{"id":24241,"date":"2024-06-13T11:42:35","date_gmt":"2024-06-13T15:42:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hivlegalnetwork.ca\/site\/?post_type=blog22&#038;p=24241"},"modified":"2024-06-13T13:40:48","modified_gmt":"2024-06-13T17:40:48","slug":"connection-care-community-harm-reduction-for-gbt2q-people-who-use-drugs","status":"publish","type":"blog22","link":"https:\/\/www.hivlegalnetwork.ca\/site\/connection-care-community-harm-reduction-for-gbt2q-people-who-use-drugs\/","title":{"rendered":"Connection, Care, Community &#8211; Harm Reduction for GBT2Q People who Use Drugs"},"content":{"rendered":"<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-24249\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hivlegalnetwork.ca\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/1-4-300x251.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"470\" height=\"394\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hivlegalnetwork.ca\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/1-4-300x251.png 300w, https:\/\/www.hivlegalnetwork.ca\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/1-4.png 940w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 470px) 100vw, 470px\" \/>Stigma kills.<\/p>\n<p>From experience, 2SLGBTQ+ people know this. And people who use drugs know this.<\/p>\n<p>The use of both legal and criminalized substances plays a significant role in the lives of many people who identify as 2SLGBTQ+. This role can be both positive and negative.<\/p>\n<p><strong>As Pride season continues across the<\/strong><strong> country, we\u2019re releasing <em>Connection, Care, Community<\/em>, a pair of new resources aimed at challenging stigma and protecting the health of GBT2Q people who use drugs.<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Read our new <u><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hivlegalnetwork.ca\/site\/connection-care-community\/?lang=en\">Summary Repor<\/a>t<\/u>, which reviews the evidence about substance use \u2014 including problematic use \u2014 among GBT2Q people and includes insights from queer people working in the field of harm reduction.<\/li>\n<li>Check out our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hivlegalnetwork.ca\/site\/connection-care-community\/?lang=en\"><u>Agenda for Action<\/u><\/a>, which presents nearly 30 recommendations for action in multiple areas. including: improving data collection; challenging stigma through public education; making services more accessible; ensuring 2SLGBTQ+ communities are more inclusive and strengthen their advocacy for sensible drug policy; enhancing funding for the health of GBT2Q people who use drugs; and enacting key legal and policy reforms.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>It\u2019s a fitting time to highlight the needs of this often-overlooked community. <\/strong>It\u2019s also a fitting time to make the connections between the health and rights of queer people and the health and rights of people who use drugs.<\/p>\n<p>We\u2019ve seen a growing number of anti-2SLGBTQ+ initiatives around the country. And even as the drug poisoning crisis continues, <strong>we\u2019re seeing a growing backlash against even the most basic steps toward safe supply and decriminalization, and against long-established, evidence-based harm reduction initiatives.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s no coincidence that these are both facets of the rising anti-rights movement. Stoking misinformation and fear about the \u201cother\u201d has long been a way for some politicians to scare up votes, misdirecting anger and resentment at convenient scapegoats. Given the stigma and strong emotions surrounding sex \u2014 especially gay sex \u2014 and drugs, they\u2019re easy buttons to push.<\/p>\n<p>This is one reason it\u2019s important for communities to make common cause in defending human rights and defending evidence-based measures to protect health. As we told a Parliamentary committee during their 2019 study into the health of 2SLGBTQ+ communities:<\/p>\n<p><em>\u201cBoth the LGBTQ+ liberation and drug policy reform movements are rooted in the principles of privacy, personal and bodily autonomy, and the need to tackle stigma, moral panic, police surveillance and repression.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Drug policy affects the health of queer people and communities. <strong>The health of queer people who use drugs must not be overlooked in our fight for sensible drug policy.<\/strong> And 2SLGBTQ+ rights organizations must not ignore the rights and health of queer people who use drugs.<\/p>\n<p>Our new resources aim to raise awareness and build these connections \u2014 and, ultimately, to protect people\u2019s health and save lives.","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","publication_topics":[],"publication_language":[],"class_list":["post-24241","blog22","type-blog22","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hivlegalnetwork.ca\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/blog22\/24241","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hivlegalnetwork.ca\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/blog22"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hivlegalnetwork.ca\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/blog22"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hivlegalnetwork.ca\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24241"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"publication_topics","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hivlegalnetwork.ca\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/publication_topics?post=24241"},{"taxonomy":"publication_language","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hivlegalnetwork.ca\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/publication_language?post=24241"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}