Getting involved!

A Call to Share Our Stories

As we head into National Nurses Week (May 6-12), this is a good time to be reminded of the importance of sharing our stories as nurses.  Unless we tell our stories, the general public gets their impression of nursing entirely from news and popular media, and as we all know, that is frequently inaccurate.

GLMA is calling for all LGBTQ+ front line health care workers to share our stories (link).  By participating in this, you not only have the opportunity to educate the public on what nurses do but also on the contributions made by the LGBTQ+ community.  Telling our stories is also an important way of acknowledging and processing your own contributions.  If you are currently working the front lines in combatting the COVID-19 pandemic, please consider taking a moment to share your story.

Health Professionals in Training (HPiT) Co-Chair Call for Applications!
GLMA: Health Professionals Advancing LGBTQ Equality is seeking a motivated health professional student/trainee who has a passion for healthcare equality and strengthening their leadership skills to join the GLMA Board of Directors in the Health Professional in Training (HPiT) co-chair role. The one-year term begins in the fall with the opportunity for a one-year renewal. 

The HPiT co-chair is the voice for the student and trainee members of GLMA. In addition to being a full voting board member, the position is responsible for co-chairing the HPiT committee, which is tasked with addressing issues important to GLMA student/trainee members. Students/trainees from diverse backgrounds including health profession and geographic locations are encouraged to apply. Residents and fellows are also eligible to apply.

The application will open March 1st.
Deadline is April 5th, 2020, at midnight (PST)

To learn more about the GLMA HPiT Board Member position, please reference the application FAQ. Please feel free to distribute this information to relevant organizations and groups. If you are interested in getting involved in the HPiT committee, join our group on Facebook or email hpitcommittee@glma.org.

Leadership Opportunity

This opportunity is open to all health professionals in training, including nursing students at all levels (pre-licensure, enrolled in a nurse residency program, pursuing an advanced degree). Official call for applications follows.

HPiT Co-Chair Call for Applications!

GLMA: Health Professionals Advancing LGBTQ Equality is seeking a motivated health professional student/trainee who has a passion for healthcare equality and strengthening their leadership skills to join the GLMA Board of Directors in the Health Professional in Training (HPiT) co-chair role. The one-year term begins in the fall with the opportunity for a one-year renewal.

The HPiT co-chair is the voice for the student and trainee members of GLMA. In addition to being a full voting board member, the position is responsible for co-chairing the HPiT committee, which is tasked with addressing issues important to GLMA student/trainee members. Students/trainees from diverse backgrounds including health profession and geographic locations are encouraged to apply. Residents and fellows are also eligible to apply.

DEADLINE to apply: April 8, 2019, at midnight (PST)

To learn more about the GLMA HPiT Board Member position, please reference the attached application.

Networking, anyone?

Our wonderful annual GLMA Nursing Summit is like an oasis in the desert for those of us who are able to attend, and the highlight is networking – meeting old and new friends, finding new connections with others who share our interests and passions for LGBTQIA+ health.  But what about the other 364 days of the year?  And what about possibilities a little bit closer to home?  The GLMA Nursing Section networking group might help!  There is nothing complicated about this group – it is simply a database that we can organize by region and showcase everyone in a gallery  makes it possible to find and connect with other LGBTQIA+ nurses and allies.

If you are not already signed up, here is the link to the form to sign up!  This is not GLMA membership, nor is it GLMA Nursing Section membership – it just gets you signed up for the networking database.  The benefit is that you will get a link to see a “kanban” view consisting off “cards” for everyone in the group, organized by your geographical region.  At this point, there are lots of regions (mostly states) that have no one – yet – and many that have only one or two people.  But over time that will change, and if you are part of the group, you can help change that! Your connection of course is not limited to just your region or neighboring regions – You can explore any region to find people who share your interest, and contact them by email

The Kanban view is password protected, and you have to have the link to sign in. Once you are part of the group, you will receive an email every few weeks reminding you of he link to the Kanban view, and a reminder of the password (which will change from time to time).  So join us! And if you already are in the group, encourage your friends to join us, and check the Kanban view frequently to welcome new networkers!

