HIV/AIDS scare, the FAC (Federal Advisory Committee) has placed a ban on gay* men donating blood. When filling out the blood donation questionnaire provided, donors are asked (if male) if they have slept with another male since 1977. If they answer yes, they are then told they cannot donate.

The FAC will be reviewing the policy again in the next few years (it failed to overturn the ban in 2010). 

Tumblr user I Have Fears Too (warning: site sometimes NSFW) has paired with Change.org to create a petition to help share the voices of those who wish to overturn this ban. If you’d like to participate and be one of the 100,000 people who sign this petition before it is passed on the D.C., you can click HERE, contact your representatives and senators or research more on your own time.

(http://www.change.org/petitions/lift-the-restriction-on-gay-men-from-donating-blood — full link of petition) 

LGBTQ History You Should Know

PLACES —

Everard Turkish Bath House

* 28 West 28th Street in New York City that operated from 1888 to 1985

* Was formerly a church building

* Was originally intended to be a health/fitness spa for the general public — this changed as bathhouses became to “safe” space for gay men with the growing homophobic/Victorian idealism in the United States

* Bathhouses hit their peak in the 1920’s (over 57% of NYC/Manhattan’s Baths were catered towards gay men)

* 1915 - Everard was raided (nine arrests) for lewd behavior

* 1920 - Second raid (fifteen arrests) for lewd behavior

* 1930s had a reputation as “classiest, safest, and best known of the baths,” eventually picking up the nickname, Everhard.

* On May 25, 1977 a fire broke out in Everard. Firemen noted contributing factors were the outdated exits, fire detectors, deteriorating conditions of the building and lacking sprinklers. Nine patrons died.

* Later reopened.

* It was officially closed by Ed Koch, New York City Mayor, in 1985 (during the wide sweep of bathhouses, bars and clubs being shut down to try to “handle” the AIDS epidemic)

* References:

McGarry, Molly, and Fred Wasserman. Becoming Visible: an Illustrated History of Lesbian and Gay Life in Twentieth-century America. New York: Penguin Studio, 1998. Print.

 Colter, Ephen Glenn. Policing Public Sex: Queer Politics and the Future of AIDS Activism. Boston, MA: South End, 1996.

LGBTQ* History You Should Know

(and then what happened)

Following the liberation of concentration camps, many gay survivors (the pink triangles) were placed in prison by German authorities. Since concentration camps were not considered “jail,” homosexual men were still in violation of Paragraph 175 (a law outlawing homosexuality in Germany) and were then placed in prison to serve time for breaking the law.

To this day, not one single gay survivor or family member has been given financial payments by the government in Germany. 

LGBTQ* Health and Wellness Advice

Coming Out To Your Doctor

Following text from About.com (text caters towards men)

Why you should come out to your doctor.

You may not feel comfortable coming out to your doctor, but there are specific gay health concerns (beyond HIV) that need to be addressed, such as HPV and anal cancer, hepatitisand syphilis. Coming out to your doctor gives you an opportunity to be more open about your life as it relates to your health and better discuss a plan to stay healthy. Doctors have an obligation to maintain patient confidentiality, so arm them with the information they need to better manage your care. 

What to do if your doctor is not gay friendly.

Coming out to your doctor is about taking better care of your health. Know that some medical professionals are less gay-affirmative than others and may not provide advice (or a bedside manner) suitable for LGBT people. A friend recently came down with a severe flu. He went to his general doctor (of years) expecting a routine diagnosis. She callously asked if he was gay and (without diagnosing him) recommended he visit the nearest HIV clinic. He left the office in a panic—an unnecessary one. A second opinion confirmed that his illness was in fact the flu and not HIV.

Not all medical professionals are this callous when it comes to gay patients. Most are aware that being gay is not synonymous with HIV. By coming out to your doctor early, you can assess how receptive (and sensitive) they are to gay health concerns before you need them in an emergency.

Finding a gay-affirmative doctor.

These quick steps can help you find a gay-friendly doctor in your area.