Hmmm. Something appears to be up at San Francisco State University.
Jose Francisco is a student at the university. He’s also a health educator for freshmen students at Gateway High School. And he’s gay.
In a recent op-ed in his school’s newspaper, Jose claims something unusual happened after he told the nurse he was gay when he went into his school’s health clinic for an STD test.
“Recently, I got my routine HIV and STI test at SF State’s clinic,” he writes. “While sitting in the clinic, I was told by the nurse I would not be allowed free access to the same health care services as my heterosexual counterparts would.”
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Huh? That seems weird. Especially at a liberal school located within a liberal city inside a liberal state. Jose thought it was weird, too. So he did some research. He learned that the clinic is part of the Family PACT program, a government-funded program that provides free STD testing… to straight men and women only.
According to Family PACT’s website, the organization’s mission is “to make available to citizens of the State who are of childbearing age comprehensive medical knowledge, assistance, and services relating to the planning of families.”
The organization has four requirements students must be met to be eligible for assistance:
- California residency.
- Family income must be at or below 200% of the federal poverty guidelines.
- No other source of health care coverage for family planning services.
- Medical necessity for family planning services.
In short, Jose explains, because of the family planning component, “this means straight men and women can access these services for free. While I, on the other hand, had to pay $217 (for the exact same services).”
After he left, Jose contacted the clinic about the issue, but he says nobody there would give him a straight answer, so he went directly to Family PACT.
“I explicitly asked, ‘Am I not allowed this service because I am a male who happens to have sex with other males.’ She replied, ‘Accurate,’ and asked if I had any further questions.”
According to the CDC, STDs reached an all time high in 2015, with gay and bisexual men being at an increased risk. Not just that, but young people, ages 15-24, are at the highest risk for contracting chlamydia and gonorrhea.
“SF State must stop this discriminatory practice against the LGBTQ+ community,” Jose concludes in his op-ed. “The University must provide HIV and STI testing services free of all cost, regardless of one’s sexual orientation, since there is already a program allowing this for straight men and women.”
But Gene Chelberg, Associate Vice President for Student Affairs, tells Queerty the school does not discriminate.
“SF State Student Health Services provides basic medical services to all currently enrolled students and does not discriminate based on gender identification or sexual orientation,” Chelberg says in a statement. “The Student Health fee does not cover most laboratory tests, including those for HIV and STIs. Therefore, all students, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identification, must pay for the costs associated with the testing.”
Chelberg says students who do not meet the requirements for Family PACT but cannot afford testing are referred to either Planned Parenthood or Strut, a San Francisco community-based organization that offers free sexual health and medical services for men who have sex with men.
Related: The most “sexually diseased” states in the United States ranked 1-50 on one handy map
h/t: Golden Gate XPress
natekerchel
I hate to disagree with Mr. Chelberg. My understanding of the situation is that gay men – and presumably women as well – are not given the same and equal access to a service given to heterosexuals. To claim that this is not discriminatory borders on the deluded, whether or not people are directed to other organisations. Or have i misunderstood the story?
DCguy
No, he’s trying to squeeze out on a technicality. He is claiming the UNIVERSITY doesn’t discriminate. In other words, the health screening place DOES, but it isn’t technically a part of the university.
It’s a weasel reply.
theszak
The Strategy. BEFORE sex test TOGETHER for A VARIETY OF STIs Sexually Transmitted Infections including HIV Human Immunodeficiency Virus than make an INFORMED decision, google… tested together before sex
ivanw222
So ummm…don’t tell them you’re gay. It really isn’t any of their business.
Juanjo
Interesting story. But I am curious about what is going on here. This is a state program operating at a state university where discrimination based upon sexual orientation is against state law as well as city/county code. The story is from an opinion piece in the student newspaper at the university. It appears to be based pretty much on the word of the student alone. Queerty at least went to the school. I know that the various city clinics offer free std testing/treatment for low income people including students. I used them as did my friends when I was a student and later when I was working but had no health insurance. Likewise STRUT which was mentioned offers free services in the Castro and via a mobile van which travels around the city and offers testing on a walk-in basis.
