PERSONAL RESOURCES

See also the "Hotlines" section of this guide for topic-specific hotline/emergency numbers.
 

EMERGENCIES

GENERAL HEALTH

Books
Below are two books that may be helpful to you:

• The Lesbian Health Book: Caring for Ourselves, Marissa C. Martinez(MIT alum: 21E '82; 15J '02), Jocelyn C. White, eds. A book dedicated entirely to lesbian health care.
• Men Like Us:  The GMHC Complete Guide to Gay Men's Sexual, Physical, and Emotional Well-Being, Daniel Wolfe. Wish your body came with a handbook?  Now it does!  Information regarding health, relationships, and life.

MIT Medical
617-253-4481 (voice/TTY)
Urgent care line (24 hours a day) 617-253-1311
General Information: 617-253-4481
Free and confidential HIV testing: contact your personal physician or nurse practitioner. Free STD testing, information, and Hep B vaccine. To find the name and phone number of your personal physician, call General Information at the number above.
 

Health Education Service of MIT Medical
E23-205
617-253-1316
Health Education of MIT Medical provides a broad range of information and support. The Service offers a variety of resources that are LBGT-friendly, including general information, pamphlets, and other health-related items. Professional health educators are available to provide health consultations, advice on helping a friend, referrals, testing sites, prevention, and to coordinate speakers or other programs. Health Education's satellite location, MedSTOP (W20-540A), also offers a wealth of free information and low cost, health-related items are also available. Health Education coordinates MedLINKS, MIT's peer health advocate group, whose members are available in living groups to provide basic health information and referrals.
 
 
MedSTOP
W20-540A
The Health Education satellite offers health education and a list of testing sites.
 

Fenway Community Health
7 Haviland Street, Boston
617-267-0900, 888-242-0900, TTY 617-859-1256
A community health center which has provided medical and mental health care to Boston's LGBT community for nearly 30 years. It provides services such as primary and specialty care, women's health, mental health and addictions, HIV services, and violence recovery programs.
 

AIDS Action Committee
131 Clarendon Street
617-437-6200, TTY 617-437-1394
AIDS Action Hotline: 617-235-2331, TTY 617-437-1672
Provides support services for people living with HIV/AIDS, and those who love and care for them. Educates the general public and health professionals. Advocates for fair and effective AIDS public policy and funding at the local, state, and federal levels.
 

Boston Happens Program
617-355-7181
The Boston HAPPENS Program is a multi-agency network providing HIV services and support to HIV infected, homeless and at-risk adolescents and young adults ages 12-24 in the Metropolitan Boston area. It provides HIV counseling and testing, and is based at Children's Hospital, Boston.
 

Massachusetts General Hospital STD Clinic
617-726-2748
Provides evaluation and testing for a variety of sexually-transmitted diseases. Provides HIV counseling and anonymous testing. Free hepatitis B vaccine for adolescents. Patients are seen on a walk-in basis during business hours.
 

Multicultural Aids Coalition, Inc.
801-B Tremont St., Boston, MA 02118
617-442-1622, Fax 617-442-6622
Mon-Fri 9 AM-5 PM
HIV/AIDS reference, referral, and distribution service.
 

Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts
800-258-4448, 617-616-1660
Provides information on medical services including abortion, birth control, STD testing/treatment, confidential and anonymous HIV tests, pregnancy tests, tubal ligation, vasectomy, and counseling. This is the Massachusetts affiliate of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America.
 

Transgender Education Network (TEN)
100 Boylston Street, Suite 860, Boston, MA  02116
617-988-2605
Established to foster positive health care, HIV/AIDS medical support, prevention education, community building and outreach support for the transgender community.  Focus is on health issues, however, they can provide resources and referrals.  This year, TEN is publishing a new comprehensive resource guide.
 

ALCOHOL AND OTHER DRUGS

COUNSELING / COMING OUT

Also refer to the "Web Resources" section of this Guide.

