Photo Friday: Equality Selfie, with Washington, DC Mayor Vince Gray

This week’s photograph was taken at Washington, DC’s Metropolitan Community Church. It’s a shot of Washington, DC’s Mayor, Vince Gray (@MayorVinceGray) posing for a selfie with several of his constituents. 

This group of constituents is special, because they are the beneficiaries of Washington, DC’s end to discrimination in health insurance for people who are transgender (see: Photo Friday: The end of discrimination in health care for people who are transgender, Washington, DC USA | Ted Eytan, MD ). I spoke to Consuella Lopez (@ConsuellaLopez), who’s taking the photo above, and she told me how she was forced to move away from her family, to Washington, DC, just so that she could receive health insurance at all. Now she can get coverage and care.

As I have been reading and prepping to talk about unconscious bias at the upcoming LGBTQI Health Symposium, I’m learning that I have been unconsciously treating myself, by doing what works, according to the literature – spending time with the “outgroup” (that’s social science speak for the people who are different than you). And, I can report that it works.

I additionally came across this video this week, produced by the World Bank (@WorldBank) that demonstrates what the result of the elimination of unconscious bias will be: “raise your human compassion, feel that transgender people are also humans.”

We’re here because we know that health happens when people can control their own destiny. So does our Mayor. That’s what I see in the photo, along with the feeling that the world is officially changed. It looks kind of awesome/love always wins 🙂 .

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Ted Eytan, MD