The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Questioning, Intersexed (LGBTQI+) community represents a diverse range of identities and expressions of gender and sexual orientation. It is important to recognize how the experience of sexual orientation and gender identity relates to the mental health of those who identify as LGBTQI+.
There is strong evidence from recent research that members of the LGBTQI+ community are at a higher risk for experiencing mental health conditions — especially depression and anxiety disorders. Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual (LGB) adults are more than twice as likely as heterosexual adults to experience a mental health condition. For many LGBTQI+ people, socioeconomic and cultural conditions negatively impact mental health conditions. Many in the LGBTQI+ community face discrimination, prejudice, denial of civil and human rights, harassment, and family rejection, which leads to new or worsened symptoms, particularly for those with intersecting racial or socioeconomic identities.
Here at Comprehensive Healthcare, our daily work centers around mental health. This month is an opportunity for us to join a global movement to advocate and educate our communities on the struggles that members of the LGBTQI+ community face daily and how this can negatively impact their mental health.
Comprehensive Healthcare participated in the following activities to show its support for National PRIDE Month, including:
• Encouraging our staff members to add Comprehensive Healthcare’s PRIDE Month Facebook profile frame to their profile pictures on Facebook
• Decorating our offices with PRIDE flags and other PRIDE or rainbow-colored memorabilia
• Creating PRIDE-themed art
• Taking team photos with PRIDE flags and decor
• Participating in trauma-informed and LGBTQI+-conscious educational trainings
• Sharing LGBTQI+ content on our social media pages
• Including PRIDE Month content and LGBTQI+ resources and events in our employee newsletters
Below are additional LGBTQI+ resources and events:
• Seattle Pride: Seattle Pride is hosting an array of events throughout the month ranging from fun celebrations and poetry readings to support groups and keynote speakers. Take a look: seattlepride.org/events
• Children’s Home Society of Washington’s Triple Point of Walla Walla: A local group for LGBTQ youth & allies. Age 13-18. Meets Tuesdays/ 4-5 pm on Zoom. 1612 Penny Ln, Walla Walla, WA 99362. Visit their Facebook page for more information
• Trans Lifeline: Trans Lifeline provides trans peer support for their community that’s been divested by police since day one. They are run by and for trans people. Trans Lifeline: (877) 565-8860. Learn more by visiting translifeline.org
• Yakima Pride Festival & Parade: August 21, 9:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m. We need community and connection more than ever and this gives us an opportunity to both connect and celebrate the LGBTQ+ community’s resilience in the face of this pandemic and the true spirit of Pride. The coronavirus pandemic has prompted the cancellation or postponement of hundreds of Pride celebrations around the world. The unprecedented challenges of COVID-19 mean that most Pride celebrations will not take place or take place during the month of June as planned in 2021, but we’re determined that this won’t stop us from coming together as a united, strong LGBTQ+ community. Please join us, share us, invite your friends, your family, and everyone that needs to celebrate you! Visit Yakima Pride for more information #YakimaPride
