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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 31, 2018)
Page 12 October 31, 2018 O PINION Opinion articles do not necessarily represent the views of the Portland Observer. We welcome reader essays, photos and story ideas. Submit to news@portlandobserver.com. A Reason to Vote Yes on Clean Energy Measure: Help reduce shocking health disparities p atriCia K ullberg , mD, mph If anyone is still looking for a reason to vote yes on the Portland Clean En- ergy Initiative (Mea- sure 26-201), here’s a big one: to help reduce shocking health disparities between those Portlanders who live in privilege and those who do not. The disen- franchised and under-resourced communities of Portland suffer an undue burden of premature dis- ability, disease and death, which stems directly from the conditions in which they live, work and play. Low income persons suffer twice as much asthma, three times as many heart attacks and more than three times as many strokes than the economically advantaged. Among communities of color, es- pecially African-Americans, birth weights are lower, infant mortality is higher and more people suffer from HIV, cancer, diabetes and heart disease. These differences in morbidity and mortality have been amply documented in stud- ies by the Coalition of Communi- ties of Color, Multnomah County Health Department and the Ore- gon Health Authority. To be clear, health outcome dis- parities have nothing to do with genetics or demographics, or even so-called lifestyle choices. Moun- tains of literature contradict the idea that people simply choose to by smoke, not exercise or eat poorly. These choices are always made in the context of social, eco- nomic and psychological factors. What if, for ex- ample, no one markets fresh produce in your neighborhood? What if the nearby park is not safe to play in? What if you’ve been bombarded with ads since childhood about how sexy it under-resourced. Families move in and out; neighbors may not know each other. Social isolation is more common. People of color suffer the addi- tional burdens of racism. “Weath- ering” refers to a process of pre- mature aging due to the constant stress from the daily effects of racism: the repeated experience of being dismissed, disrespected, diminished and denied. A weath- between the privileged and the under-privileged would erase the disparities in health outcomes. It is precisely this sickening combination of lousy living con- ditions and the underlying bur- den of disease that renders the residents of Portland’s under-re- sourced communities more sus- ceptible to the ill effects of global climate change. The Oregon Cli- mate and Health Profile Report People of color suffer the additional burdens of racism. “Weathering” refers to a process of premature aging due to the constant stress from the daily effects of racism: the repeated experience of being dismissed, disrespected, diminished and denied. is to smoke? Neighborhoods where low in- come persons, immigrants and people of color tend to live in Portland are often unhealthy. The air quality is worse. The tree can- opy is sparser. The housing stock is uninsulated and burdened with vermin and toxins. Access to healthy food, public transportation or health services may be poor. Jobs are more scarce. Schools are ering process may similarly affect all who are marginalized, stripped of their dignity and independence, or deprived of food and shelter. Researchers estimate that social conditions account for two thirds of health outcomes; that living and working conditions have a bigger impact on health and longevity than either clinical care or indi- vidual behavior. Wiping out the differences in social conditions (Oregon Health Authority, 2014) and the Climate Change Prepa- ration Strategy (City of Portland and Multnomah County, 2014) identify the populations at highest risk for adverse outcomes from climate change events: persons living in substandard housing, non-English speaking persons, houseless persons, people with pre-existing health and mental health conditions and those who live in areas with poor air quality. The ill effects of drought, flood- ing, extreme heat events and blan- kets of smoke from wildfires will fall most heavily on those least able to withstand them. The benefits of the Portland Clean Energy Initiative are tar- geted to low income communi- ties and communities of color. They include clean energy jobs and training; home weatheriza- tion; improved access to healthy food through community gardens or food buying clubs; and other community clean energy projects. These projects will not only pre- pare communities to withstand the adverse effects of climate change, they will also bring immediate im- provements in physical and men- tal health. The effects of building health- ier neighborhoods are well docu- mented: neighbors are more like- ly to know and trust each other. Crime rates are lower and civic engagement is increased. People are more likely to volunteer and more likely to vote. They live lon- ger and healthier lives. Is this not what all of us want for our city? If you agree, join me in voting yes on the Portland Clean Energy Ini- tiative (Measure 26-201). Dr. Patricia Kullberg is the for- mer medical director of the Mult- nomah County Health Department and author of “Health Equity and the Portland Clean Energy Initia- tive.” Trump’s Gender ‘Science’ Mean and Wrong A vulnerable population will suffer more J ill r iCharDson Trump is having a problem with sex, and it’s not exactly what you might think. There are no Russian tapes, spankings with maga- zines, or confessions of grabbing anyone this time around. Specifically, it’s a problem with sex and gender. Sex and gender aren’t the same thing, though many people mis- take them for being synonymous. I was mistaken too, until I be- gan studying social science. I was born with two X chromosomes by and all of the body parts that come with them. So I was assigned fe- male (my sex) at birth and I was raised as a girl (my gender). Since my sex (assigned on account of chromosomes, body parts, and hormones) and my gender (all of the non-biological com- ponents of what makes you a man or a woman) matched, the two felt synonymous. Nothing about my chromosomes or genitalia created a biological need to do the behav- ior associated with my gender: playing with dolls, wearing dress- es, polishing my nails. But, as I was taught as a child that girls do those things, they felt right. Social scientists say that gender is something you do, not some- thing you are. We also talk about something called the “gender bi- nary.” This is the false yet perva- sive belief that there are two, and only two, sexes and genders. It’s a lot more complicated than that, and not just when it comes to gender. Did you know that being intersex — having ambiguous sex characteristics — is actually as common as having red hair? I’ve always loved being a girl. But not everyone’s sex assign- ments and gender assignments match. A transgender person is someone whose gender differs from the sex they were assigned at birth. A non-binary or gender- queer person may not identify as either gender. I’ve never personally experi- enced what it feels like to be treat- ed as the gender I’m not. That’s my good fortune. Trans people de- scribe the experience as incredibly painful. Trans man Trystan Reese described it as a matter of life or death: If he couldn’t live as a man, he couldn’t go on living. Yet Trump is now looking to define gender as the sex assigned as birth, supposedly because that’s “grounded in science.” No it bloody well isn’t, and I say that as a scientist. Here’s what is grounded in sci- ence: Unless this country stops discriminating against transgender people and starts protecting them, more transgender people will die. Four in ten transgender people attempt suicide. The list of rea- sons includes bullying, rejection by friends and family, violence, discrimination, and more. Trump’s move — if he makes it — will serve to erase the civil rights of 1.4 million transgender Americans. An already vulnerable population will needlessly suffer more. On the other hand, research shows that transgender people who are supported in their tran- sition — that is, allowed to live openly and authentically as them- selves, without harassment, vio- lence, or bullying — have better mental health, life satisfaction, and even job satisfaction. That shouldn’t be surprising: It’s true of all people. Why would the government want to do the ex- act opposite? OtherWords columnist Jill Richardson is pursuing a PhD in sociology at the University of Wis- consin-Madison. She lives in San Diego.
