Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2005. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Chicago Tribune - March 18, 2005
Johnathon E. Briggs, Tribune staff reporter
The first-of-its kind report, which took three years to produce, says substance-abuse programs that address the needs of the LGBT community are "clearly lacking" and recommends the improvement of existing services through cultural-sensitivity training. It also calls for the establishment of standards to guide service providers on how best to address drug problems in the community.
The release of the report comes after recent events that have spotlighted a hidden society of addicts, including the arrest last month of a fundraiser for Howard Brown Health Center, a Chicago-based organization that largely serves the LGBT community, on charges of dealing the highly addictive drug methamphetamine.
Those events, coupled with concern among public health officials about the role of recreational drug use in the transmission of HIV and other sexually-transmitted diseases, have led local AIDS and community groups to focus more intensely on substance abuse.
"Substance use and abuse is an issue within our community, and we haven't addressed it in the way we should," said Jim Pickett, director of public policy for the AIDS Foundation of Chicago, lead writer of the report. "You can compare it to a family that has an alcoholic and no one talks about it."
The report, an unflinching and provocative account of the problem, evolved from community forums convened in 2002 by the city Health Department's Office of LGBT Health. The forums led to the Chicago Task Force on LGBT Substance Use and Abuse, whose members wrote the report.
The report found that substance abuse within Chicago's gay community is a "significant problem," although its full scope is unknown because of limited research and data. The problem is compounded by stigma, homophobia, anxiety over AIDS and the fact that many enter the gay community through the club and party scene, the report concludes.
To help drug treatment providers provide effective care for LGBT clients, this month the city's Health Department will distribute a video and discussion guide for clinicians and administrators at 107 social service and health organizations.
Edward Negron, 34, a former meth addict, said his friend, whom he refers to as a godbrother, walked out of treatment after a counselor made a homophobic remark. The next day, his godbrother attempted suicide.
"We want [people] to see themselves in the report," Negron said.
The report is available via the Internet at: http://egov.cityofchicago.org/health/.
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