• Equality
  • Community
    • Health
    • Youth
    • Seniors
  • Voices
    • From the CEO
    • Take Five
    • Why I Give
  • About the Center
  • Galleries
  • Calendar
Facebook Twitter Instagram
Trending
  • This Year’s AIDS/LifeCycle Participants on Why They Ride
  • Roxane Gay Celebrates Audre Lorde Health Program at WxW: ‘Care in the Truest Sense of the Word’
  • ‘Introspections’: The Los Angeles LGBT Center Celebrates Senior Artists in a Special Exhibition
  • Bridging Communities While Honoring the Diversity of AANHPI Month: Emiko Kenderes’ Journey at the Los Angeles LGBT Center
  • Mpox Resurgence: What You Should Know
  • Pamela Anderson Shares Words of Wisdom at Center Gala: ‘Love Relentlessly’
  • Keke Palmer Celebrates Her Queerness, the LGBTQ+ Community at Center Gala
  • An Unstoppable Force: Center CEO Joe Hollendoner Touts Successes in the Face of Adversity
Twitter Facebook Instagram YouTube
LGBT News Now
Learn about career opportunities at the Center
  • Equality
  • Community
    • Health
    • Youth
    • Seniors
  • Voices
    • From the CEO
    • Take Five
    • Why I Give
  • About the Center
  • Galleries
  • Calendar
LGBT News Now
You are at:Home»Community»Health»Center’s Audre Lorde Health Program Focuses on Women

Center’s Audre Lorde Health Program Focuses on Women

0
By on November 24, 2018 Health

By Greg Hernandez

Angie Magaña has been faithfully working a Saturday shift at the Center’s Audre Lorde Health Program for lesbian and bi women for nearly a year now.

“I just want more people to know that we’re here and that we have all these resources available for them,” said Magaña. “We really are trying to raise awareness that we have this special, safe place for women. The Center gives amazing health care. But it’s been frustrating to go out into the community and hear people say, ‘I can go there if I’m a woman?’”

On Saturdays, the program at the Center’s McDonald/Wright location offers primary health care, individual therapy, crisis counseling, 12-step substance abuse support, a sexual abuse survivor group and even a yoga and meditation class. Mental health services are also available to everyone and can be free for those who live or work in West Hollywood.

“It’s a different energy, a calm and easy energy,” explained Magaña. “We’re very non-judgmental, we’re very sex positive and body positive. This is not a place where you’re going to come in and feel shame. We very much meet people where they are and work with them to get to their health goals.”

Women, particularly lesbians and bisexual people, are far less likely to visit the doctor or access health services. And when they do, they do not feel they can be open about their sexual orientation, according to Magaña.

“We know that who you are and how you behave sexually really does affect your health. It makes a big difference,” she said. “Lesbian and bisexual women have been marginalized. They often feel like if they disclose their sexuality to their health care provider they will somehow be treated differently, be judged, be dismissed. We hear stories like that all the time.”

“This is not just about a pap smear.”

Magaña and a small group of her colleagues at the Center have made it their mission to make more women aware of the full range of primary care services offered at the Center.

They meet every Tuesday to strategize about this passion project and take the time do things like attend health fairs and other events to spread the word.

“This is important to us,” said Amy Kane, the Center’s manager of clinical programs. “There’s no one offering this kind of comprehensive women’s care to the LGBT community. We even came up with an intake form for Saturdays that is more focused on women’s issues than a regular intake form. This is not just about a pap smear.”

Maria Melo, the Center’s policy and operations manager, points out that providing health services for women are more important than ever given the current political climate.

“We are creating more space for our community while the Trump administration is trying to take some from us,” said Melo. “We are creating this very unique spot to provide services that doesn’t exist anywhere else and creating a unique space to protect health services as well.”

Services Can Be Life-Changing

When Joan Kaempfer was released from prison more than three years ago, she was not in the best of health. She had endured two back surgeries during her 13-year incarceration, had Hepatitis C, and was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.

Her partner, Zondre Johnson, got her connected with the Center and she began to rebuild her health with the help of Magaña.

“I never felt judged, I felt embraced,” said Kaempfer, 54. “It’s been the best experience of my life, the best treatment of my life. It’s been life-saving.”

Kaempfer has benefitted from the wrap-around care approach that the program offers. This involves addressing the whole person, including the causes of stress in their lives that might manifest physical symptoms.

Women who finish a medical exam may leave with a referral to other Center staff for legal support, mental health care, affordable housing opportunities and others services.

