Unfortunately, there are
several other possible sources of error in all polls or surveys that are
probably more serious than theoretical calculations of sampling error.
Welcoming to all, regardless of sexual orientation or insurance coverage,
Callen-Lorde offers primary and specialty medical services, including
comprehensive health services for lesbians, a continuum of HIV/AIDS care;
transgender health services, mental health services; case management; a health
education resource center and HOTT (Health Outreach To Teens ), New York
State's only comprehensive program for the health and mental health care of
LGBT, homeless and other street youth.

aids relating

These are highlights of a new survey of 2,209 U.com), Paris-based
Novatris (http://www. EOE M/F/D/V

To become a member of the Harris Poll Online(SM) and be invited to
participate in future online surveys, visit http://www.com

Colleen Dermody,
Witeck-Combs Communications
202-887-0500 ext.

affects body

"We are disappointed that the Committee seemed to
defer to perceived, but unfounded speculation regarding the potential for
compromises to confidentiality . Propensity
score weighting was also used to adjust for respondents' propensity to be
online.

hieurope.

resource elder

. Adults

All Adults GLB Lesbian Heterosexual All Women
(n=2,209) (n= 119) (n=341) (n= 2,024) (n=1,165)

Eat fruits
and vegetables
Yes 92 89 94 92 93
No 8 11 6 8 7
Smoke
Yes 25 38 42 24 28
No 75 62 58 76 72
Exercise
regularly
Yes 47 38 51 47 43
No 53 62 49 53 57
Overeat
Yes 43 53 42 42 43
No 57 47 58 58 57

TABLE 5
CONTRIBUTES MOST TO LACK OF FITNESS
"Which of the following do you feel contributes most to your lack of fitness?"

Base: Somewhat or Not Fit

Total GLB Lesbian Heterosexual All Women
(n=1,812) (n= 95) (n=290) (n= 1,667) (n=998)

Overeating 35 45 28 35 35
Eating fast
food 25 16 18 25 26
Smoking 16 21 29 16 18
Exercising
regularly 7 3 10 7 6
Eating meat 6 6 5 6 5
Consuming too
much alcohol 3 8 6 3 2
Eating fruits
and vegetables 3 1 2 3 2
Obtaining yearly
medical checkups 2 1 * 2 3
Taking vitamins 2 - 1 2 3

Methodology
This survey was conducted online within the United States between January
11 and January 16 , 2005 among 2,209 adults. Figures for age, sex, race, education
and number of adults in the household were weighted where necessary to bring
them into line with their actual proportions in the population .

Nancy Wong,
Harris Interactive
585-214-7316

Meka Lloyd,
Witeck-Combs Communications
202-887-0500 ext.

health how

"It is encouraging that among lesbians there is some self-awareness about
body weight," said Dr. Dawn Harbatkin, Medical Director of the Callen-Lorde
Community Health Center in New York, a founding member of the National
Coalition for LGBT Health. adults 25 and older

Total GLB Lesbian Heterosexual All Women
(n= 1,961) (n=97) (n=322) (n= 1,804) (n=1,026)

Overweight 84 85 84 84 80
Within
Recommended
Range 10 13 13 10 11
Underweight 6 2 3 7 9

TABLE 2
DESCRIBE BODY WEIGHT
"How would you describe your body weight?"

Base: All U.
In theory, with a probability sample of this size , one can say with 95
percent certainty that the results have a statistical precision of plus or
minus two percentage points of what they would be if the entire adult
population had been polled with complete accuracy. It is impossible to quantify the errors that may result from
these factors.

About Harris Interactive(R)
Harris Interactive Inc.
Callen-Lorde's commitment to the health and wellness of lesbians includes
gynecological services and comprehensive women's health focused primary care.

physical seniors

how seniors

Department of Health and Human Services should include
messages specific to lesbians.

which body

"
The bill, which was authored by Senator Nell Soto and co-sponsored by the
AIDS Healthcare Foundation, Los Angeles County and the Health Officers
Association of California, and supported by a growing statewide coalition of
California government, health, consumer and community organizations, would
have brought the current HIV reporting system into line with national
reporting norms by utilizing a name-based system like those currently in place
in 38 other states including several of the states with the largest
populations of people living with HIV/AIDS: New York, Florida , Texas and New
Jersey. We feel that all public health awareness campaigns conducted
by the CDC or the U.harrispollonline.

resource seniors

In this study, 119 adults
were self-reported GLB respondents and there was an additional over-sample of
341 self-reported lesbians.

