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British Institute advises fertility treatment for lesbians

Directive comes despite concerns over funding, cost

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pregnancy, gay news, Washington Blade
pregnancy, gay news, Washington Blade

(Photo public domain)

LONDON ā€” The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence in the UK now recommends that gay couples and women over the age of 40 be given fertility treatment despite concerns about how the state provision will be paid for, the Daily Telegraph, a London-based newspaper, reported.

The Institute recommends that lesbian couples be offered six cycles of artificial insemination and, if that fails, in-vitro fertilization, the Telegraph reported. Since the Institute does not have to consider budgets when setting its guidelines, opponents say hospitals will be unable to afford the extra treatment without making drastic cuts to other services. The Institute is updating a 2004 directive and says itā€™s taking ā€œmedical advances and changes in societyā€ into account in its recommendation, the Telegraph said.

Just more than 1,000 cycles of insemination were performed on women in same-sex relationships there in 2010, resulting in 152 babies. The number of cylces of IVF for this group rose from less than 100 in 2009 to 561 in 2010, resulting in 215 babies, the report said. Most couples paid for treatment privately, the Telegraph reported.

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Obituary

Beloved public health, LGBTQ rights advocate Cornelius Baker dies

Longtime D.C. resident served as director of Whitman-Walker

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Antonio Cornelius Baker died unexpectedly at his home of natural causes on Nov. 9. (Washington Blade file photo by Michael Key)

Antonio Cornelius Baker, whose extensive career in public health included service as special adviser to the Office of AIDS Research at the National Institutes of Health and as executive director of D.C.ā€™s Whitman-Walker Health and the National Association of People With AIDS, died unexpectedly at his home of natural causes on Nov. 9, according to friends and former colleagues.

Among the numerous organizations to which he provided support and guidance was the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation, which, upon learning of his passing, released a statement that reflects the view of many who knew Baker.  

ā€œA. Cornelius Baker stood with our founder, Elizabeth Taylor, at the beginning of the HIV/AIDS movement and throughout her legacy,ā€ the statement says. ā€œThe ETAF officers and staff team join his family, friends and community as we mourn his loss together,ā€ it says, adding, ā€œWe find comfort in knowing that his spirit, along with Elizabethā€™s, will continue to guide and inspire us and the entire HIV/AIDS movement in our ongoing work.ā€

A native of New York, Baker received a bachelorā€™s degree from the Rochester, N.Y., Institute of Technologyā€™s Eisenhower College before moving to D.C., in 1982 for an internship at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. He next worked for the Washington City Paper before working in 1983 as a fundraiser for the LGBTQ group Brother Help Thyself.

Biographical information from the D.C. Rainbow History Project shows he worked on U.S. civil rights advocate Jesse Jacksonā€™s presidential campaign in 1984 and later that year joined the election campaign of former D.C. Council member Carol Schwartz. Following Schwartzā€™s election, Baker worked on Schwartzā€™s Council staff as an executive assistant from 1986 to 1989. 

A. Cornelius Baker, center, is sworn as an elected Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner alongside Phil Pannell by D.C. Council member Carol Schwartz on Jan. 3, 1987. (Washington Blade archive photo by Doug Hinckle)

Bakerā€™s LinkedIn page shows he worked briefly in 1989 at the White House Office of Presidential Personnel under President George H.W. Bush before beginning work as a Confidential Assistant to the Assistant Secretary of Health at the Department of Health and Human Services from October 1989 to May 1992.

His next career move was to join the National Association of People With AIDS in 1992 initially as policy director and later as executive director, where he served until 1999. According to his LinkedIn page, he next joined the then Whitman-Walker Clinic, which is currently called Whitman-Walker Health, in 1999 as executive director.

ā€œCornelius Baker led Whitman-Walker through challenging times, strengthening the infrastructure and organizational culture, but always with keen attention to the people we were serving,ā€ said Whitman-Walkerā€™s current CEO, Naseema Shafi. ā€œHe brought that commitment to community, to Whitman-Walker, and he continued it throughout all of his years of service.ā€

He held his executive directorā€™s position at Whitman-Walker until December 2004 when he began work with the National Black Gay Menā€™s Advocacy Coalition as a senior adviser, a position he held until 2014, when he took a position as Technical Adviser for RHI 360, a global research organization specializing in health-related issues. He remained in that position until 2014, his LinkedIn page shows

Later that year he began work as an Acting Deputy Coordinator at the U.S. Department of Stateā€™s Office of Global AIDS Coordinator and Health Diplomacy. He assumed the position of Chief Policy Adviser for that office in 2015 and held the position until October 2017.

