A Q&A with Beau Butler, Prevention Program Manager
We’re celebrating the resilience of our community and that includes our Lifelong staff. We recently chatted with Beau Butler, Prevention Program Manager, on his work, the resilience he sees in the people he serves, and what Pride means to him.
Q: What is your role at Lifelong?
A: I oversee our sexual health education and HIV prevention services. I’ve been in this role for a little over a year now, but I have been at Lifelong for about five years, starting out as a Wellness Case Manager, then the Assistant Manager for Medical Case Management.
Q: How does your work support the LGBTQ+ community?
A: We provide HIV tests, condoms, and lube to high-risk populations, like men who have sex with men, homeless and other youth, and people of color, especially those who are foreign-born. We also provide education about their sexual health, like knowing their HIV status and how to access PrEP. Finding a nearby pharmacy that offers PrEP can be harder for high-risk groups as well as in small towns where people may be concerned that their local pharmacist could spread gossip and further stigmatize them. My team really helps people navigate through these barriers to accessing care in a safe, judgement-free space.
Q: How has your work changed to support the LGBTQ+ community since you started working in this field?
A: As a Wellness Case Manager, I would talk to and work with people who were living with HIV and need help getting insurance, finding a doctor, pharmacy, or other care. Now in Prevention, I work with people who are not living with HIV. We act as the helping hand to the people who need support and education the most in our community. One thing that I am excited to be working on right now is developing an LGBTQ+ resource list, so we can reference a master list of support services to get people the care and treatment they deserve.
Q: How can the community support your program right now?
A: If you or someone you know has questions or wants to learn more about your risks and options, we are here to help you. Refer us to your friends or others who might need help. If you want information on PrEP, or maybe you don’t know enough about it to determine if it’s the right thing for you, or if you want an HIV test—we can help you. Lifelong is a safe place to have these conversations about your sexual health.
Q: How have you witnessed HIV and stigma disparities among the LGBTQ+ community?
A: A good example happened recently. We were trying to help someone get on PrEP and their doctor shrewdly said, “well we don’t do PrEP here.” It was really the tone of the voice that didn’t sit right with me and the phone call was filled with so much judgment. This isn’t even a unique experience—I have heard from so many people that their medical provider shamed them for trying to access PrEP and this is very much related to the stigma LGBTQ+ people face in our healthcare systems.
Q: How have you seen resiliency, especially in the face of these disparities, through your program or personal life?
A: I have definitely seen people being resilient in finding access to care. Even if the first provider they found was being judgmental about PrEP, so many will continue looking for the right provider or medical professional to help them without judgement, like we do at Lifelong. It’s really inspiring to me because I grew up in Mississippi and was in the closet a lot of the time and I would frequently give up on things because of that stigma. Then I see these people who had a bad experience with a provider or medical professional, and they are resilient enough to acknowledge that it was a hard situation and continue advocating for themselves and fighting for the care they need.
Q: What does Pride mean to you?
A: For me, I let go of the shame that I was brought up with for being gay. I can now be my authentic self. To be honest, I love being me. I am able to walk through the rest of this life knowing that I didn’t do something wrong for being gay. I am living my life for me—that’s Pride.