Medicaid Cuts Threaten HIV, LGBTQ Health Services Nationwide

The LGBTQ community continues to face significant challenges regarding health care access and social acceptance. In the U.S., proposed Medicaid cuts threaten to disproportionately impact LGBTQ individuals, who are nearly twice as likely to rely on Medicaid due to higher rates of poverty and disability, exacerbating vulnerability to health issues like HIV. In India, the National Portal for Transgender Persons facilitates the issuance of nationally recognized identity certificates and cards, promoting legal recognition and access to welfare schemes for transgender people. Meanwhile, in Canada, Gena Boubard, a non-binary two-spirit individual, is pioneering indigenous LGBTQ+ visibility by organizing the first Pride event in Sagkeeng Anicinabe Nation, fostering community empowerment. Research from New Zealand highlights that gender-diverse youth accessing pediatric transgender health services often face co-existing mental health issues and autism spectrum disorder, underscoring the need for comprehensive, individualized care. Contrasting these developments, the Colson Center in the U.S. has launched the Identity Project to address gender and sexuality from a Christian worldview, emphasizing traditional human identity concepts and religious perspectives in public discourse.