According to his LinkedIn page, he next served as a lecturer with the Hubert Department of Global Health at Emory University for seven years while also working as a special adviser beginning in 2018 to the Office of AIDS Research and the U.S. Presidential Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) at the National Institutes of Health. His LinkedIn page says he continued in those two positions to the ā€œpresent,ā€ possibly up until 2024.

A. Cornelius Baker speaks at a press briefing before the International AIDS Conference at the National Press Building on July 10, 2012. (Washington Blade archive photo by Michael Key)

An Emory University spokesperson confirmed that Baker was on the universityā€™s faculty where he lectured and mentored students. Friends of Baker said he had a close friend in Atlanta and most likely spent time with the friend when he lectured there while remaining a D.C. resident.

ā€œThe loss of Cornelius Baker, who passed away recently, has left a deep, irreplaceable void in the hearts of those who knew him, worked with him, and were touched by his profound impact on the world,ā€ said Wisdom Ijay, in a write-up for a publication of an organization called Evening Prayer who identified himself as a friend of Baker.

 ā€œWhile Cornelius is most well-known for his contributions to the HIV/AIDS movement, his advocacy work spanned a range of social justice issues,ā€ Ijay said. ā€œHis passion for racial justice, LGBTQ+ rights, and womenā€™s rights made him an instrumental figure in advancing the causes that he cared deeply about,ā€ Ijay states in is write up on Baker.

ā€œWhen it came to LGBTQ+ rights, Cornelius was an advocate for intersectional activism ā€“ recognizing that the right for LGBTQ+ equality was not separate from the broader movements for racial and gender justice,ā€ he states. ā€œHe worked alongside other leaders to advocate for LGBTQ+ healthcare rights, fighting for better healthcare policies and social services for LGBTQ+ individuals, particularly in the context of HIV/AIDS care.ā€

In a statement, Whitman-Walker Health said, ā€œWe have lost an incredible hero and absolute giant. Cornelius Baker led Whitman-Walker Health during a time when we needed him most. His tireless care for the people ā€” the community ā€” will be missed.  Thank you for all that you have done, fearless leader. Rest well now.ā€

The Center for Black Equity, a D.C.-based LGBTQ advocacy organization, released a statement calling Baker ā€œa trailblazing advocate whose dedication to health equity, especially for Black and LGBTQ+ communities, changed countless lives.ā€ The statement adds, ā€œCornelius was a compassionate leader and mentor, an unwavering voice for justice, and a cherished friend to many. His passion, resilience, and commitment to equity in health and rights shaped policy, empowered communities, and uplifted those who needed it most.ā€

Schwartz, for whom Baker worked on her former D.C. Council staff, stated on her Facebook page that she considered Baker her dearest friend who she often thought of as her second son ā€œfor the extraordinary life he led and all the time, effort and love he gave to make the world a better place for all of us.ā€ Schwartz added, ā€œNo one had a more brilliant mind or more giving heart.ā€

Baker was last seen by friends and former colleagues on Nov. 3, about a week before his passing, attending a D.C. reunion reception the Rainbow History Project held for the community leaders and activists, including Baker, it has designated as LGBTQ community pioneers.

The Washington Blade couldnā€™t immediately determine the cause of Bakerā€™s death or whether plans were being made for funeral or memorial services.

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District of Columbia

D.C. to conduct first-of-its-kind LGBTQ veteransā€™ survey

Forum on trans, gender diverse service members set for Nov. 15

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From left, Mayor's office of LGBTQ Affairs Director Japer Bowles, Department of Defense official Shawn Skelly, Mayor's Office of Veterans Affairs Director Charlotte Woodward, Crush Dance Bar co-owner Stephen Rutgers, Mayor's Office of Veterans Affairs official Pip Baitinger, and drag performer MacKayla Starr attend the 'Voices of Courage: Reclaiming the Legacy of LGBTQIA+ Inclusion in the Military' event at Crush Dance Bar on Sept. 20. (Photo courtesy of the Mayor's Office of Veterans Affairs)

As Veterans Day is celebrated in D.C. and across the nation, Mayor Muriel Bowserā€™s Office of Veterans Affairs announced it has recently drawn up an LGBTQIA+ veteransā€™ survey that it will begin distributing in the next few months.

ā€œThis attempt to survey the LGBTQIA+ veterans population in D.C. will be the first of its kind,ā€ according to Pip Baitinger, who serves as LGBTQIA+ Veterans Outreach and Relation Specialist in the Mayorā€™s Office of Veterans Affairs.

