As we embark on the vibrant festivities of PRIDE, the Wyoming Health Council and our Title X Family Planning Clinics come together to honor the journey of the LGBTQ+ community, recognizing its resilience, activism, and ongoing fight for equality.

PRIDE is more than a celebration; it's a powerful affirmation of identity, a commemoration of hard-won rights, and a reminder of the importance of sexual health care that is accessible, affirming, and respectful to all individuals, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity.

Join us and others throughout Wyoming as we celebrate PRIDE and advocate for the sexual health care that plays a crucial role in supporting and empowering LGBTQ+ individuals.

Why Safe Spaces In Health Care Matter For LGBTQ+ Patients

Andrew, a 39-year-old New Yorker who identifies as queer, says he got lucky with his first primary care provider, who was very queer friendly.

"He was straight, but raised by two dads and created a very welcoming environment," Andrew told ABC News of his former doctor.

When his doctor moved, Andrew says he realized how much it mattered for his health. He says his new doctor was less comfortable around queer issues. "There was always a barrier and a sense of awkwardness," he said.

Andrew says the lack of good communication left him feeling he could not tell his doctor everything. "Having experienced queer friendly doctors and not queer friendly doctors you see the importance of nonjudgment," he said.

"Some of the barriers are about access and some are about willingness to engage with the health care system," says Dr. Renee Crichlow, vice chair of health equity for the Department of Family Medicine at Boston University Medical School.

Dr. Crichlow notes a big issue is that LGBTQ+ individuals are less likely to have a consistent source of primary care. This is why women in the LGBTQ+ community are significantly less likely to access preventative health care than other women, according to a study in the Journal of Urban Health. After adjusting for other factors, these women were ten times less likely to have received a timely pap test and four times less likely to have received a timely mammogram, the study said. This likely contributes to higher rates of various cancers in that community, as another study indicated.

Health providers can take steps to address disparities and lessen these barriers, and many are. Providers can implement intentional strategies to recognize and overcome implicit biases. This includes asking patients open-ended questions without assumptions or judgment...

‘No planet, no Pride’

 Pattie Gonia lives at the intersection of environmentalism and drag with the goal of making the outdoors a more welcoming space for underrepresented groups.

LGBTQ+ Inclusive Sex Ed Week of Action

June 22-26

QUEER. SEX. ED! 👀 You know all that important stuff you're probably not learning in school? We've got you covered with 5 episodes of IRL friends having those conversations about queer sex, sex in the media, consent and pleasure, and more - while 2 professional sex educators listen in to educate and bust some myths! 👊

Real Stories: LGBTQ folks talk birth control

People with a range of identities and orientations can benefit from birth control.

Depending on your reproductive system and the reproductive systems of the people you sleep with, there’s a good chance you may need birth control at one point or another. Pregnancy can happen anytime someone with a uterus has vaginal sex with someone with a penis, no matter their gender identity or sexual orientation.

Even if pregnancy isn’t a concern for you and your partner(s), you can still be at risk for sexually transmitted infections (STIs, a.k.a. STDs). Luckily, there are ways to protect against those, too—like barrier methods (e.g. condoms and dental dams), getting tested on the regular, and communicating openly with partners about STI status.

So what are the options for LGBTQ folks? Short answer: Lots. Long answer: There are many important—and super personal—factors that go into people’s decisions about how to stay on top of their sexual health. Some folks use birth control for positive side effects like having lighter or no periods, clearing up acne, or stabilizing hormones. Others might just like knowing they’re covered against accidental pregnancy no matter what—or who—comes their way.



Whatever your reason for considering birth control, it’s a great idea to talk to your health care provider, use our method explorer, and watch real people talk about how they stay on top of their sexual and reproductive health. Here are a few of our favorite real stories to get you started.

How to Have Sex if You're Queer: What to Know About Protection, Consent, and What Queer Sex Means

Rarely does traditional sex education tackle pleasure for pleasure’s sake, how to have sex for non-reproductive purposes, or the wide spectrums of sexualities, bodies, and genders that exist. Instead it tends to cover penis-in-vagina penetration only, pregnancy risks, and STI/STD transmission, leaning heavily on scare tactics that may not even work.

The good, and even possibly great news is that not being boxed in by the narrow definitions of sex provided to us via traditional sex ed means that we are free (and perhaps even empowered!) to build our own sex lives that work uniquely for us, our partners, and our relationships. But we still need some info in order to do so.



Let’s talk about what classic sex education might’ve missed about how to have sex if you're queer, from what sex between queer people means to how to keep it safe and consensual between the rainbow sheets.

Coretta Scott Kings

Little-Known History as an LGBTQ Advocate

(watch video)

While Coretta Scott King has been celebrated as a civil rights icon, her vision of “the beloved community” was bolder and more revolutionary than her husband Martin’s.



