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Health+Wellness

Moving Beyond New Year’s Resolutions: Succeed in 2024

Posted on December 30, 2023

As the year comes to an end, many of us feel compelled to set New Year’s resolutions for 2024. This tradition, while well-meaning, often leads to short-lived commitments that fade by February. Why? Because we often view resolutions as temporary changes rather than lifelong transformations. The journey toward personal and professional success requires more than mere resolutions—it calls for a shift toward a goal-setting mindset. So what’s the difference between a resolution and a goal? Resolutions often revolve around breaking…

World AIDS Day: Four Ways to Address Stigma within the LGBTQIA+ Community

Posted on December 1, 2023

In recent decades, significant strides have been made in the global battle against HIV/AIDS. World AIDS Day, marked on December 1 each year, serves as a poignant reminder of the progress achieved, the challenges that persist, and the need for continued awareness and action. …

Men’s Health: Beyond Traditional Notions of Masculinity

Posted on November 23, 2023

A photo of a man not conforming to traditional masculinity.

November is Men’s Health Awareness Month, and it is essential to recognize the challenges all men face, as well as how their identities and communities impact those hurdles. In general, men experience hardships related to societal expectations of their gender identities—the pressure to be masculine, maintain a specific appearance, and find fulfillment in their gender roles. This complexity expands when considering factors such as race, cisnormativity, sexual and romantic orientations, generational differences, and the intersectionality that all men carry.…

Empowerment Through Action: How LGBTQ+ Youth Can Channel Climate Anxiety into Activism

Posted on October 12, 2023

A photo of LGBTQ youth climate activists.

Each week, the ongoing climate crisis brings with it new anxiety-inducing headlines about record-breaking heat waves, unprecedented natural disasters, and species extinctions—not to mention the inability of world leaders to effectively and aggressively address these issues to prevent further harm. Unfortunately, these reports are not only worrisome, they are also starting to cause serious mental health problems.…

How the Overturn of Roe v. Wade Will Impact LGBTQIA+ Couples in the South

Posted on September 23, 2022

A photo of protests surrounding the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade

The U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade on June 24, 2022. In doing so, the Supreme Court gave states the right to outlaw abortion. Several states, many of them in the South, have trigger laws, which state legislators have already approved, that went into effect immediately or almost immediately after Roe v. Wade was overturned. A perhaps unforeseen result of the overturn is that the ruling may also make it more difficult for LGBTQIA+ couples in the South to adopt…

Reproductive Justice, Love, and Rock n’ Roll: ‘I’ll Have What She’s Having’ Hosts Picnic Fundraiser for Abortion Access in Texas

Posted on June 1, 2022

I'll Have What She's Having members Lindsay Rae (l) and Keisha Griggs.

Between the leaked Roe v. Wade draft opinion, horrific attacks on trans kids from the state’s legislature, and the tragic school shooting in Uvalde, Texans have experienced immeasurable trauma these past few months. The Houston-based, women-led organization I’ll Have What She’s Having (IHWSH)—composed of women chefs, hospitality professionals, entrepreneurs, physicians, scientists, artists, and other professionals united in social activism—is turning pain into action.…

Why World AIDS Day Matters to the Trans Community

Posted on December 1, 2021

A photo of World AIDS Day and the trans community.

The language and sentiments surrounding this pandemic, from calls to action to “flatten the curve,” to the anxiety around human contact and intimacy, are reminiscent of another ongoing issue impacting our community—the HIV epidemic. …

As We Emerge: LGBTQ BIPOC Mental Health Following Isolation

Posted on May 28, 2021

Wow, where has the time gone? 2021 has already raced by, and I can’t believe it’s already May. As vaccines are rolling out, it feels like the world is finally starting to open back up just in time for summer, with the prospects of travel and social life on the horizon. While some are chomping at the bit to emerge back into society, others are much less comfortable, still feeling the weight of the pandemic. The month of May marks…

How Can We Talk to Kids About Consent? Sexologist Dr. Laura McGuire’s New Book is Here to Help

Posted on April 1, 2021

This queer and non-binary sexologist is helping parents and teachers of K-12 students navigate conversations about consent in their debut book, Creating Cultures of Consent. …

HIV Disproportionately Affects People in the South. Why is Texas Trying to Cut Funding?

Posted on March 23, 2021

A photo of BIPOC people representing HIV Texas.

The numbers are clear: HIV affects people in the South at much higher rates than elsewhere in the nation. Within the southern demographic, the virus disproportionally affects BIPOC southerners. And right here in Texas—where we have the highest uninsured rate in the nation—the state legislature would like to cut funding for the Texas HIV Medication Program (THMP).…

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