Books
There are many books to help people come out. Some you may want to consider when you're ready to open the closet door are:

• Free Your Mind:  The Book for Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Youth-And Their Allies, Ellen Bass and Kate Kaufman.  Focus on helping gay college students and youth understand and celebrate their sexual orientation; overcome obstacles; make choices about relationships; and participate in the community.
• Now that You Know, Betty Fairchild, Nancy Hayward. A guide to helping parents understand and accept their children's homosexuality.
• Transgender Warriors:  Making History from Joan of Arc to Dennis Rodman, Leslie Feinberg.  A well-documented and thoughtful journey through transgender history and the issues which surround transgender people.
• Loving Someone Gay, Donald H. Clark.  A very compassionate book on coming out and what it means to be gay, for those coming out, their families, and their friends.

Boston Area Trans Support (BATS)
For more information, including the exact meeting time and location, please contact: Sean Delmore, sdelmore@mit.edu, x2-1612.
Boston Area Trans Support (BATS) is a peer-run support group for college-age/twentysomething transgender people. The group is inclusive of people who are questioning their gender, are FTM, MTF, genderqueer, and those who prefer any other gender descriptor.

Mental Health Service of MIT Medical
E23-3rd floor
617-253-2916
A free service (8:30 AM - 5 PM) run by MIT Medical. Provides short-term counseling, evaluation, treatment, crisis intervention, and referrals to students and staff. Twenty-four hour coverage through this phone number. Walk-in hours are offered 2 PM - 4 PM weekdays.

MIT Ombudspersons
Room 10-213
617-253-5921
Available to hear concerns and explore options for dealing with them. They offer mediation services, counseling, and serve as a point of reference for campus resources.

DISABILITIES

MIT Disabilities Services Office
617-253-1674, TTY 617-258-9344
The Disabilities Services Office (DSO) develops effective services and programs for students, faculty, staff, alumni, and guests at MIT, including physical and communication access, and academic accommodations.  The DSO Manager works with employees who are disabled, and their supervisors, to determine appropriate accommodations.  The DSO also facilitates equal access to services, opportunities, and benefits at MIT.

Dykes, Disabilities, and Stuff
PO Box 8773, Madision, WI  53708
This quarterly newsletter is unique as the only publication in the country (and, to the best of our knowledge, in the world) that is expressly devoted to the health and disability concerns of lesbians.
 

FINANCIAL AID

National Gay and Lesbian College Fund
scholarship@gayfunds.org
P.O. Box 180278, Boston, MA 02118
617-227-4844
Helping to open doors and bring forth the talents and voices of lgbt youth is the National Gay & Lesbian College Fund. This initiative provides a national resource of financial support, information and empowerment for those seeking to continue their education.
 

HARASSMENT AND DISCRIMINATION

MIT Guide for Dealing with Harassment
Details MIT's harassment policies and standards, as well as options available to complainant and respondent.
 

stopit@mit.edu
Deals with misuse of MIT's computer systems.  Send e-mail to stopit if you are being harassed via e- mail.
 

Gay & Lesbian Advocates and Defenders
294 Washington Street, Suite 740, Boston, MA 02108
617-426-135, 800-455-GLAD, TTY 617-426-6156
GLAD is the leading public interest legal organization for LGBT individuals and people living with HIV/AIDS. Its attorneys handle lawsuits involving sexual orientation, HIV/AIDS discrimination, or invasion of privacy and confidentiality. GLAD operates a toll-free telephone information hotline that includes a referral service to attorneys experienced in representing gays, lesbians, bisexuals, transgenders, and people with HIV/AIDS.
 

VIOLENCE/RAPE

Network for Battered Lesbians and Bisexual Women
Hotline: (voice/TTY) 617-423-SAFE
Office: (voice/TTY/FAX) 617-695-0877
Provides support for battered lesbians and bisexual women, and works toward the elimination of violence against women.

Violence Recovery Program at Fenway Community Health
VRP@fenwayhealth.org
617-927-6250, 800-834-3242
The VRP provides counseling, support groups, advocacy, and referral services to LGBT victims of bias crime, domestic violence, sexual assault, and police misconduct.

Gay Men's Domestic Violence Project
PMB 131, 955 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA 02139
Crisis line: 800-832-1901
Business: 617-354-6056, FAX 617-354-6072
Offers education and direct services to GBT male victims and domestic violence survivors, including safety planning, emotional support, crisis counseling, referrals, and emergency housing.

Jane Doe Inc., Massachusetts Coalition Against Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence
An umbrella organization of programs serving battered women and sexual assault survivors throughout Massachusetts. Advances public policy and increases public awareness and community education on the issues of battering and rape.