Smoking and Diet Contribute to Lack of Fitness
Among all adults and heterosexuals who said they were somewhat or not fit ,
overeating (35%), eating fast food (25%), and smoking (16%) ranked as the top
three factors that respondents felt contributed most to their lack of fitness. An over-sample of 341 self-
identified lesbians was also surveyed. They
include refusals to be interviewed (non-response), question wording and
question order, weighting by demographic control data and screening (e.witeckcombs. With over nine years experience
in this unique market, Witeck-Combs Communications has developed respected
relationships throughout the community and serves as a bridge between
corporate America and gay and lesbian consumers.novatris. 25
mlloyd@witeckcombs.

division wellness

Percentages may not always add up to 100% because
of computer rounding or the acceptance of multiple answers from respondents
answering that question. Among the overall
sample 1,165 were women, and 2,024 heterosexual.S.

positive people

A broad-based coalition supports SB 945.
* About the same percentages of lesbians and heterosexuals (42%) and all
adults (43%) said that they overeat while just over half of GLB adults
(53%) say they overeat.S., for
likely voters). In April 2003, American
Demographics magazine identified Bob Witeck and Wes Combs as two of 25 experts
over the last 25 years who have made significant contributions to the fields
of demographics, market research, media and trendspotting for their
pathbreaking work on the gay and lesbian market.callen-lorde.

body aids

S.S.

These statements conform to the principles of disclosure of the National
Council on Public Polls. (http://www.

mental how

"AHF now calls on the Gay and Lesbian Caucus and Senator Sheila Kuehl, who
spearheaded the opposition to SB 945 and serves both as a member of the
Judiciary Committee and as Chair of Gay + Lesbian Caucus, to immediately begin
work backfilling California's loss of millions of dollars in federal HIV/AIDS
funding over the past three years as a result of serious undercounting of HIV
cases in the state due to the serious flaws in California's current code-based
reporting system. It is, without a doubt, one of our nation 's top
health concerns," said Colleen Dermody, Vice President of Witeck-Combs
Communications. An
asterisk (*) signifies a value of less than one-half percent. offices and wholly owned
subsidiaries: London-based HI Europe (http://www.

how elders

(http://www.

division which

"

Some key findings from the survey include:
* Of the total lesbians surveyed, 13% fall within the recommended range on
the body mass index and of all women surveyed, 11% fall within the
recommended range. Like every American , their health may depend on
it.g.

About Witeck-Combs Communications, Inc.

wellness disabilities

While cases of AIDS
have been reported by name since the beginning of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, the
State of California has required local health officials to report HIV cases
only since July 2002, which they 've so far done via a code-based system. Mary's Care Program [Long Beach]
* Whittier Rio Hondo AIDS Project
* Women Alive (consumer organization)

Associations
* California Conference of Local AIDS Directors (CCLAD)
* California Conference of Local Health Officers (CCLHO)
* Health Officers Association of California
* Physicians for HIV Control

17% of all women surveyed. "These results enable us to gauge where lesbians may be found
on the healthcare continuum.

aids resource

* Half of the lesbians (51%) surveyed say they exercise regularly,
compared to 38% of all GLB adults, 43% of all women and 47% of adults
overall. ?"
Base: All U.

lesbian health

"
One of the catalysts for the bill is pending changes in how the federal
government will allocate funds for HIV/AIDS care and treatment to state and
local governments. Starting in October 2006, under the Ryan White CARE Act of
2000, the federal government will allocate HIV/AIDS funds to state and local
governments based on the number of HIV cases reported. A dash
represents a value of zero.

TABLE 1
BODY MASS INDEX (BMI)

Base: All U.S.

relating division

Currently, California collects and records these data via a
code-based system, which health officials have found to be and many AIDS
advocates see as inaccurate, cumbersome and very costly. The survey was conducted by Harris Interactive(R),
a worldwide market research and consulting firm, in conjunction with Witeck -
Combs Communications, a strategic public relations and marketing
communications firm with special expertise in the lesbian, gay, bisexual and
transgender market; it was also conducted in conjunction with National LGBT
Health Awareness Week.S. adults

All Adults GLB Lesbian Heterosexual All Women
(n= 2,209) (n=119) (n=341) (n= 2,024) (n=1,165)

Overweight 63 61 77 64 67
Underweight 3 8 * 3 3
Average/
Just right 30 29 23 30 27
Not sure 3 2 - 3 3

TABLE 3
LEVEL OF PHYSICAL FITNESS
"How would you describe your level of physical fitness?"

Base: All U.

About Callen-Lorde Community Health Center
Callen-Lorde Community Health Center (http://www.

division body

ROCHESTER, N. The sampling error for the
GLB sample was plus or minus 9 percentage points, and sampling error for
lesbians is plus or minus 6 percentage points.com), Tokyo-based Harris Interactive Japan,
through newly acquired WirthlinWorldwide , a Reston, Virginia-based research
and consultancy firm ranked 25th largest in the world, and through an
independent global network of affiliate market research companies.

lesbian hiv

The Judiciary Committee failed to move the bill forward despite the
fact that the bill was approved by the Senate Health Committee in a six to
four vote two weeks ago, and that it received the endorsement of the Los
Angeles Times in a strongly-worded editorial in support of the bill which ran
in today's paper. It represents numerous
government, health, HIV/AIDS, consumer and community organizations throughout
California , and includes:

Government Entities
* Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors
* Los Angeles County Department of Health Services
* Los Angeles County Public Health Commission
* Los Angeles County Commission on HIV Health Services
* California Performance Review
* Inland Empire HIV Planning Council
* County Health Departments:
* Los Angeles County
* Modoc County
* Orange County
* San Diego County

