Photo Friday: Equality = Health (and Hope)

View Harvey Milk’s San Francisco -2012 14339 on Flickr.com

I thought this was a great image of equality to happen upon, when went on an early morning walk in San Francisco.

There’s ample data to show that civil rights inequality results in poor health as much as an underperforming school system or a high crime rate.

In 2012, city officials across the United States are supporting freedom from discrimination as a right of residents of any city to enjoy so that they may lead healthy, productive lives.

We should remember from the images below that it wasn’t that long ago that a city official, and his mayor, could lose their lives because they sought to protect and provide a healthy existence for their community.

Any private entity that goes on record opposing equality is really opposing good health of the population. Whether or or not they choose to make that connection in their rhetoric, it exists.

My role as a physician, among others, is to happily provide people with references from the medical literature about this, and also to work in and support an organization and a healing profession that stands strongly for equality for all.

So great to see our cities and our country choose good health, wellness, and love (which always wins).

.@georgenassar What's embarrassing about supporting equal rights for your gay fellow Americans?

— Vincent C. Gray (@mayorvincegray) July 27, 2012