This Just in from the Ocean State
Covering PrEP & PEP
Legislation that will help reduce the spread of HIV transmission by making medications accessible and covered by insurance, including newer injectable formulations, was signed into law at Open Door Health in Providence.
Both of the commonly used medications—pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP)—have contributed to a dramatic reduction in HIV transmission rates in recent years. But only about 25 percent of at-risk individuals use these treatments, according to the CDC, pointing to both out-of-pocket costs and lack of access as barriers.
The legislation requires the coverage of PrEP and PEP drugs by health insurance plans at no out-of-pocket costs to patients. The bill would also enable pharmacists to prescribe them to eligible patients.
“I’m old enough to remember when contracting HIV meant an automatic death sentence,” said Senator Melissa Murray (Democrat, District 24, Woonsocket, North Smithfield), who sponsored the legislation in the Rhode Island Senate.
Brown orientation
According to the Brown Daily Herald, more than a third of the students at Brown University do not identify as straight, a recent poll on sexual orientation shows. This figure has doubled since 2010.
Thirty-eight percent of respondents did not identify as straight, and within this group, 22.9 percent reported being gay or lesbian, while 53.7 percent described themselves as bisexual, the report said.
Since 2010 the survey has expanded the number of options to better represent the Brown community. Additions include “queer,” “pansexual,” “asexual” and “questioning/unsure.”
The latest survey follows a report last year by Gallup, which found that LGBT identification has risen over the past decade across the United States. That national survey found 7.2 percent of US adults reported being lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or something other than heterosexual, whereas roughly a fifth of the 19–25 age group identified as members of the LGBTQ+ community.
Trans student policy
In June, community members in Smithfield debated whether the school district should tell parents if their child is identifying in class as another gender.
Currently, the schools won’t disclose a student’s preferred name, pronouns or bathroom if that student doesn’t want the family to know. The new proposal would require teachers to notify a parent if a middle or high school student says they are thinking about transitioning, adding a line to the policy stating there should be “disclosure to parents or legal guardians of gender identity, expression or transition.”
The proposal is prompting much backlash from community members who say outing students to their parents could be harmful. In addition, as Rhode Island was the second state to include transgender people in its nondiscrimination law, applicable to places of public accommodation, the making of such a move is against the law.
National champs
The Providence Gay Flag Football League (PVDGFFL) has secured two national tournament championships—the first in the league’s history—with wins in two divisions at the annual Pride Bowl tournament in Chicago.
PVDGFFL sent three teams to compete at the tournament, which drew more than 750 players from the US and Canada, making up 47 teams. “We’re so incredibly proud of all our players,” said Chris Almonte, PVDGFFL’s commissioner. “At these tournaments, we face the best of the best, including teams that have been playing together for years. Our league is still incredibly young by comparison, so to take home two titles is a testament to the talent we have in our league and the hard work that our players put in over months of practice.”
PVDGFFL’s tournament teams now turn their focus to Gay Bowl, the largest tournament of the year. More than 1,000 players from the US and Canada will compete in Seattle, October 5–8.
Not a subscriber? Sign up today for a free subscription to Boston Spirit magazine, New England’s premier LGBT magazine. We will send you a copy of Boston Spirit 6 times per year and we never sell/rent our subscriber information. Click HERE to sign up!