So I would like to know more before I make any conclusions here. Since gay men and lesbians also have families the idea that this program restricts testing to straight couples on that basis seems a bit strange – especially in San Francisco.
DMRX
No. It’s a program being run by a PRIVATE company on a state campus. That’s what makes it legally ok, though still disgustingly bad.
Neonegro
That god damned red city in a red state controlled by Trumpsters…..tsk…tsk
Juanjo
Oh look troll boy is back with an irrelevant observation. Same irrelevant drivel, different day. Here is a hint troll boy, San Francisco does not run the university and there is no actual proof this happened as claimed in the opinion piece by the person making the changes. But your tu quoque comment is right in line with your usual MO.
DarkZephyr
@Juanjo and even if it did happen in a blue state, we still have a right to critique discrimination. I am not sure why Neonegro is taking joy from this. It certainly doesn’t mean that magically, red states are all pro-LGBT all of a sudden.
DCguy
This is the problem with the FOX News audience. They have lost the ability to actually debate an issue. They actually think that making a little bitchy Sarah Palinesque quip is a legitimate response. It’s why they come off so ignorant to normal people.
Mack
Regardless of whether he is gay or not, he can still cause a pregnancy if he has sex with a woman.
Chris
If what the SFSUD rep said is true, then they refer testing to outside agencies. In that case, thediscriminatory issue that that either they have (1) contracted with an agency or (2) given on-campus access to an agency that provides services only to straight men and women. To deal with this discrimination, the need to provide similar access to Planner Parenthood and to a Gay-focused agency, also in their student health services. If I were this student, I’d sue.
Billy Budd
I thought that in the USA “All Men Are Created Equal”. SUE THE BASTARDS and let’s see how they defend themselves from this discriminatory behavior.
Brian
I fully expect this out of Liberty University and other private evangelical organizations. That it’s SF State blows my mind.
MediaGuy
The money is earmarked and SFS was playing by the rules. It’s not clear where the parameters came from. They didn’t discriminate, so why is this an “article”?
ait10101
The question is why SFS contracted with a bigoted organization, not of the legalities involved. There is more to life than what is contracted and what is legal.
MediaGuy
It does make you wonder about who originated the contract. Is SFS that hard-up for money that they have to chase every dollar regardless? Doubtful. So, this remains a mystery.
o.codone
Wait. Bigoted? Who said that donating money for family planning is a bigoted thing to do? Just because this little snowflake couldn’t be accommodated doesn’t mean there’s some nefarious plan to exclude gays from services. Grow UP! Stop with the victim mentality. This girl has to get her services somewhere else or pay cash. Clear as daylight to me. Seriously, this unwarranted outrage is outrageous.
DCguy
Don’t you love the right wing tactic of trying to avoid what actually happened and then try to pretend that the victim is actually the victim.
See, nobody said donating money for family planning was bigoted. They said that not treating people equally based on race or orientation was bigoted.
Oooops, there went your entire premise. Sorry.
gayjim1969
Clear thinking requires one to be “-codone” free. Unfortunately, your handle indicates your interests run toward the opioid-haze. It makes sense–to those of us paying attention–for conservatives to continue to try to marginalize LGBTQ people while cloaking themselves in good deeds: they give to some with one hand and take from others with the other.
Denying whole groups of people access to medical care because you don’t want to serve them IS discriminatory. How they’re doing it is legal, but don’t try to make us believe they have LGBTQ peoples’ best interests at heart when they exclude them from free services, then charge them without telling them they have other options before performing the procedures. So shady.
mhoffman953
Why is a gay man trying to get HIV testing at a family planning center? Plus, how would they have even known he was gay?
I’m guessing this was done as a publicity stunt because he knew they would deny him service. The same exact thing would happen if a man went into a women’s health clinic looking for some type of medical service and the same would happen to a straight guy (who made it publicly known he was straight) if he went to a gay organization for some type of treatment.
