Dr. Anne Helene Skinstad is a Co-Director of the YMSM + LGBT Center of Excellence. She is the Project Director of the first National American Indian and Alaska Native Addiction Technology Transfer Center (ATTC), funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and a Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Community & Behavioral Health, College of Public Health, at the University of Iowa.

Her work has focused primarily on substance use disorders in women, substance use disorders in Native American and Alaska Natives, and substance use disorders among members of the LGBT community.  Dr. Skinstad received both her PhD and Cand.Psychol. degree (equivalent to Psy.D.) from the College of Psychology, University of Bergen, Norway.

Anne Helene enjoys skiing, playing the piano, and most of all spending time with her granddaughter, who was born in October 2014.  Anne Helene lives in Iowa City with her husband Peter and two Australian Shepherds, Sasha and Stella.  The photo is of Anne Helene and her husband.

Transgender Day of Remembrance is this Friday (November 20, 2015). This day memorializes victims of transphobic violence and concludes Transgender Awareness Week, which is a time to educate and advocate for transgender and gender non-conforming people and the issues they face.

According to the Human Rights Campaign, at least 20 transgender people have been murdered in the U.S. this year alone. This number is an estimate since accurate reporting continues to be a challenge (the documentation and medical records of a transgender person might not reflect the fact that they are transgender).

A 2011 national survey titled “Injustice at Every Turn” surveyed 6450 transgender and gender non-conforming people and found that 71% of respondents reported having experienced bullying, physical abuse, sexual assault, harassment, and expulsion from school.

Transgender Day of Remembrance events will be held across the nation (and internationally) this Friday November 20, 2015.  Many events include community member panel discussions as well as reading of names memorializing lives we have lost as a result of transphobia.

To find Transgender Day of Remembrance events in your area please visit:  TDOR Events

To learn more please watch our recorded webinar with JoAnne Keatley, MSW titled “Transgender people: Exploring our diversity and health service needs”. This can be found under our Resources Tab – Webinar Recordings.

November marks the celebration of National Native American Heritage Month. This is a time to honor the many achievements and contributions made by Native Americans.  Within the American Indian culture are many different practices, legends and people to celebrate.

Some people in the Native community may identify as “Two Spirit”. The term “Two Spirit” describes the cultural perspective, supported by many Native teachings, that some males are balanced by strong feminine identities, and some females are balanced by strong masculine characteristics. The term also describes many Native identities, including gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning and other identities.  Not all Native LGBT individuals identify as Two Spirit.

The National American Indian and Alaska Native ATTC, one of the partners of the YMSM + LGBT CoE, has a Native LGBTQ/Two Spirit Curriculum titled “Honoring our LGBTQ Relations” which will be available for Training of Trainer events (TOTs) within the upcoming year.

 

 

To learn more about the Native American LGBT Two Spirit population please join us for our next webinar on November 20, 2015 with Harlan Pruden.  Register today at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/V5WSXLF .

 

 

Dr. Freese is Co-Director of the YMSM + LGBT Center of Excellence. He is also the Director of Training for the UCLA Integrated Substance Abuse Programs (ISAP) and the Principal Investigator and Director of the Pacific Southwest Addictions Technology Transfer Center (PSATTC).

Dr. Freese has worked in the addiction field since 1983 and has developed and conducted trainings in 46 US states and internationally. He has conducted trainings on a wide variety of topics including implementing integrated treatment for co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders, SBIRT, medication assisted treatment, common medical issues in patients with substance use disorders and culturally responsive treatment for LGBT clients.

When he isn’t traveling or running conferences for 1000 attendees, Dr. Freese enjoys spending time with his family in Glendale, California. The photo includes his husband Paul and dogs Hazel and Henry.

 

The National YMSM Provider Summit was held on September 10‐11, 2015 at the historic Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood, CA. The meeting brought together 48 providers from all over the country. Substance use disorder, mental health, HIV providers and other experts discussed best practices and lessons learned to help decrease the rate of substance use and new HIV infections among racial/ethnic minority YMSM clients. It was a wonderful meeting in which attendees exchanged ideas and strategies. Thank you to everyone who contributed to its success! We are busy writing up all that was discussed and look forward to disseminating the meeting proceedings.

Contact Brandy Oeser at btoeser@ucla.edu

Promote Health Equity During LGBT Pride Month!

Please visit SAMHSA’s website for more information.

The lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community has unique health experiences and needs, and often faces disparities linked to prejudice, discrimination, and denial of civil and human rights.

SAMHSA is committed to addressing behavioral health disparities among vulnerable populations, including LGBT Americans, and will continue to work toward improving the access, quality, and outcomes of behavioral health services nationwide.

 

The White House complex
now has a gender-neutral bathroom

About 19% or 1,400 foster youth in Los Angeles County identify as LGBTQ. That’s about twice the percentage estimated for LGBTQ youth not in foster care. When we look at the breakdown of LGBTQ foster youth in Los Angeles County:

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