Queercents Professional Directory

Janice Langbehn and her partner Lisa Pond

By Barb Elgin, LCSW

I’m deeply honored and happy to announce that Janice Langbehn, one of the GLBT community’s biggest ’sheroes’ will appear on my podcast

GLBT Talk with Barb and Donna

on Tuesday evening 10/27/09 at 6:30p ET.

Janice’s story has been in the national spotlight recently as well as much of the last two or so years since her life took a dramatic turn.

In 2007 Janice’s partner of 18 years, Lisa Pond, died suddenly and unexpectedly due to a brain aneurysm, while they were getting ready to enjoy a family vacation together.  Janice and Lisa probably treasured the vision of that vacation more than most; over the years they’d been amazing foster parents of over 25 children!

As if Lisa’s death wasn’t painful enough, the way Janice was treated in the hospital during Lisa’s final hours was unthinkable.  I can promise you the details will anger you.

And, recently, Janice was treated wrongly again when she learned her lawsuit against the Florida hospital that mistreated her was thrown out of court. We are amazed by Janice and we can’t wait to talk to her to learn more about her life today, her loving family and to find out what’s next for her.

Donna and I are humbled that Janice has chosen to share with us personal information about her life and the details of her own tragedy.  I am certain that Janice’s continuing sacrifice is part of the fabric of gradually changing hearts and minds and leading society closer to full rights and equality for gay and lesbian couples.

Please come to the live show, meet Janice, ask her questions and give her support. We’re giving this show a full hour to be sure we have enough time.  If you are already a podcast subscriber, look for attendance details to arrive in your email inbox soon.  If you aren’t yet a podcast subscriber, click here to sign up.  It’s free!

Barb Elgin, MSW, LCSW, Certified Singles Coach, is Coach Sappho: America’s Favorite Lesbian Love Coach and Matchmaker.  Are YOU ready for love? Ready to find out?  Take Coach Sappho’s FREE Love Quiz.

© Copyright 2009, Barb Elgin.  All Rights Reserved.  Feel free to forward this article as long as attribution remains intact.

Disclaimer: The suggestions and feedback offered in this column are but one perspective of multiple approaches to dealing with problems or challenges. Information provided in articles and advice columns should not be used as a substitute for coaching or therapy when these services are needed. None of this information should be your only source when making important life decisions. This information should not be used for diagnosing or treating a particular problem, nor should it take the place of a consultation with a trained professional. It is your responsibility to consult a professional prior to making any life decisions.

I, and most lesbians, face the proverbial ‘catch 22′ when it comes to getting adequate, competent health care.  If we come ‘out’ to our providers we take the chance it may negatively affect the treatment we’re given and if we’re not ‘out’ to our providers it may negatively affect the treatment we receive.

However, after reading an excellent article by Bonnie Osborn in the September 2009 issue of Jane and Jane Magazine entitled, ‘Feeling the Pinch: Health care inequities result in financial penalties for lesbian couples’, I was reminded that health ‘care’ is only one problem lesbians face in our current health care system.

Did you know lesbian couples are also penalized economically by the way our current health care system is set up?  And that this penalizing is repeated and compounded?

For example, even though two of my sisters stay at home and don’t work, they have health care through their husband’s employers.  And, even though another sister works, her husband stays home and receives full ’spouse’ benefits (including health care, life insurance, etc.).  And, I’m not even talking about all the children they have – eight between the three of them – who are covered on these various health care plans as well. Read the rest of this entry »

I’m excited to share some great news:

I’ve been invited to panel an innovative teleconference
on work life balance for the National Gay and Lesbian
Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC) on August 25, 2009!

For those of you who know me well, you know I’ve been a passionate supporter of the NGLCC since it was founded about six or seven years ago.  In a few short years, NGLCC has already established itself as an organization that advocates for the interests of all GLBT’s, and particularly the cross section between politics and the marketplace.

The NGLCC is headquartered where it needs to be – at the foot of Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C.  I’ve been to several of their events and continue to spread the word as best as I can about them through my many face-to-face, online and virtual connections.