“If you are constantly looking for a place to stay or living on the streets, we help find housing for people,” explained Magaña. “We work with legal on things like restraining orders and look for signs of emotional abuse.

“So much of our everyday stress comes out in our bodies,” she added. “If your back or stomach is bothering you, let’s talk about what else is going on. So many things have a psychological component so we work very closely with the Center’s mental health department.”

The Center accepts most insurance plans and can help people who are uninsured or underinsured qualify for assistance programs.

Share this:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)

Related Posts

Mpox Resurgence: What You Should Know

Dispensing Culturally Competent Care: The Center’s Patient-Centric Pharmacy Does Much More Than Fill Prescriptions

Los Angeles LGBT Center Joins Forces with Anti-Violence Organizations to Spearhead National Institute Addressing LGBTQ Domestic and Intimate Partner Violence

Comments are closed.

Upcoming Events

Apr 29
April 29 - June 24

A New Brain

May 13
May 13 - June 12

The Bottoming Process

Jun 9
5:00 pm - 8:00 pm

Youth PRIDE Prom!

Jun 16
4:30 pm - 9:00 pm

Trans Pride LA 2023: Trans Town Hall

Jun 17
12:00 pm - 6:00 pm

Trans Pride LA 2023: Festival

View Calendar
About Us

LGBT News Now

LGBT News Now is a publication of the Los Angeles LGBT Center. Celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2019, the Center is the largest LGBT organization in the world, dedicated to building a world where LGBT thrive as healthy, equal, and complete members of society. Learn more at lalgbtcenter.org.

Follow Us on Instagram

lalgbtcenter

The Los Angeles LGBT Center is building a world where LGBT people thrive as healthy, equal, and complete members of society.

Los Angeles LGBT Center
They did it, Joe! Our @AIDSLifeCycle riders have o They did it, Joe! Our @AIDSLifeCycle riders have officially passed their halfway point to Los Angeles, biking over 200 miles from San Francisco. At the rest stop, we caught up with @colmacpro, otherwise known as Mr. Los Angeles Leather 2023. Colin is a #roadie on #AIDSLifeCycle, which means he’s volunteering for the week to keep our riders safe and motivated. “I’ve wanted to do ALC for 10 years,” he says. “When I got kicked out of my childhood home for being gay at the age of 15, the last thing my mom said to me was that I’d die of AIDS. I was terrified [of the virus] for most of my life—but now I’ve had partners who are positive. Growing up and seeing the evolution of HIV/AIDS treatment makes me want to help.” 

Colin is rocking his titleholder sash all week as a tribute to the way the Leather Community was impacted by HIV/AIDS. “We were hit so hard during the epidemic. That means the people still left are the ones who carry on the tradition. In fact, some people wear leather pieces from those we lost to the crisis. It’s our way of remembering them.”

Stay tuned for additional updates from the ride—and follow our friends at @aidslifecycle for more.
Last night, a school board meeting in #Glendale tu Last night, a school board meeting in #Glendale turned violent—with police having to issue a shelter-in-place order for participants. The reason? Glendale Unified was voting to recognize June as #LGBTQ+ Pride Month. Today, the Center issued the above statement. “It’s time we call out these attempts for what they are: Fascism. Pride, on the other hand, is about freedom.” Swipe to read it in full. #SafeSchools #LGBTQPride #OutForSafeSchools
The Los Angeles LGBTQties really turned it out for The Los Angeles LGBTQties really turned it out for #WeHoPride this weekend! Swipe to see some of our favorite highlights from the festivities—including one very good boy who believes in gay rights. (And by the way, thanks to any and all of you for rocking your #CenterYourPride swag. It looks good on you!)

📸 @mammothsprite
Mark your calendars for June 16-17 for the return Mark your calendars for June 16-17 for the return of #TransPrideLA, presented by @weareangelcity. This festival has been observed for more than a decade—making it one of the oldest, dedicated celebrations of Transgender Pride in the country. 

The iconic two-day event takes place at the Los Angeles LGBT Center’s Hollywood campus and features appearances by Montana state @zoandbehold, @raquel_willis, @laith_ashley, and many more! 

RSVP today at link in bio! 

