Lunch & Learn: Barriers to Effective LGBTQ Health Care

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning (LGBTQ) patients face stigma, discrimination, and barriers to effective health care. To address these issues, the Health Center hosted a panel with LGBTQ Asian American health advocates.

Steven Houang (he/him) graduated from The New School in December 2013 focusing on biology and public health. As a first generation Taiwanese American immigrant, Steven has a special interest in social justice and the health issues faced by minority groups. He was a founding member of the Peer Health Advocates Program at The New School, and as Hunt Foundation fellow, he conducted research on community health at the NYC Department of Health & Mental Hygiene. He is a Senior Research Assistant at Public Health Solutions, working on scalable, web-based projects in HIV (hivbigdeal.org), reproductive health (whichmethod.org), and other issues affecting people living in New York City and beyond.

Bex Kwan (they/them, she/her) is a queer/trans singaporean-chinese multimedia artist and organizer. Most recently, they were working at National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum (NAPAWF) as an organizer building with other Asian American Pacific Islander women and gender nonconforming folks in New York City around reproductive justice. Bex has been invited to present in venues in Singapore and the U.S.

Virginia Lou Ng (she/her) has been involved in the Asian American community for over 35 years. She is a special events coordinator, fundraiser, and community advocate with more than 30 years of experience in not-for-profit and volunteer organizations, as well as the entrepreneurial and community health fields. Virginia is the Associate Administrator at the Charles B. Wang Community Health Center.