Read the rest of this entry »

I.M. – I recently had my wallet stolen and among the credit cards was my business credit card. For some time I have been thinking about getting identity theft protection and now will definitely be setting it up (better late than never, right!) However, would it cover my business cards/accounts as well?

Flustered in Florence

Dear Flustered,

First, I am sorry to hear your wallet was stolen and hope everything is getting back to normal. Identity theft is the fastest rising crime in America. There are many identity theft protection services out there and each one has different policies in regards to what is covered and what is not. You will want to ask the prospective companies what they offer that sets them apart from the competition. Some offer services after you have your ID stolen, and some offer services to both prevent and correct issues after ID theft.

Things to look for are:

1) credit monitoring – allows you to see all credit activity to monitor things like accounts open under your name in error, closed accounts still reflecting open, past due reports in error, etc.

2) credit alerts & freezes – in the event of ID theft, there should be a 24/7 number so the company can freeze all credit accounts & credit access with one phone call.

3) Public records monitoring – provides access to anyone who might be associated with your records.

4) Travel/Disaster document replacement – expedites replacement of documents travel so you can enjoy the rest of your vacation.

5) Expense/Loss Reimbursement – this reimburses things such as lost time at work, having to reapply for loans, attorney’s fees, and charges the credit card company refuses to waive.

The average person spends 175 hours to restore their lives after ID Theft. Regardless of what service you utilize to insure against this, it is imperative you also safeguard yourself from the loss in the first place. There are many tips, articles, and links provided at www.farmersidentityshield.com.

A client called my cell phone last weekend because they came back from vacation to find their basement flooded with a couple inches of water. During the downpour we had that Saturday, one of their gutters had overflown (due to not being cleaned recently) and the subsequent deluge filled 10 inches up in the egress windows. This leaked into their basement and soaked the carpet. They were able to dry the carpet using dehumidifiers and fans and that was the extent of the damage. The call to me was to see if replacing the carpet would be covered by their insurance.

Unfortunately, rain water coming into your house from the outside is considered flood and therefore is not covered under most homeowners policies. Had this been a sudden pipe bursting within the house it would have been a different story. While frustrating, the client understood.

Tips:
- Clean gutters regularly to prevent water overflow that can leave standing water up against your home
- When leaving town, have a friend/neighbor check on your house (in its entirety) 1-2x per day. This person had a friend watching their home, but they did not go through the entire house; therefore they did not notice the flooding downstairs.

*Also make sure the person watching your home has the contact info for your agent and the claims department. Had this been a covered loss, the friend could have let us into the house to prevent further damage and start cleanup without interrupting the homeowners vacation.

I.M. – I have been bike commuting and have been thinking… what if something happens while I am riding my bike? If I run into a car and damage it, get injured, someone hits me (by car or bike), who pays?

First, I would like to congratulate you for commuting by bike. The environment, your body, and I thank you. The only person who doesn’t appreciate it is big oil companies, but I think they will get over it.

I have had a lot of people asking about this and am glad to clarify. If you run into a car, person, or any other object and damage/injure it/them, you are responsible. If the damage/injury is severe and/or you are incapable of paying for it yourself, it would fall against your personal liability insurance. This coverage is automatically included in homeowners, renters, or condominium insurance. We recommend people have their personal liability set at a minimum of $300,000 and if your net worth exceeds that, it should be raised to match/exceed. Personal liability coverage extends around the world for anything you could be found personally liable (at fault) for while not operating a vehicle.

If injured and the accident is your fault, your personal medical insurance should cover any medical expenses. It is important to make sure your health insurance is set up well if you are often in risky situations such as bicycle commuting, rock climbing, aggressive sports, etc. A high deductible or co-pay could be detrimental in these situations.

If injured and the accident is someone else’s fault, they are responsible. If they are driving, their auto insurance should pay. If they are on a bike, they or their personal liability insurance are responsible.

A great resource and organization to support is the Bicycle Transportation Alliance. They are working for better safety regulations, more bicycle-friendly policies, more places to store bikes, and better bike routes. I am a member and invite you to become one as well.

http://www.bta4bikes.org/