Bi Health Summit 2009

2009 Bi Health Summit, Chicago

Friday, August 14, 2009

8:30a-9:00a    Registration

9:00a-10:50a   Welcome, Keynote Presentations & Discussion: Current Research on Bisexual Health      Featuring Cheryl Dobinson, Bisexual Activist & Researchers

Keynote: Top Ten Bisexual Health Issues: What Current Research Tells Us

Description: Based on emerging evidence regarding disparities experienced by bisexual people with regard to health status, health risk behaviours and health service use, this presentation will focus on the “top ten” bisexual health issues outlined in the “Ten Things Bisexual People Should Discuss with Their Health Care Providers” document written by the presenter and Dr. Leah Steele for the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association in 2008. While the focus of the “Ten Things…” document is on educating the bisexual client, it is also of critical importance for health care providers and researchers to be aware of the health issues that disproportionally affect bisexual people.

Cheryl Dobinson, MA, is currently involved in research on bisexual mental health issues as well as on sexual orientation and health disparities in Canada. With Dr. Leah Steele, she co-authored the new "Ten Things Bisexual People Should Discuss with Their Health Care Providers" document for the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association in 2008. In 2003 Cheryl completed a study on bisexual health and wellness for the Ontario Public Health Association and was Bi Health Summit co-convener. In addition to working on projects such as the bi women's zine she founded in 2002, The Fence, Cheryl facilitates support groups, leads workshops and teaches courses on bisexuality.

Research Update: Health Disparities Experienced by Bisexuals in Massachusetts

Description: Increasingly, government surveys in the area of health are adding a question about sexual orientation. The Massachusetts Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System is a population-based study of residents health status, access and risk behaviors. It has asked respondents about their sexual orientation since 2001. The presenter will share information about health disparities experienced by bisexuals in MA using data from 2001-2007.

Stewart Landers, JD, MCP, has been a senior consultant at John Snow, Inc. (www.jsi.com) since 1994. He consults on issues related to HIV/AIDS, substance abuse treatment and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) health. Mr. Landers has also been an activist for LGBTI rights and health, and was co-convener of the 2004 National LGBTI Health Summit. He is also a Co-Chair of the 2009 Bi Health Summit at the 2009 National LGBTI Health Summit.  In addition to his consulting duties, Mr. Landers serves as an associate editor of the American Journal of Public Health for LGBT Health, HIV/AIDS, community planning and evaluation studies. In 2007, he launched his own blog: www.landershealthreport.blogspot.com

11:00a-12:00p     Panel 1: Bisexual Cultural Competency and Inclusion  (Moderator: AmyAndre)

Amy Andre, A co-author of Bisexual Health and a Point Foundation scholar, Amy André is a busy bi activist, and a consultant and writer. She has a master's degree in sexuality studies, with a focus on bisexual women, and has presented research at over 100 organizations and universities, including Stanford, Rutgers, and Brown Universities, and the Gay & Lesbian Medical Association. Amy’s writing appears in dozens of publications such as Getting Bi, Femmethology, ColorLines, and Curve. Amy recently earned an MBA in nonprofit management from UC Berkeley, and now consults for LGBT organizations. Visit her at www.amyandre.com, or email amy@amyandre.com.

Presentation 1: Culturally Competent Primary Care: Educating Providers about Bisexuality

Description: Bisexual people often feel uncomfortable disclosing their sexuality to their doctors or other health providers, which can result in lower quality care. Few health providers are truly bisexually-competent, providing little incentive for being open about one’s sexuality. How can both providers and health consumers help improve this situation? This presentation will highlight two recent tools developed to help providers and clinical students become more bisexually-competent and how consumers can advocate for their use.

Julie Ebin is the Co-Chair of the 2009 Bi Health Summit @ the LGBTI Health Summit. She is the former coordinator of the Boundless queer women's health series at Fenway Health in Boston, and one of the authors of "Bisexual Health: An Introduction and Model Practices for HIV/STI Prevention Programming." Julie was also part of the team that created Fenway's online LGBT Health provider training curriculum modules. Julie has presented workshops and trainings on topics such as "What Vaginas Want: Make Your Own Queer Women's Health Services," "Bisexuality 101" and "Working with Bisexual Clients." She can be reached at jebin@fenwayhealth.org.

Presentation 2: HIV Prevention and Services: Betwixt and Between Bi-phobic Education, Outreach and Testing Models

Description: HIV/AIDS remains one of the primary health disparities for the LGBT community.  As infection rates remain high among men and continue to grow in women, strategies and services to reach MSMW and WSWM continue to utilize mono-sexual gay or straight themes and fail to resonate with at-risk Bisexuals.  How can we improve outcomes here and reduce transmission?