HIV/AIDS Service Providers
* AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF)
* AIDS Project Los Angeles (APLA)
* AIDS Service Center
* Altamed Health Corporation
* Asian Pacific AIDS Intervention Team
* Being Alive Long Beach (consumer organization)
* Beyond AIDS [Los Angeles]
* El Proyecto del Barrio [Los Angeles]
* Inland AIDS Project [San Bernardino]
* Minority AIDS Project (MAP)
* Palms Residential Care Facility [Los Angeles]
* Public Health Foundation [Los Angeles]
* St. adults aged 18 or older
conducted online between January 11 and 16, 2005.
"Being overweight may be the most significant contributor to our nation's
epidemic of heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and a number of other chronic or
life threatening illnesses.
* There is a higher incidence of smoking among lesbians (42%) and GLB
adults overall (38%) compared to heterosexuals (24%) or all adults
(25%). Of those adults surveyed, 119
were self-identified as gay, lesbian or bisexual (GLB).com) is the
nation 's premier strategic marketing communications firm, specializing in
reaching the gay and lesbian consumer market.com), the 15th
largest and fastest-growing market research firm in the world, is a Rochester ,
N.Y. Known for The Harris Poll(R) and for pioneering Internet-based
research methods, Harris Interactive conducts proprietary and public research
to help its clients achieve clear, material and enduring results.org) is New
York City's only medical facility dedicated to meeting the health care needs
of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) communities and people
living with HIV/AIDS -- regardless of any patient's ability to pay.

disabilities resource

Nation's Largest AIDS Group Now Calls on Senator Kuehl and Members of the Gay
+ Lesbian Caucus to Immediately Work to Backfill Significant Loss in Federal
HIV/AIDS Funding Over Past Three Years as a Result of Undercounting HIV Cases
Due to Serious Flaws in State's Code-based Reporting System

SACRAMENTO, AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), the
nation's largest AIDS group and operator of the largest alternative site,
community -based HIV testing program in California which conducts more than
15,000 HIV tests annually, today expressed its profound disappointment that
the California Senate Judiciary Committee failed to take any action today on
Senate Bill 945 (Soto, D-Ontario), a bill that would allow the confidential
reporting of HIV infection by health care providers and labs by the name of
the patient to local health officials and the state Department of Health
Services. Sadly, this inaction by the Committee has now
trumped the real loss of federal funding for HIV/AIDS care and treatment in
California -- a move which will likely now jeopardize up to 50 million dollars
annually in federal Ryan White funding to the state . Surprisingly,
however, when the body mass index (BMI) is applied to survey responses, the
percentage of overweight adult women (80%) is much closer to the proportion of
overweight lesbian women (84 %).S..
Witeck-Combs Communications, Inc.-based global research company that blends premier strategic consulting
with innovative and efficient methods of investigation, analysis and
application.
In addition to routine care, experienced medical staff also provide
colposcopy, cryotherapy and LEEP , procedures designed to diagnose and treat
pre-cancerous changes of the cervix.

affect people

, Over three-quarters of lesbian
adults (77%) describe their body weight as overweight while 67% of all female
adults surveyed describe their body weight as overweight. In addition, lesbians and
women describe themselves as fit or very fit in similar numbers -- 19% of
lesbians vs. "What we don't yet know, and what we must
establish, is whether lesbian adults understand the health risks of being over
weight or obese. Adults

All Adults GLB Lesbian Heterosexual All Women
(n= 2,209) (n=119) (n=341) (n= 2,024) (n=1,165)

Very fit 3 1 3 3 2
Fit 18 21 16 18 15
Somewhat fit 46 39 45 47 44
Not fit 30 35 36 30 38
Not sure 2 4 - 1 1

TABLE 4
"Do you .harrisinteractive.com.

relating gay

"AIDS Healthcare Foundation tonight expresses its profound disappointment
in the Senate Judiciary Committee for its failure to move SB 945 forward
earlier today and we are deeply saddened that the Committee did not seriously
grasp the risk of losing millions of dollars in federal HIV/AIDS funding for
care and services in California," said Michael Weinstein, President of AIDS
Healthcare Foundation .

Lesbian Body Image Differs From That of Women Overall New U.S. Survey Finds

"

Notes on reading tables:
The percentage of respondents has been included for each item. This online survey is not a probability sample.
Harris Interactive combines its intellectual capital, databases and
technology to advance market leadership through U. 18
cdermody@witeckcombs.

Sites relating to physical and mental health, disabilities and diseases which affect gay, lesbian, bisexual elder people .

resource disabilities

AHF Expresses 'Profound Disappointment' With Senate Judiciary Committee for Failure to Move SB 945 (Soto D-Ontario) California's HIV Reporting Bill Forward

In this survey, lesbians more accurately
perceived their body weight than women in general.
Among lesbians, smoking was the number one choice of contributors (29%) while
overeating was the top contributor among GLB adults (45%) and all women (35%).com