by Shaun Knittel - SGN Staff Writer

This month, Gay City Health Project, announced a new opportunity for you to stand up and be counted as the proud LGBTQ person that you are.

Count Me OUT is a new LGBTQ health survey. According to Gay City officials, the data collected will be used to address the health inequities that may face our community.

I took the survey, which is confidential, in less than three minutes. The survey is quick, easy to navigate, and asks questions that range from mental health to tobacco use. To take the survey, visit Gay City Health Project online at www.gaycity.org.

"The idea for this survey came out of our current contract to address smoking-related health disparities among LGBT folks in King and Pierce County," Fred Swanson, executive director for Gay City, told SGN. "Much of the information that demonstrates high smoking and tobacco use among Queers comes from the state Behavioral Risk Factors Survey (BRFS), but the number of LGBT people in the survey is quite low. BRFS looks at all sorts of information - behaviors related to smoking, physical activity, weight, eating, etc. - and the data is used to make policy and other recommendations for addressing health issues in communities across Washington."

In particular, Swanson told SGN, there is no information on Transgender individuals, and "very little on LGBT people of color."

"Our goal with Count Me OUT is to provide supplemental data to the state, so that our needs can be understood and counted when policy and funding decisions are made," he said. "Now more than ever, as state budgets continue to shrink and programs are cut, we need to help the state focus their efforts where they are needed most."

Without the data, Swanson says the LGBT community - in particular LGBT people of color and Transgender folks - will "continue to be overlooked."

Gay City Health Project is a multicultural Gay men's health organization and the leading provider of HIV and STD testing in King County. The organization promotes Gay and Bisexual men's health and HIV transmission prevention by building community, fostering communication, and nurturing self-esteem.

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