In observance of National LGBTQ Health Awareness Week, Councilmember Rue Landau — the city’s first openly LGBTQ+ councilmember — will host an LGBTQ+ Health Fair on March 21 at The Church of Saint Luke & The Epiphany, one of William Way LGBT Community Center’s temporary satellite locations. It is Philadelphia’s first queer-centered health fair, created by city council and organized by a councilperson.
Organized in partnership with William Way, the fair will allow community members to connect with queer-affirming and queer-competent providers and get referrals.
“This is about personal health care autonomy,” Landau said. “Each person should have all the information they need to make the best choices for themselves.”
The Health Fair will include health screenings, rapid HIV testing and take-home kits, legal advice for name changes, and more. Attendees will have the chance to connect with representatives from Asylum Pride House, Planned Parenthood, William Way LGBT Community Center, Mazzoni Center, Philadelphia Fight, Act UP Philadelphia, New Voices for Reproductive Justice, as well as the city’s Community Behavioral Health service and Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbility Services.
Landau underlined that mental health providers and recovery resources will also be present as it is crucial to resource LGBTQ+ people with the tools they need to “be strong and resilient during this super troubling time.”
President Donald Trump started his second term with a near-immediate attack on LGBTQ+ people. Rhetoric from the Trump administration about trans-specific health care and access to resources has intentionally confused or scared LGBTQ+ people away from seeking the care they need. Funding cuts to Medicaid and HIV-specific care have also made it challenging for many LGBTQ+ people to access and afford necessary care and support services.
According to the Williams Institute, LGBTQ+ people are nearly twice as likely to be Medicaid recipients than non-queer counterparts — meaning they’re more likely to be affected by Trump’s economic policies, which have targeted Medicaid users.
A research initiative pursued by the Human Rights Campaign, “One Year In: LGBTQ+ Americans Under the Trump Administration” details what life has been like since he has taken power.
The publication notes that nearly half of LGBTQ+ adults report that they’re inching backward in terms of coming out — becoming less visible or “less out” in their workplaces, health care settings, and public spaces since Trump has taken office. Two-thirds of trans and nonbinary adults have experienced difficulties accessing health care due to Trump’s policies. There has been an increase in health care discrimination, and a third of LGBTQ+ adults who have experienced health care discrimination said their health has worsened over the past year.
Youth are even more especially affected, as health care for young, trans people has been completely eliminated or has moved underground in some states — including throughout the Delaware Valley. According to data collected by The Trevor Project at the end of 2024, 90% of LGBTQ+ youth report that recent politics have negatively impacted their mental health.
For the past 24 years, National LGBTQ Health Awareness Week — which was created by the National Coalition for LGBTQ Health — has been informing LGBTQ+ and allied communities about timely and relevant issues impacting queer health care disparities, advocating for interventions that improve outcomes. This year’s national theme, “Organize to OUTLast,” is a call for stability and endurance — underlining that changes to policies, funding and access to language and data will require strategic responses but that the queer community and allied providers can mobilize to “outlast” the disruptions.
“In general, the LGBTQ community — especially our trans and nonbinary siblings — continue to face barriers in accessing health care,” Landau said. “Especially during this time when access to health care is becoming more difficult to obtain and when Medicaid cuts are about to go into effect, every alternative option that’s available to our community is vital.”
Landau pointed to the Trans Wellness Conference, which was previously the largest, free trans-focused health conference in the world. It was one of the few times per year locals could count on finding all of the city’s LGBTQ+ friendly service providers in one place. The conference’s format shifted following the pandemic, with organizers creating smaller events and year-round programming instead of its signature convention.
Landau said the intent of this upcoming conference is to try to pull together those providers into one easy-to-access space again.
“Organizing was easy,” she said. “The organizations that are represented were very happy to participate in this and also know that a one-stop shop for health care and health services is often the best way to get people connected again.”
Landau said many community members read the news and believe LGBTQ+ affirming institutions and health care services are disappearing — but that’s not necessarily the case. Although some have gone underground, health fairs allow providers to speak directly to community members to help them better understand what resources are still available and how to access them.
The timing is essential, Landau said.
“When federal support shrinks, local municipalities need to fill the gaps,” she underlined. “And we can make sure people still have access to information, care and support here in Philadelphia.”
Councilmember Rue Landau’s LGBTQ+ Health Fair will take place 12-3 p.m. on March 21 at The Church of Saint Luke & The Epiphany, 330 S. 13th St. To RSVP, visit bit.ly/LGBTQCMRL.