ā€œBarriers have existed in surveying this population due to issues of trust and neglect of the community by institutions in the past,ā€ Baitinger told the Washington Blade. ā€œHowever, this survey will attempt to accurately represent the number of LGBTQIA+ veterans in D.C. and better understand their needs,ā€ she said.

Baitinger pointed out that in addition to working on the survey, the Mayorā€™s Office of Veterans Affairs is hosting a special forum on Nov. 15 called Empowering Voices: Health and Wellness for Transgender and Gender Diverse Veterans.

The forum, which will be held from 1-3:30 p.m. at the D.C. Veterans Administration Medical Center at 50 Irving St., N.W., will include discussion, workshops, and provide resources on topics such as gender affirming care and support from experts, a flyer announcing the event says.

The D.C. LGBTQ veterans survey and the Nov. 15 forum follow a Sept. 20 LGBTQ veterans event hosted jointly by the Mayorā€™s Office of Veterans Affairs and the Mayorā€™s Office of LGBTQ Affairs called ā€œVoices of Courage: Reclaiming the Legacy of LGBTQIA+ Inclusion in the Military.ā€

The event, which was held at the D.C. LGBTQ Crush Dance Bar, was not open to the press because organizers wanted to ensure that LGBTQ veterans could discuss issues that may be sensitive or private that could impact their ability to obtain certain veteransā€™ benefits.

Baitinger provided the Blade with a summary of the issues discussed and raised at the event and identified some of those who spoke at the event. Among them was U.S. Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel And Readiness Shawn G. Skelly, who is the highest-ranking transgender official in the Department of Defense. 

Others participating in the event, Baitinger said, were U.S. Air Force member MaKayla Starr, who performed in drag; Charlette Woodward, an official with the Mayorā€™s Office of Veterans Affairs; Japer Bowles, director of the Mayorā€™s Office of LGBTQ Affairs; and Baitinger herself.

The mayorā€™s office noted at the time that the event was scheduled to take place on the 13th anniversary of the repeal of the ā€˜Donā€™t Ask, Donā€™t Tellā€™ law that banned LGBTQ people from serving openly in the U.S. military. Mayor Bowser issued an official mayoral proclamation declaring the day LGBTQIA+ Veterans Day in the District of Columbia.

ā€œDiscussions during the event included the need for greater LGBTQIA+ representation in the military and the progress that has thus far been achieved,ā€ Baitinger said. 

ā€œOne of the primary areas of concern is that of transgender and nonbinary veterans and service members, who are in vitalĀ need of gender affirming care and resources, such as hormones, surgeries, and just general affirming care from doctors who will use correct pronouns during routine doctor visits,ā€ Baitinger said in describing the issues discussed at the Sept. 20 event.

She said an additional issue deemed important at the event was ongoing efforts to upgrade the discharges of LGBTQ veterans, many of whom received so-called ā€œundesirableā€ discharges under the ā€˜Donā€™t Ask, Donā€™t Tellā€™ law before it was repealed. President Joe Biden earlier this year issued a presidential pardon that enabled veterans discharged under the ā€˜Donā€™t Ask, Donā€™t Tellā€™ law to apply for an upgrade of their discharge to the status of honorable discharge.

A list of resources for LGBTQ veterans offered by the Mayorā€™s Office of Veterans Affairs can be accessed at the departmentā€™s website.

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Delaware

Delaware advocacy group to host panel on mediaā€™s role in countering hate

Blade editor among journalists participating in Wednesday event

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Blade editor Kevin Naff is among journalists participating in a panel discussion on hate this week.

LEWES, Del. ā€” Speak Out Against Hate (SOAH) will hold its bi-monthly community meeting at 5 p.m. on Nov. 13 at the Lewes Library and via Zoom. The meeting will concentrate on the role of the press in responding to the divisiveness and rising tide of hatred in our country and communities.Ā 

The meeting will feature a panel of journalists comprised of Chris Rauch, owner and publisher of the Cape Gazette; Benjamin Rothstein, journalist at the Daily State News and its sister paper the Greater Dover Independent; Kevin Naff, editor and co-owner of the Washington Blade; and Jake Owens, editor-in-chief of Spotlight Delaware.

Patty Maloney, president of SOAH said, ā€œFollowing a national and state elections that saw our country nearly evenly divided, this important discussion with our local press will shine a light upon the role of the press locally and nationally in confronting the obvious chasm within our citizenry.ā€

For more information about the event and to register, please visit Speak Out Against Hate at soah-de.org.

Speak Out Against Hate was formed to confront and counter the rising tide of hate, whenever and wherever it exists.

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