Stephen David Simon is the AIDS Coordinator for the City of Los Angeles. The City’s fifth AIDS Coordinator since 1989, he is responsible for implementation and oversight of the City AIDS policy, advising the Mayor and City Council on HIV/AIDS issues, and development of City initiatives to fund prevention activities and support services for people living with HIV/AIDS. Prior to that Stephen served as the Associate Director of Government Affairs for AIDS Project Los Angeles (APLA), and was a founding attorney of the HIV & AIDS Legal Services Alliance (HALSA). An openly bisexual activist for nearly 20 years, Mr. Simon received his Juris Doctorate and Bachelors degrees at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).

Presentation 3: LGBTI Student Organizations around Chicago: Successes and Challenges

Description: The presenter will briefly discuss challenges and successes with having an LGBT organization on campus and how to create a welcoming environment for bisexual persons. As time permits, she will discuss ways to work collaboratively with other LGBT organizations at other schools within Chicago. Lastly, the presenter will describe different types of advocacy or volunteer work in which different LGBT school organizations can participate together.

Jessica Punzo is currently attending the Adler School of Professional Psychology in Chicago pursuing her PsyD in Clinical Psychology. She has completed her Community Service Practicum at the Howard Brown Health Center in Lakeview/Uptown area where she focused on internet outreach and prevention of HIV and STDs. She is also president of the LGBT student organization at the Adler School known as Adler Pride: GLBTQ & Allies.

12:00p-1:15p    Lunch (on your own)

There are plenty of nearby restaurants to please any pallete. Click here for a listing.

1:15p-2:30p    Panel 2:   Mental Health & Stigma  (Moderator: Stewart Landers)

Presentation 1: "It's like a weight": The Health Consequences of Stigma and Discrimination among Bisexual Women

 Description: Findings will be presented from the pilot study: The Women's Health and Identity Study (WHIS). The WHIS is a small (n=47), mixed-method study that explored the health status and behaviors of self-identified bisexual women, and their experiences of stigma and discrimination. For the purpose of this study, a "bisexual stigma" measure was created, meant to specifically capture dimensions of stigmatization as it pertains to bisexual women's experiences. Results from this new measure will be reported on, as well as findings related to the relationship between stigma, discrimination and substance use behaviors and mental health outcomes.

Wendy Bostwick holds a Masters and a PhD in Public Health from the University of Illinois at Chicago. As of August, 2009, she is an Assistant Professor of Public Health at Northern Illinois University. Wendy has been doing research on bisexual and lesbian women for nearly 10 years and prior to that was involved with a variety of community-based health agencies. Her main research interests include bisexual women’s health, the effects of stigma, discrimination and prejudice on bisexual women, and sexual minority health in general, particularly the areas of substance use and mental health. In her free time, Wendy nurses an unhealthy obsession with reality television shows.

Presentation 2: “How did I get this idea that it isn’t ok to be who I am?”: A Qualitative Examination of Bisexuality and Mental Health

Description: Research indicates that bisexual people report elevated rates of mental health problems relative to heterosexual people, and in many cases, relative to gay men and lesbians as well. However, few studies have addressed the factors affecting mental health for bisexual people or what could be done to improve mental health outcomes for bisexuals. This presentation will share findings from a community-based research project conducted by the Centre for Addiction & Mental Health and the LGBT Program of Sherbourne Health Centre in Toronto, Canada on perceived determinants of mental health for bisexual people, experiences using mental health services, and suggestions for improving care.

Presenters: Cheryl Dobinson (see bio under plenary above) and Loralee Gillis is the Research & Policy Coordinator at Rainbow Health Ontario (RHO). She is responsible for supporting the development of LGBT health research in Ontario and for encouraging public policy that supports LGBT health. Before coming to RHO, she worked as the manager of Research and Evaluation at the Association of Ontario Health Centres. Loralee has also worked as a front-line service provider in street outreach and needle exchange services. She is currently completing her Master's degree in Social Anthropology. In addition to having a long history of political activism, Loralee is one of the founders of the Toronto Women's Bathhouse.

Presentation 3: Managing Heterosexism and Biphobia: A Black Bisexual Male Perspective

Description: In this presentation, the author will present his research on Black bisexual men’s health behaviors. The findings from the research will be discussed in the context of larger theoretical frameworks to include identity development and transaction as it relates to the potential health consequences of erasure, stigmatization, demoralization, and demonization. Resiliency and coping strategies will be presented and discussed. 

Grady L. Garner Jr., holds a Masters in Community Counseling and a PhD in Counseling Psychology from Loyola University in Chicago. He is presently the MPH Director of Community Partnerships and Program Placements at DePaul University.  Dr. Garner has used 15 years of teaching, research, scholarship, and professional service to develop a deeper understanding of the life experience of African Americans and more specifically African American MSM. His research includes identity transactions and adaptive coping; development and identity formation processes for African American straight, gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered individuals from a strengths-based perspective; ecological determinants of poor mental and physical health; and HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment and care.  Dr. Garner is also a psychotherapist.

 2:30p-3:00p    The Future of the Bi Health Movement

Maria Cora and Kaijson Noilmar will talk about the conceptualization of a Lesbian Health Agenda and steps taken to create a Gay Men’s Health Agenda, respectively, and facilitate discussion and entertain questions about whether or how similar work might be done with respect to the bisexual community. A goal will be to begin thinking about the extent to which the work around a Bisexual Health Agenda will be distinct from or interrelated with the Lesbian and Gay Men’s agendas, and to what extent they may already be addressing bisexual health needs.

Maria Cora, MA is the Associate Director of the Lesbian Health & Research Center at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). She has previously served as Program Director for the Aqua Foundation for Women, as the Coordinator of the Office of Women’s Health for the San Francisco Department of Public Health, and as a member of the Board of Directors of the San Francisco LGBT Community Center. She holds a BA from Harvard University and a MA from San Francisco State University. María is also an accomplished filmmaker and the lead vocalist of the women’s sextet Azúcar Con Aché.

Kaijson Noilmar, Legacy Project Coordinator, leading national community engagement for the HIV Vaccine Trials Network.  An active leader in the Gay Men's Health Movement a part of the Core Leadership of the Gay Men's Health Agenda, member on the Washington State Governor's Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS, Co-Chair of the University of Washington Center's for AIDS Research AIDS Research, Community Advisory Board and its Steering Committee. He is Secretary for the National Black Gay Men's Advocacy Coalition, Chair of the Leadership Development Committee for the Black Gay Men's Network and Community Engagement & Programs Director for the LGBT Leadership Initiative.

3:15p-4:15p    Break-Out Sessions

Session 1: Guide to "The B Side": Creating a 10 Week Support Group for Bisexual Clients

Description: This session will guide participants though “The B Side”- a group offered by the LGBT Program of Sherbourne Health Centre in Toronto, Canada for people exploring their attraction to more than one gender or struggling with what their bisexuality means to them and their lives. Participants will learn about the origins, program model and impact of “The B Side” group, and will be provided with session outlines, sample promotional material, intake tips and more. The possibilities for applying the curriculum and lessons learned from “The B Side” in order to develop or enhance existing bisexual support groups will be emphasized.

Facilitator: Cheryl Dobinson (see bio under plenary session above)

Session 2: Bi Cultural Competency and Men of Color

Description: “Discrete Lives: A Three-Man Collaborative Performance” is a skit which explores the intersecting lives of three men, who address various issues of mental, physical, and sexual health. This performance explores the difficulties of reaching minority bisexual communities, as well as the specific cultural challenges which complicates outreach and prevention of STIs.

Facilitator: Jeffrey McCune is a professor at University of Maryland, who has done substantial research on DL men--some black/latino men who do not identify as "gay" who may or may not have sex with women, as well as other men. This performance brings together my work and the perspectives of two other performer-scholars (Alexander Sewell) and (Alcolu Lymon – unable to attend), to illustrate the complexities of HIV-outreach to discrete bisexual populations.

Session 3: The Bisexual Health Agenda

Description: This working group will continue the conversation begun with the larger audience in “The Future of the Bisexual Health Movement.” A Bisexual Health Agenda can help frame both the discussion of and action steps toward needed policies and activities that can support the improved health of bisexual persons. Should we create a stand-alone Bisexual Health Agenda? To what extent does the Gay Men’s Health Agenda and a possible Lesbian Health Agenda already cover the needs of the Bisexual Community? What energy, resources, and leadership exist for these potential efforts? We will report back to the larger group during the closing session, as well as to others during the Bisexual Town Hall at the LGBTI Health Summit.

Facilitators: Maria Cora, Julie Ebin, Stewart Landers, Kaijson Noilmar (see bios above)

4:15p-5:00p     Next Steps & Wrap Up: Where Do We Go From Here?

Facilitator: Wendy Bostwick (see bio above)