This is just like the outrage over gay wedding cakes and Catholic businesses
DMRX
You completely missed the fact that he didn’t go to a family planning center; he went to the health clinic on the university’s campus.
Try actually reading the article carefully before you comment.
davidjohng
Actually if a str8 guy went to a gay testing service he probably WOULD be treated. I’m a SFSU (back when it was called a college not university) graduate and I’m not only surprised at this but shocked and disappointed at the school. I would like to see blowback and the dean/president actually have some pressure put on them. Even though I am across the country nowadays I constantly get alumni requests for money and I can certainly use that to make awareness. Besides making the policy known in the student newspaper, start some coordinated student protest with the help of the university gay center(2nd floor student union) and other str8 allies there, including professors. Even back in the late 70s when I graduated there was ALOT of support for gay issues.
mhoffman953
@DMRX I did read the article. He tried using the Family PACT program offered on campus: https://health.sfsu.edu/content/clinic-services which is a subsidized program offered by the university and the website states, “If you are eligible for Family PACT and family planning services are provided, at the visit or at a subsequent visit, you may be eligible for free testing, diagnosis, and treatment of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and vaginal infections.”
Sounds like he’s trying to use this subsidized program from the school but he’s ineligible. Meanwhile, there are a multitude of other free HIV testing areas within walking distance that he can use. Plus, how would the people running the Family PACT program even know he’s gay unless he stated it when entering the facility?
@davidjohng You are wrong that all gay testing services would treat heterosexuals. I did a Google search and the first result states that they only treat gay, bi, or transgender individuals: http://sfaf.org/client-services/testing/
According to that site, the San Francisco AIDS Foundation says, “Due to the low rates of HIV among heterosexual couples and women in San Francisco (SF Epi Data) WE PROVIDE REFERRALS for these men and women to SF Planned Parenthood and Women’s Community Clinic (who only see female identified persons).” So they don’t treat these people but instead send them somewhere else
DCguy
And what was that girl doing out at night wearing that skirt. She must have WANTED to be raped.
gayjim1969
Men–both gay and straight–go to Planned Parenthood facilities for STI testing, as well as other services where they are available. Furthermore, straight men and women are welcome at gay and lesbian health centers. You should stop in sometime and test that policy.
gayjim1969
“Plus, how would the people running the Family PACT program even know he’s gay unless he stated it when entering the facility?”
Let me get this straight: when we’re honest with health providers about our lifestyle, we’re pushing our sexuality down their throats and deserve what we get; if we lie and keep quiet, we’re being dishonest and deceitful. Yep, plays right into that conservative anti-gay propaganda; either way, we’re evil. smh
mhoffman953
@DCguy Those are false equivalents. You’re moving the goal posts and comparing a horrific crime with a person who was told about policies of a program. Not the same. You have created a straw man argument.
@gayjim1969 Sure, Planned Parenthood might do STI testing but if you read the article, the place on this student’s campus also was going to do HIV testing for him. His issue was that he felt his test should be free. He wasn’t denied services. He wanted to take advantage of a government program which he did not qualify for.
This incident happened in San Francisco and as I pointed out with the above example, there are gay HIV testing facilities who will deny coverage to straight men and straight women and refer them to Planned Parenthood. How is that acceptable? The above article didn’t say the student was denied the test and referred somewhere else. It said that he had to pay for it because he didn’t qualify for a government program. Should men be able to qualify for loans offered to female entrepreneurs? Should white students be able to qualify for federal subsidized grants that are targeted toward African American college students? Obviously not and this is the same example.
ShowMeGuy
Where does Family PACT get all that funding from again? This is bullshit. A gay guy can still have sex with a gal for the purpose of “family planning”.
ErikO
He’s obviously not in poverty and this does not apply to him, so he’s not getting the tests for free.
Family income must be at or below 200% of the federal poverty guidelines.