To commemorate Breast Cancer Awareness Month, here are some sites to inform, support, and help you take action.
Resources with a lesbian connection:
The Dr. Susan Love Research Foundation is a nonprofit dedicated to the prevention of breast cancer. You may remember Love from her appearance on The L Word last season. Love is an out lesbian mom, in addition to being one of the pioneers of the breast cancer advocacy movement. Her site is a wealth of information and resources, as is her book, Dr. Susan Love’s Breast Book, now in its fourth edition. Both are geared for a general audience (i.e., not just lesbians), but are naturally inclusive.- The Mautner Project, the National Lesbian Health Organization, offers their new Support, Assistance and Information for Lesbians (SAIL) program to help lesbians and bi women, their families, and caregivers navigate the cancer-care system, the Family Coordination Program providing emotional and practical support, and various other support groups, retreats, and phone services, as well as referrals to lesbian-friendly healthcare providers.
- The LGBT Health Channel has a good one-pager on lesbians/bi women and various kinds of cancer.
- Some local LGBT groups offer cancer support and information services, such as the Hambleton Project in Portland, Oregon and the Lesbian Cancer Initiative at the New York City LGBT Community Center.
And a few general resources:
- The National Breast Cancer Awareness Month site has information on the disease as well as suggestions for how to raise awareness about it in your workplace or community.
- The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation is one of the biggest organizations advocating for breast cancer research, education, screening, and treatment. They run the “Race for the Cure” events around the world. Their site has lots of information, message boards, and more.
- Breast Cancer Action is a grassroots organization inspired by AIDS activists. They take a hard look at “the politics of breast cancer” and “dangerous corporate dominance of breast cancer issues.” Their thought-provoking Think Before You Pink site urges people to take action other than simply buying breast-cancer-themed products. BCA claims many cosmetic, auto, and food companies that sponsor breast cancer organizations also have products whose ingredients or environmental effects have been linked to cancer.
Educate yourselves. Do your breast self exams. (Do your partner’s.) Get your mammograms. Finally, remember that however dreadful breast cancer is, it’s only one of a number of cancers and other life-threatening diseases that can affect ourselves and our families. Use this month to learn and do more about breast cancer, but don’t stop caring about it or other health issues on November 1.
