What's the cost of Health?

In 2008, an estimated 9.1% of the U.S. population (27.4 million) delayed seeking medical care during the preceding year because of worry about the cost, and 6.4% (19.5 million) did not receive needed medical care because they could not afford it. According to the CDC, persons whose health was assessed as fair or poor were more than three times as likely as persons whose health was excellent or very good to delay seeking or not receive needed medical care because of cost.

The last year has been full of political posturing and debates around healthcare reform-- all of which boil down to "do we want to live in a society that takes care of another or do we not". We have endured comments like those by South Carolina Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer comparing the poor to stray animals.


So I say, let's not play this game anymore. Let's commit to a society that is about counting the cost of not caring for our needy and for each other. 

February is National Heart Month!

We fight for love and equal relationship rights, so let's fight for healthy hearts! Some ideas for showing your heart you love it:

• walk up the stairs rather than take the elevator -- or take a short break during your day to walk around the block
• eat a breakfast of whole grains and skip the bacon
• quit or reduce your smoking
• switch to whole grain breads and pastas

What ideas do you have?

Our Whole Lives.

My kids are just entering the teen age years and I get to test all my theories about openness against the reality of the choices they are facing at this stage of their life. My mom was raised by parents born in 1904 and frequently consulted Emily Post on matters of etiquette, so sex ed in my house was an awkward experience. She wanted me to have more knowledge than she had but she also had this incredible discomfort with the whole concept of bodies and sex. She solved this by buying me a pile of books and then handing them to me to read. I had a whole lot of information that I had no context for.

We started our kids with the books. It's So Amazing might be one of the best elementary age books on sex and birth out there. The follow-up, It's Perfectly Normal, is also quite well done for older children. We had open conversations and it was all good stuff. But ... nothing beats having a safe space to explore these topics with your peers. Which is why I was delighted to find Our Whole Lives. This comprehensive and medically accurate approach to relationships, sexual identity and behavior, and health is well done, inclusive, and respectful of all types of relationships. It is a fee based program, so even if you aren't a Unitarian Universalist, you can have your child attend the course. And if you aren't comfortable with religion, no worries, that's not part of the program. I am amazed at the incredibly positive impact this program has had in our family. I wish they did this in the schools.

There are two local Unitarians: Unitarian Universalist Church of Boulder and Boulder Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship according to google. Currently only the Lafayette Fellowship is offering this program but the Boulder based Church is planning to implement the program in the near future.

Share Your New Year's Intentions with Boulder Pride

As we kick off a new year and decade, many of us will make New Year's Resolutions. In my house, we call them 'Intentions' instead. Intentions lend themselves to being more affirmative and fluid; 'resolution' can sound punitive and rigid...like something is wrong that needs to be fixed.

Regardless of what you call them, research has shown that when we share our New Year's Resolutions/Intentions with others, we are more likely to attain them. Some of the most popular resolutions include (and not in any particular order):

1. Eat better/exercise more
2. Spend more time with friends and family
3. Quit smoking
4. Get out of debt / save money
5. Learn a new skill
6. Help others
7. Get organized
8. Become more involved in community
9. Reduce stress and more.
   

A few of my 2009 intentions that I realized include making homemade beer, eating 80% of my meals at home, engaging in a creative activity (writing, photography, baking, etc) at least once a week, riding the bus and walking/riding my bike to work at least 3 times a week and teaching as adjunct faculty at the University of Denver. Of of my intentions I did not achieve for 2009 is hiking a fourteener - this goal moves to the top of my 2010 list. For 2010, I also plan to have a few chickens and maybe a goat, buy 80% of my stuff at thrift stores and _____ (I'm still working on my list :) ).

How about you? What do you plan to do in 2010?

Please send your New Year's Resolution/Intention to cathy. The more specific your intention, the better.

In January, we will compile the list of our community's New Year's Resolutions/Intentions and include them in our e-lert, as way to inspire ourselves and each other to achieve our individual goals and build a strong LGBTQ and Allied Community in Boulder County.

In your email to cathy, please let me know if it is ok to publish your first name along with your Intention/Resolution.

Here's to a 2010 full of peace, joy and abundance!

Publically Yours ... ?

I think most people agree we have a health care problem in our country. The whole conversation around the healthcare legislation is exciting to me -- we may actually decide to implement a program that focuses on making sure people's basic needs are met. Queer people, especially, tend to be underinsured-- which means we go to the doctor less frequently and are more likely to catch serious illnesses in later stages when the prognosis is more likely to be grim.

So, as a queer person and activist, I'd really like to see results. And I am personally for a public option. And I wonder, will a federal health care plan be inclusive of gay and lesbian families? I can't claim to understand the complicated outlines I have read. What I do understand is they talk about "family" plans. And legally, according to the federal government, our families don't count.

How we kill ourselves.

The Colorado Daily boldly claims the Houseman argument began after John announced he was gay. It's a catchy title, if a little misleading. According to the story, Traci Houseman was angry that her husband told a group of friends he was gay and walked home, finding him there when she returned. Supposedly he was angry that she left, they fought, the end result being his death by stabbing. According to a Denver Post article on August 3rd, John Houseman had a history of domestic violence, although no reported cases with Traci.

This story is about a human tragedy -- whatever the assignation of guilt. Traci will live forever with the loss of someone she loved. And John will not be coming back. This is also a story about the price of shame in our society. I'm not a person who likes to focus on the negative. I think queer folks in general are strong, stronger than your average person, often because they have to be. That doesn't mean that some of us don't break. Shame and repression can lead to physical and mental health issues. Our community uses tobacco and other substances at a higher rate than the "norm". And domestic violence is more possible in families that are already hiding who they are or what they want.

This story is about the work we do at Boulder Pride. The work you do when you can claim your whole self without shame. This story is about the importance of creating a Boulder County where people can safely and honestly embrace themselves.

My heart is with the Houseman family and friends. My heart is with everyone else who faces these kinds of challenges.

Got health?

Yesterday marked the official beginning of our Healthy Living Initiative with our first Day of Wellness. Put together by our fabulous Program Director, Ta'Shia Asanti, it was a gathering of community to share gifts of health and bring community awareness to the importance of health in our lives.

Upcoming events include Adventures in Wilderness, local community hikes, with the next one scheduled for August 25th and a Gatekeeper Sweat Lodge on October 17. For more information on our wellness programs, email Ta'Shia.