Special Health Resources of East Texas

“SHRET” is a very useful medical and HIV/AIDS support provider that offers free case management services, meaning they can actually assign a human to take on your “case” in receiving available services. They offer dental, counseling and some housing assistance, as well as medical and prescription assistance.

Resources & Links

Resources vary so much from town to town — even within East Texas — that it would be impractical or even impossible to provide a comprehensive list. Instead, here are some of the resources I’ve found most valuable in East Texas. Some, such as Tyler AIDS Services and SHRET, have their own resource lists that are more comprehensive. Others, such as poz.com or gay.com, are not unique to Texas, and may be used by people who live anywhere.

Here are some of the online resources I’ve found to be most useful:

Tyler AIDS Services

“TAS” is also an excellent resource for HIV / AIDS support. Though some of its services, such as food bank and referral services, are available to anyone, many of the grants TAS administers are restricted to residents of Tyler. I do some volunteer work for them, and help with their newsletter.

Poz

You may have seen the print version of Poz magazine lying around in doctors’ offices, but you may not be aware of their website, which has an excellent “personals” resource for HIV+ people. I’ve met several new friends in the Tyler area through Poz Personals.

Equality Texas

I met Equality Texas President Paul Scott during “Lobby Day, 2007,” which was expertly organized by this organization. We are lucky to have such a well-run group fighting for our rights as LGBT citizens in Texas. Sign up for their email alerts and keep informed about what’s going on and what you can do.

GLAAD

The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) is another well-organized group that offers many online resources, including publications and even an online form to report harassment.

Soulforce

Using nonviolent protest methods championed by Gandhi and Martin Luther Kink, Jr (and probably some ideas from Henry David Thoreau) Soulforce seeks to reconcile the LGBT community with religion and religious leaders. This is of vital importance to us in East Texas because of the relationship between hate crimes and religious hate speech. The Soulforce website offers valuable informational resources to be sure, though I’ve found their “forums” section of incredible value in dealing with several local issues. These people can help your “wisdom” factor by helping you remain spiritually and emotionally centered during a crisis.

The Body

The leading HIV / AIDS information site. Probably the best place to learn ANYTHING about HIV / AIDS.

PFLAG

This is the main website for East Texas PFLAG, which is currently the only GLBT organization that meets regularly in this region that I’m aware of. They also have a web presence here. If you live outside the East Texas area, you can find the national PFLAG website here.

Your Congress People!

This link will take you to a page on this website where I’ve listed contact information and photos for our East Texas congressional representatives, both state and federal.

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Gay dot com

Gay dot com is put out by LPI Media, the same people who publish “The Advocate” and a host of other GLBT publications. I use this site primarily for news affecting the GLBT community. Many people (including me) also join as premium members for gay personals.

Bonus! You can use tridd’s special promotional code: 51015AFF - to save an additional $5, $10, or $15, or use the link below to try out the service for free.

Gay City News

This is a great “newspaper-style” website out of NYC that does a good job of keeping up with national GLBT news items, along with great resources for those interested in the history of GLBT activism and human rights.

Click here for a list of resources for HIV in the Tyler, TX area.

The Resource Group

The mission of The Houston Regional HIV/AIDS Resource Group is to maximize all possible medical, psychosocial and educational resources to help persons affected by or at risk of HIV/AIDS nationally with primary focus in east and southeast Texas.