Deeply committed to racial and economic justice, as well as nonviolent social change, she was also an outspoken advocate for women’s rights, gay and lesbian rights, trade unions, affirmative action, world peace, universal health care, gun control, nuclear disarmament, the enfranchisement of convicted felons, HIV/AIDS education/prevention/treatment and a broad range of other social issues that situated her outside the mainstream of American politics and the civil rights establishment.

Different fight, 'same goal:' How The Black Freedom Movement Inspired Early Gay Activist



"Every single element of what we know of as Pride and gay rights and, especially, the pre-Stonewall homophile movement, was borrowed from the Black Freedom Movement."

Early LGBTQ activists (though they didn’t use that acronym at the time) adopted many of the civil rights movement’s strategies, Stein said, and they relied on much of the foundation laid by Black civil rights activists.

But the two movements weren’t necessarily separate — they often overlapped — and so influence happened in a few ways, Stein said.

“Influence can be the influence of ideas, and specifically, ideologies, influence of strategies,” he said. “Influence can also come in the form of people who move between movements, or who are engaged in multiple movements, and we do have examples of that in the early LGBT movement.”

Marsha P Johnson

(watch video)

Johnson’s life changed when she found herself engaging with the resistance at The Stonewall Inn on June 28, 1969. In the early morning hours, police raided the bar and began arresting the patrons, most of whom were gay men. Johnson and Rivera arrived at Stonewall around 2am where, Johnson said in a later interview, “the place was already on fire, and there was a raid already. The riots had already started.”

There are many competing stories about what Johnson did during the raid on the Stonewall Inn, but it is clear she was on the front lines. Johnson, like many other transgender women, felt they had nothing to lose. They were not only angered by the police raid but also the oppression and fear they experienced every day. In the wake of the raid, Johnson and Rivera led a series of protests.

The raid on Stonewall galvanized the gay rights movement. The first Gay Pride Parade took place in 1970 and a series of gay rights groups—including the Gay Liberation Front, a more radical organization, and the Gay Activist Alliance, a more moderate and focused spin-off group—emerged. Johnson was involved in the early days of both but grew frustrated by the exclusion of transgender and LGBTQ+ people of color from the movement.

June is Men’s Health Month!

This month is all about encouraging the men in your life (including you, men out there!) to take care of their bodies by eating right, exercising, and working to prevent disease. The official symbol for the month is a blue ribbon and the purpose of Men’s Health Month is to heighten the awareness of preventable health problems and encourage early detection and treatment of diseases including cancer, heart disease, and depression.

Male Birth Control Gel is Safe and Effective, New Trial Findings Show

After decades of attempts to develop new birth control medications for men, scientists are more hopeful than ever. With new abortion restrictions, demand is growing, experts say.

Every morning for a year and a half, Logan Whitehead, 24, rubbed a clear gel on his shoulders, waited for it to dry, then went about his day as usual.

“It was basically like a hand sanitizer solution,” said Whitehead, who lives in Torrance, California. “Smelled like hand sanitizer, looked like hand sanitizer.”

The gel wasn’t hand sanitizer, though. It was a hormonal solution meant to block Whitehead’s sperm production. The gel was male birth control.

If the Food and Drug Administration approves the gel, Whitehead said he would definitely keep using it, especially after watching his partner struggle with available female birth control options.

Nestorone is a type of synthetic hormone called a progestin that’s already used in the vaginal ring contraceptive. Combining Nestorone and testosterone in the new gel is meant to keep men from producing sperm without affecting their sex drive or causing other side effects.

So far, the men in the gel clinical trial have shown low enough blood levels of testosterone to maintain their normal sexual function.

Microplastics in Testicles May Play a Role in Male Infertility, Study Suggests

Male infertility continues to be a worldwide problem, but it is not always clear what factors contribute to it.

Due to increasing evidence that microplastics have found their way into different biological systems, from blood to lungs, researchers have become interested in identifying and understanding the potential impact of microplastics on reproductive systems, as well.

A study recently published in Toxicological Sciences has examined microplastics and their presence in male reproductive organs.

Researchers identified 12 different microplastic types in dog and human testis samples. In dogs, researchers found that higher amounts of certain microplastics were associated with reduced sperm counts and testis weight.

As research moves forward, experts hope to better understand how the presence of microplastics may contribute to declines in male fertility.

The HPV Vaccine Prevents Head and Neck Cancers in Men, Study Suggests

The HPV vaccine is linked to a drastic reduction in head and neck cancers in adolescent boys and men, new research finds. 

HPV, or human papillomavirus, is a sexually transmitted infection responsible for virtually all cases of cervical cancer. But the virus is also linked to a number of other cancers, including penile, anal and vaginal cancers. 

It also accounts for the majority — up to 70% — of head and neck cancers, which affect the throat and mouth. Men are about twice as likely to develop these cancers than women, according to the National Cancer Institute.

