Hi there,

It’s been a full few days at the Campaign for Southern Equality as we’ve been spreading the word about the Report of the 2019 Southern LGBTQ Health Survey, which we published on Wednesday in partnership with Western NC Community Health Services.

The Survey report shares the health experiences of more than 5,600 LGBTQ Southerners – and the story it tells is both heart-breaking and hopeful. It’s heart-breaking because the report speaks to some severe disparities that LGBTQ folks face, including when it comes to mental health, depression, suicidal ideation, and HIV. But we’re also hopeful – because now, armed with these statistics, we can make a stronger case than ever for urgent change at both the local level and the systems level. We know more now than we ever have about the ways that LGBTQ people in the South are accessing – or being blocked from accessing – quality, affirming care.

We want to share this report as widely as possible – and we need your help! Can you take a minute to watch our new video and then share it on social media? Click here to share on Facebook and here to retweet on Twitter. 

It’s been great to see so much engaged discussion already happening about the report, including from LGBTQ folks and medical providers across the South, journalists at Buzzfeed News, and even presidential candidates like Elizabeth Warren, who shared information about the Survey on Facebook and Twitter (for the record, we'll talk with any policy maker any day of the week about immediate steps they can take to advocate LGBTQ health equity). We want to keep up the momentum and get as many eyes on this new report as possible, with your help. 

The truth is that everyone can do something to advocate for health equity in our home towns. A key feature of the Southern LGBTQ Health Survey Report is the section on recommendations for change. Our new video also captures how we can all come together to improve the lives and health of LGBTQ Southerners. Click here to watch and share on Facebook, and click here to share on Twitter. 

Thank you!
Jasmine Beach-Ferrara
Campaign for Southern Equality