Honoring Gay Pride Month

June is LGBTQ Pride Month. Despite the popular images of wealthy LGB celebrities, many queer and trans* people are low-income. Employment discrimination, lack of health insurance, homelessness, and other factors make LGBT people particularly vulnerable to the impact of economic inequality. Gay and lesbian families (especially the latter) are significantly more likely to be living below the poverty line than heterosexual married families, and children in gay and lesbian households are twice as likely to live in poverty as compared to children in homes with heterosexual parents. And given the legacy of racism in the U.S., the statistics are even worse for LGBT people of color. Other concerns include: trans justice and violence against LGBTQ youth. (http://www.buzzfeed.com/hfetter/7-lgbt-issues-that-matter-more-than-marriage-fk74)

Today’s guest is Andy Humm. Andy has been a gay activist since 1974 helping lead the fight for New York City's gay rights bill that passed in 1986 through the efforts of the Coalition for Lesbian and Gay rights and getting explicit AIDS education in the public schools in the 1990s through his work as director of education at the Hetrick-Martin Institute for LGBT youth. A lifelong journalist as well, he has co-hosted the national "Gay USA" television program weekly since 1985 and writes regularly for the Gay City News and Gotham Gazette. Andy Humm was host of WNET-TV's "Informed Sources" weekly reporters' roundtable in the 1990s. Mr. Humm's work has also appeared in the NY Times, Daily News, and Post.