Billy, a local activists, recounts his experiences as a member of the LGBTQ community since the 1970s. As Billy describes, “There were many doctors that wouldn’t even see you…if they knew you were gay or thought you had HIV.” Billy refers to the 1980s as the “Lost Years” where he buried several of his ‘brothers’ from AIDS and reflects on the current state of healthcare: “56% of LGB people and 70% of transgender and gender non-conforming people reported experiencing discrimination by health care providers” (www.hrc.org). Throughout the podcast, Billy shares some of the surprising encounters he’s had with clinicians and urges all of us to take action to change healthcare legislation and improve the quality of care for everyone.
The Podcast & Blog of Nicole Defenbaugh