Michigan
residents
can
now
receive birth control prescriptions
directly from local pharmacies,
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer
announced in a statement late last
month.
According
to
Whitmer,
this
change is possible because of a new
policy from the state’s Department
of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs
(LARA). Pharmacists are now able
to prescribe oral contraceptives,
patches like Xulane and rings such
as Annovera and NuvaRing if a
doctor delegates the responsibility
to the pharmacist. Previously, people
seeking birth control could obtain
prescriptions only from licensed
physicians.In
a
press
release,
Whitmer said expanded access to
contraceptives is crucial because
of the uncertainty of reproductive
rights in Michigan following the
Supreme Court’s overturning of
Roe v. Wade. Abortion remains legal
in Michigan after a preliminary
injunction blocked the enforcement
of the state’s 1931 abortion ban, but
this injunction has already been
subject to multiple challenges.
“As
reproductive
freedom
is
under attack across the nation, we
are using every tool in our toolbox
here in Michigan to protect women,”
Whitmer said. “Access to birth
control is critical to a woman’s
ability to plan her family and chart
her own destiny. We are taking
action to guarantee that Michigan
women have the right to easily make
reproductive health care decisions
that are best for them.”
LSA senior Buu-Hac Nguyen is
the co-president of the Lunar Doula
Support Network, an organization
that gives support to those in the
midst of stillbirths, miscarriage and
abortion in Southeast Michigan.
The organization aims to spread
awareness
about
sexual
and
reproductive equity, focusing on
marginalized communities. Nguyen
said while this policy is a slight
improvement, it cannot resolve the
impact of the overturning of Roe v.
Wade alone.
“We think that this ability to
prescribe hormonal birth control
is a step forward through 100 steps
back,” Nguyen said.
Nguyen also said this policy could
help marginalized communities by
making birth control more accessible.
“Marginalized communities don’t
have access to birth control as easily,”
Nguyen said. “With more access to
birth control, hopefully it allows them
to manage their own reproductive
health and well-being, as easy as
going to CVS or Walgreens.”
The Affordable Care Act of 2010
mandates that almost all insurance
plans
cover
preventive
care,
including both over-the-counter and
prescribed forms of birth control.
Plans sold before the passage of the
ACA in 2010 and grandfathered into
the Obamacare marketplace are not
required to abide by the preventive
care mandate and may be exempt
from covering the cost of birth
control on the basis of religious or
moral beliefs.
Currently, 21 states (excluding
Michigan) allow pharmacists to
prescribe birth control, including
California, Colorado, South Carolina
and Idaho. A study of California’s
policy found patients reported easier
access to care and reduced costs,
suggesting the new rule was effective
in improving patient experiences.
In a statement to The Michigan
Daily,
Susan
Ernst,
chief
of
gynecology at University Health
Services (UHS) highlighted the
variety of birth control options
currently
available
to
students
through UHS.
“University
Health
Service
remains committed to ensuring
students can access a range of
reproductive
and
sexual
health
services, including common forms
of contraception,” Ernst said. “Types
of birth control that UHS clinicians
can help students access include
hormonal
contraceptives
(pill,
ring, and patch), injections (Depo-
Provera),
implants
(Nexplanon),
non-hormonal
diaphragms,
and
multiple forms of both hormonal and
non-hormonal intrauterine devices
(IUDs).”
Ernst added that UHS plans
to continue providing all of these
services following this policy change
but will also work to increase
collaboration with local pharmacies
to expand birth control access.
“For decades, UHS clinicians have
worked with students to help them
choose the birth control option that
best fits their needs,” Ernst said.
“UHS intends to explore ways to
further increase access under the
new state guidance.”
Glamor. Some women define it as
classiness and wealth. Other women
like “legendary” drag queens Maxi
Chanel,
Nickki
Stevens,
Donna
Personna and Lady T Tempest feel
their most glamorous when they
perform in drag, donning sparkly
dresses in front of an audience.
The queens met with University of
Michigan students from the Penny
W. Stamps School of Art & Design
Thursday night at the Michigan
Theatre to discuss the history of
drag and their personal experiences
performing at Detroit’s Gigi’s Cabaret
and San Francisco’s Aunt Charlie’s,
which are gay bars well known for
their role in the drag scene.