The HPV vaccine, initially approved for adolescent girls, protects against strains of the virus linked to cervical cancer and has been found to significantly reduce rates of the cancer. But there’s growing evidence that the vaccine also protects against other HPV-related cancers.

“We want males to be thinking about HPV vaccination not just as something that protects female patients, but also male patients,” said Jefferson DeKloe.

We Need To Talk to Our Sons About Women's Periods and How To Do It

Half the population has periods, so why not make sure the half that doesn’t is also informed? I want to make the invisible visible for my boys, and I hope they will grow up to be allies and empathizers.

Using medically accurate online resources or those requested from doctor’s offices can have a positive impact without unnecessarily scary words.

A thoughtful discussion can adapt to a theme of support. For example, a girlfriend shared that her then-11-year-old came home aghast at what his female peers experienced monthly. Health class made a period sound terrifying to her son, and she had to help him realize that it was natural, not scary. School health class can only go so far: I believe fervently that a conversation at home would help children create healthier relationships with women. The more boys fully understand the experiences of their girl peers, the more we can help erase the stigma, shame or even teasing that has been associated with periods.

Everything To Know About Male Genitalia

The male reproductive system includes both internal and external parts. Its primary functions are to:

• produce and transport semen, which contains sperm
• release sperm into the female reproductive tract during sex
• make male sex hormones, such as testosterone
• 
  

Have you ever wondered what the different parts of the male genitalia are and what they do?

Continue reading to learn more about the individual parts of the male genitalia, their function, and more.

You will examine some of the common conditions that can affect this area of the body.

National Call Your Doctor Day

June 11

National Call Your Doctor Day is observed on the second Tuesday of June, on June 11 this year, to remind and encourage women to schedule their yearly Well-Woman Exam, also known as an Annual Exam!

An annual exam is an essential yearly check-up to make sure that your body is in good health. If you have a vulva, breasts, or a uterus, this annual exam is an important part of taking care of your health, no matter what your gender identity is.

Call your local Title X Family Planning Clinic and schedule your Annual Exam today!

How American Women Could Lose the Right To Birth Control

As the anti-abortion movement extends its activism into anti-contraception advocacy, it is relying on a playbook it spent nearly 50 post-Roe years honing, which largely involved chipping away at a supposedly guaranteed right until it was so weakened that a Supreme Court case could finally kill it off for good. For now, Griswold will almost surely remain the law, even if the most reliable forms of contraception become, in practice, difficult or impossible to access. But eventually, it could fall, too.

Senate to vote on ‘right to contraception’ bill

“There’s no question in the American people’s minds that Republicans have brought our country to this point. And as Donald Trump reminded us recently, he is ‘proudly the person responsible’ for the annihilation of Roe v. Wade and the grotesque reversal of women’s personal freedoms,” Schumer wrote, referring to the reversal of the landmark decision in 1973 that established a national right to abortion.



“Democrats have been clear we will not stand for these attacks and we will fight to preserve reproductive freedoms. That is why as we return from the Memorial Day state work period, Senate Democrats will be putting reproductive freedoms front and center,” he wrote.

‘I Don’t Have Faith in Doctors Anymore.’ Women Say They Were Pressured Into Long-Term Birth Control

As she lay on the operating table, just moments after her son was pulled from her belly, a doctor entered the delivery room. “We can go ahead and put an IUD in right now, since you’re already open,” the doctor said, according to both Frison and her husband. 

Frison was woozy from her epidural, but had experienced a traumatic birth, and at that moment, she didn’t think she wanted more children. So she allowed the doctor to insert the Mirena, an intrauterine device (IUD) that would prevent pregnancies for up to eight years.

In the months that followed, she didn’t like the way the IUD was making her feel. But Frison says she couldn’t persuade her gynecologist to take it out. The doctor told her she needed to lose weight first, Frison recalls, and that there were medicines to offset the side effects she was experiencing, such as nausea. 



It would be three years before Frison could get the device removed. Even then, she had to undergo three procedures, one lasting seven hours, she says, because the device had migrated to the lining of her uterus. It left her with four thumb-sized scars on her belly from where a doctor inserted an instrument to try to find the IUD. The experience caused Frison, a 32-year-old hairdresser, to have a profound mistrust of the medical system. “I don’t have faith in doctors anymore,” she says. “I can’t trust any of them.”

National Kissing Day, on June 22, is all about showing your love and improving your health. That’s right, kissing is actually good for you — #wellness.

Kissing relieves stress, burns calories, and benefits your immunity. With so many perks, we can’t imagine why anyone wouldn’t want to celebrate, so pucker up!

This newsletter was developed (in part) with federal funds from the Office of Population Affairs. For more information on the rules and regulations that apply to our programs, please visit

https://www.hhs.gov/opa/title-x-family-planning/index.html