News for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Physicians

Survey of gay, bisexual men zeroes in on HIV

A new survey aims to gather feedback from 25,000 gay and bisexual men to better understand the HIV epidemic from within the community. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is collaborating with Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University on the survey.

Gay and bisexual men accounted for more than 50 percent of all new HIV infections annually in the United States from 2006–2009, according to the CDC. The CDC hopes the survey will offer insights to help target prevention efforts for gay and bisexual men, provide inspiration for new interventions and serve as an educational tool.

Upon completion of the survey, respondents will get personalized insight and feedback in the form of videos and interactive media to encourage prevention. The survey is accessible online, and for every completed survey a donation will be made to the It Gets Better Project.

An AMA resource can help clinicians learn more about gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender health issues.

Fathers of the Year list highlights GLBT legal parenting hurdles

Esquire's latest all-about-fatherhood issue honors a number of outstanding dads in its "Fathers of the Year 2012" list.  However, Steven and Roger Ham, partners for 19 years, have grabbed the spotlight as the parents of 12 adopted foster children in Arizona, six of whom were siblings who had been separated and the Hams fought to reunite.

Although Steven and Roger have been lauded by Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer for their effort, it's only recently that their children have legally been able to call both of them dad. This is because Arizona, as well as several other states, does not recognize same-sex marriage or second-parent adoption. So while both Steven and Roger were equally involved in raising their children, Steven was the only one with custody rights of the 10 children adopted in Arizona.

With only one legal parent, children in gay households also are not entitled to health and Social Security benefits, inheritance rights or child support from the other parent. An attorney from Washington, which allows same-sex partners to adopt together and where the other two Ham children were adopted, recently offered to handle the adoptions of the other 10 children for the price of one adoption.

Now both legally parents, the Hams together have much more legal control over their family and have brought their struggle into the spotlight. Unfortunately, there are many more gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender couples across the country lacking this legal protection. AMA policy supports the right to co-adoption for same-sex couples.