The Penny Stamps Distinguished
Speaker Series and the Institute
for
the
Humanities
presented
Legendary
Drag
Queens:
Gigi’s
Meets Aunt Charlie’s: A Tale of Drag
Scenes & Queens. The program
was open to the general public and
brought together the four drag
queens to tell stories of performing
in both bars and around the country.
The queens hailed from both cities
and discussed the history of their
legacies and drag’s importance to
themselves.
Ben Johnson, arts and culture
manager for the city of Beverly
Hills, California, helped organize
the event. Johnson also previously
served as the Director of Education
and Audience Development at the
University Musical Society. The
event was originally planned to
take place in January 2022 but was
postponed to September due to rising
levels of COVID-19 in the Ann Arbor
community.
An organist welcomed attendees
into the venue before Chrisstina
Hamilton, director of the Penny
Stamps Speaker Series and Roman
Witt
Visiting
Artist
Programs,
opened the event.
“We are thrilled to finally have
this program in the house, postponed
from last January due to Omicron,
originally inspired by the Institute
for the Humanities exhibition of
James Hosking’s project, Beautiful
by Night,” Hamilton said.
After
Hamilton’s
opening
remarks, Johnson introduced the
queens to the crowd, saying it is
important to recognize their work as
activists for transgender rights and
to celebrate their world-renowned
drag talent, which in itself is a form
of activism to the queens.
“We’re all here to recognize and
celebrate four living legends within
the performing arts field,” Johnson
said. “They’re community activists
and entertainers. But tonight we
celebrate
these
living
legends.
Each one represents a lifetime of
performance, awards and history.”
Johnson dedicated the event to
Jim Toy, a queer activist who was
part of the Ann Arbor Gay Liberation
Front and was widely believed to be
the first openly gay man in the state
of Michigan. Toy, who passed away
in January, was the founder of what
would become the Spectrum Center
at the University, a space specifically
for the LGBTQ+ community on
campus.
“I’m sure (Toy) would be here
tonight and he would be thrilled to
know that this was happening but
his spirit is with us tonight,” Johnson
said.
Johnson then spoke about Gigi’s
Cabaret, the longest running and
most awarded female impersonation
venue
in
Michigan,
and
Aunt
Charlie’s, the last remaining queer
and trans-centered cultural space in
San Francisco’s Tenderloin district.
“As
someone
who
studies
Performing Arts for a living (…)
it’s always struck me as a unique
aesthetic that was the DNA of what it
meant to be a performer in the city of
Detroit,” Johnson said. “In Detroit,
in my mind, it was different. It was
more performative, as if the artists
are literally performing for their
lives, but also adding juicy doses of
talent, punk, edge, humor and joy.”
The four queens then walked out
in glamorous and sparkling apparel
onto the stage, immediately jumping
into a performance of Jimmy Barnes
and Tina Turner’s song “The Best”
under a gleaming disco ball.
After the performance, Maxi
Chanel,
Nickki
Stevens,
Donna
Personna and Lady T Tempest sat
down for a discussion moderated
by Johnson, who asked about the
queens’ personal lives and how
they see themselves as a part of the
history of drag. Lady T Tempest
spoke to being part of the LGBTQIA+
community in addition to also doing
drag.
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
News
2 — Wednesday, October 5, 2022
PHOTO OF THE WEEK
Legendary drag queens take on Michigan
Theater in Stamps Speakers Series
CAMPUS LIFE
New LARA policy allows pharmacists to prescribe
birth control, expanding access
TESS CROWLEY/Daily
Nuns react to former President Donald Trump’s comment about the importance of religious liberty at his Save America rally Saturday evening at the Macomb County Community
College Sports & Expo Center in Warren, Michigan..
GOVERNMENT
Event explores the history of drag, personal experiences performing
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer says contraceptive availability is a priority
Penny Stamps Distinguished Speaker Series and the Institute for the Humanities present
“Legendary Drag Queens: Gigi’s Meets Aunt Charlie’s: A Tale of Drag Scenes & Queens”
Thursday evening at the Michigan Theater.
JOSÉ BRENES/Daily
Read more at MichiganDaily.com
RACHEL MINTZ
Daily Staff Reporter
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Daily Staff Reporters
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