Stay tuned for more details! 🏳️‍⚧️

#transisbeautiful #ProtectTransKids #TransVisibility #NonBinary #TransIsBeautiful #TransRightsAreHumanRights #TransPrideLA #PrideMonth #AngelFC
Happy #Pride to @trinoxadam, the LA-based gay coup Happy #Pride to @trinoxadam, the LA-based gay couple whose photo shoot went viral at the beginning of this month. “Pride, to us, is celebrating and screaming to the world about who you are, with no fucks given,” they told us. “We keep our love alive with honesty and by having different layers to our relationship. We’re homies, friends, family, lovers, husbands, dads, brothers, and besties.” Shoutout to photographer @henryjimenz for capturing their love so beautifully. Want to be featured? Use the #CenterYourPride and you might show up on our page 🥰
Happy #Pride Sunday, fam! Bright and early this mo Happy #Pride Sunday, fam! Bright and early this morning in #SanFrancisco, 1,400 cyclists came together for the 28-year tradition known as #AIDSLifeCycle. A 545-mile bike ride from SF to #LosAngeles, ALC raises millions of dollars for the Los Angeles LGBT Center and the San Francisco AIDS Foundation’s crucial, life-saving services. But ALC is so much more than a bike ride or a fundraiser—its participants have come to see it as a family reunion. That’s exactly what drew @CarlitoinLA (pictured) to the ride this year—after years of social distancing, he needed to dust off the cobwebs of his social life, meet new people, and be in community. Weekly rides and meetings with his ALC group, The Trudging Buddies, helped Carlos forge new bonds and hold space for conversations about his own journey. After immigrating to Los Angeles from México at 19, Carlos accessed our services at the Center, where he was diagnosed with HIV. “I knew nothing about it. In fact, I used to have really bad judgment towards people who were living with #HIV,” he says. “But then, I got my medication and attended support groups. If I would have known that this kind of love and community existed when I was first diagnosed, I wouldn’t have been so scared.” Carlos is riding to support the life-affirming services of the Center and the Foundation, and to pay respect to those we’ve lost along the way to HIV/AIDS. “I think of them every time I train,” he says. “I’m no longer embarrassed to say I’m living with HIV. It’s important for Latinos like me to break the stigma.” Head to our Highlights to see more from Day One of AIDS/LifeCycle. 📷 @christopher.arpr
We are disappointed at the anti-LGBTQ+ demonstrati We are disappointed at the anti-LGBTQ+ demonstrations at Saticoy Elementary School. The rhetoric used by 'concerned parents' is deeply concerning, as it mirrors the dangerous misinformation campaigns launched against the LGBTQ+ community by far-right activists and religious extremists. The Pride celebration at the school was intended to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community and its families, and we firmly believe that families like Chief Impact Officer Terra Russell-Slavin's deserve representation and inclusion in classrooms and school events. As Russell-Slavin said, "My child should not be taught to be ashamed of his mothers. I am not a threat to anyone by loving my family." We stand with LAUSD and are ready to intervene in situations like these. We hope that the parents protesting Pride at Saticoy Elementary will come to an understanding that there is nothing dangerous about the LGBTQ+ community and that embracing love and acceptance is the best way to ensure safety and inclusivity for all.
Happy #Pride—or is it? This year, our community Happy #Pride—or is it? This year, our community is battling a backlash to the tune of 500+ pieces of anti-LGBTQ legislation, a misinformation campaign perpetuated by bad actors on the far- and religious right, and the backpedaling of support for Pride by corporations who have profited off our celebrations for the past decade. With our #CenterYourPride campaign, we’re proud to assert that LGBTQ+ people do not belong on the margins—that WE are the Center. And as long as our doors are open, your Center will always be here for you, as the largest #LGBTQ+ nonprofit in the world that provides more direct services to queer and trans people than any other organization. We’ll see you in the streets this season (and every other season). Let’s celebrate proudly together.
This year, we celebrate #Pride with a fierce sense This year, we celebrate #Pride with a fierce sense of urgency. We are the world’s largest direct service provider to LGBTQ+ people—so take it from us when we say Pride is a necessity. Our community is still being impacted by hatred, anti-LGBTQ+ legislation, religious zealots, and institutions who discriminate against us. At the Center, we are Proud 365 days a year—because that’s the amount of days per year our doors are open. Happy #PrideMonth, and Happy Pride Always from the 800 employees, service providers, and frontline workers of the Los Angeles LGBT Center. We will always be here for you. 

🎥: 
@laurenfisherstudio @kazziechameleon @mad_maninc @mjlat
@wintersrockent
Load More... Follow on Instagram
Stay Connected
Subscribe
Copyright © 2022 Los Angeles LGBT Center
  • Terms of Service
  • Privacy
  • Contact Us

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.