This edition of The Reading List is all about sexual health.

- If you haven't had the chance, check out Xtra's recent coverage on sexual health issues. Nancy Irwin wrote a great piece on the rise of syphilis amongst men who have sex with men.

- Andrea Houston reports on the rise of STI infections in large urban centres in Ontario.  

- Over at The Atlantic, Alice Dreger, a professor of clinical medical humanities and bioethics at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine, looks at a recent report by the United Nations looking to repeal health practices such as "genital normalizing therapies" for individuals born with genitals that are sexually atypical. Read it.

- And if you're interested in healthcare practices and issues, prideHealth is holding a Trans* Community Forum next week. In partnership with the Canadian Professional Association for Transgender Health (CPATH), prideHealth is hosting a discussion on ways to expand access to healthcare for the trans community. The event happens March 6 in the Parker Reception Room at the IWK. For more information, contact prideHealth at 902-473-1433 or pridehealth@cdha.nshealth.ca.

prideHealth is holding a round table discussion this Thursday, Feb 2 at Veith House. The event starts at 7pm and runs until 9. According to Cybelle Rieber, prideHealth coordinator, the event is a way to learn how to better serve the rainbow community. “prideHealth is a program that is designed to increase access to healthcare, the broad spectrum of healthcare, to the GLBTIQ communities here in Halifax,” she said in an email to Xtra. “The program exists because of a recognition that the GLBTIQ populations are underserved in healthcare and Capital Health and the IWK want to change that. prideHealth cannot do this alone, and this program needs the input and the ideas from the community.” Many people in the queer community face obstacles when accessing healthcare, so this is a way for individuals to talk about their own needs and wants within the healthcare system.

Currently, prideHealth has outreach programs in effect at various sites within the HRM, including an open clinic held every two weeks at Menz Bar. For more information, check out prideHealth’s website, or email them.