In keeping with Pride Month, the New York City Health Department announced a “Bill of Rights” on Tuesday for members of the LGBTQ community. The “bill” aims to educate New Yorkers of their health care rights.
In a news conference at The Center, an LGBTQ community center in the West Village, Health Commissioner Mary Bassett detailed the “Bill of Rights,” which she said was designed to explicitly outline New Yorkers’ rights to equal-quality care regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.
“[The Bill of Rights] is built and published with the goal of ensuring that people are aware of the health care protections that they are entitled to, in terms of local, state and federal levels,” Bassett said.
The city also unveiled the Bare It All Campaign, which encourages LGBTQ New Yorkers to find doctors with whom they feel comfortable sharing information about their sex and drug histories.
“It made me a little emotional,” said DeAreisha Mack, a 32-year-old actress and model for the campaign. “Compared to all the places around the world, New York is just a whole different world with the diversity and open-mindedness.”
Bassett was joined by Carmelyn Malalis, commissioner of NYC Commission on Human Rights, Demetre Daskalakis, deputy commissioner for Disease Control, and Shijuade Kadree, The Center’s senior director of Government Programs and Affairs.