Summit, Conference, and Workplace Climate Scale

With the awards gala last night, #GLMA2018 has come to a close.  The Nursing Summit was amazing, and there will be plenty about it here in the upcoming weeks!

In the meantime, for those who either weren’t able to attend the Nursing Summit or meant to finish their paper survey but didn’t, here is your invitation to participate electronically in validating this assessment tool developed by the Nursing Section!

Nursing Setting Workplace Climate/Policy Study

We are conducting a needs assessment study of the workplace climate and policies for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in nursing clinical and educational settings. We welcome your input on one or both of these settings, regardless of your own identifications. If you agree to participate, click on the link below to complete the survey. It takes about 10-15 minutes to complete. If you work in more than one setting, you can do the survey more than once, but make sure you focus on only one setting at a time. This study was approved by the IRB at San Francisco State University, and your participation is both voluntary and anonymous.

Please feel free to share this link with any other nurses you know who might consider participating. If you have any questions, feel free to contact Mickey Eliason (meliason@sfsu.edu) or Diane Verrochi (dverrochi@hartford.edu).

Link to survey:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/GXTB5SF 

Meanwhile, stay tuned for an overview of the Nursing Summit as a whole and then the individual sessions!

Introducing our new GLMA Nursing Web Team!

I am delighted to let everyone know that we have formed a GLMA Nursing web management team!  We have three members of the team – myself (Peggy Chinn, Nursing Section Recorder), Tiffany Cook and Dennis Hargis.  We welcome new folks any time .. if you want to join us, just let us know (you can use the Contact Form here)

Our goals include:

  • Blog Regularly every other Thursday (more if we can)
  • Provide, through the blog, a discussion forum for all GLMA members and friends focused on items that are included in the GLMA digest, and encourage participation
  • Also feature content that is broadly LGBTQ-focuesd that is prompted by national holidays, observances and celelbrations.
  • Improve our social media reach to promote LGBTQ health and quality nursing care for LGBTQ individuals and families.
  • Participate actively with GLMA staff and board members to plan for future development of GLMA on the web.

If you have not yet met Tiffany and Dennis, you will want to get to know them!  Here is a brief introduction!

Tiffany Cook

A digital native, Tiffany is very excited to be joining the GLMA Nursing Web Team. In her current position as the Training and Professional Development Program Coordinator at NYU School of Medicine’s Office of Diversity Affairs she is diligently working to assess and improve curricular content within undergraduate medical education related to cultural Tiffanycompetence and LGBTQI health. Prior to joining NYU School of Medicine, she served as the Executive Director of Praxis Clinical, where she developed and provided clinical skills workshops on gynecological and andrological exams, ultrasound exams, sexual assault forensic exams, and LGBTQI/DSD+ health for a variety of nursing and medical programs across the northeast region, including NYU, the Connecticut Office of Victim Services, and Yale University.

She received her undergraduate degree in General Studies with a minor in Women’s and Gender Studies from the University of Idaho and is currently pursuing nursing prerequisites at Johns Hopkins University, with the hopes of one day becoming a Family Nurse Practitioner. Additionally, she continues to provide a variety of continuing education and community health workshops and has written for the peer-reviewed Journal of Visualized Experiments. Please feel free to connect with Tiffany on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook.

Dennis Hargis

Dennis currently works as a Research Site Coordinator, Mental Health, at the Orlando (FL) VA Medical Center.  He has served in this role for one year; prior to assuming this role he served as Nurse Manager of Surgical Services, PAT, and Pain Clinic for 4 years.  He hargis_dennis_200currently serves on the medical center’s Ethics Committee and is a member of the Transgender Care Team.  Dennis retired from the USAF in 2003 after 21 years of military service.  He holds a M.S. in Nursing Administration, Eastern Kentucky University, Richmond, KY; and a B.S. and A.D. in Nursing, Marymount University, Arlington, VA. He is currently enrolled in the DNP program at Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN with a targeted completion date of July 2016.  His scholarly project interest centers on increasing LGBT cultural awareness among Veterans’ Health Administration (VHA) staff members.  His plans are to enroll in a Ph.D. program to pursue continued studies with regard to LGBT Veterans.  He is a member of the GLMA, Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing, and the American Nurses Association.  Please feel free to connect with Dennis on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram.