June is recognized as Pride Month, commemorating the Stonewall uprising of June 1969 when lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people in New York stood up against injustice, police brutality and demanded fair treatment from society. Though the Stonewall uprising didn’t start the gay rights movement, it was a galvanizing force for LGBTQ+ political activism, leading to the creation of numerous gay rights organizations.
Throughout Pride Month, LGBTQ+ people and their allies celebrate their accomplishments since Stonewall and continue to advocate against discrimination and for equity and inclusion. The American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology (AANA) is working to address these issues with the Nurse Anesthesiology Pride Foundation (NAPF), formerly the Gay and Lesbian Anesthetists (GALA), as they plan for new opportunities in 2023 and beyond.
John Gianitsis, MSNA, CRNA, president of NAPF, has been involved in the organization since he was a nurse anesthesiology resident. Gianitsis was raised in New Hampshire and worked in nursing in Boston for 15 years before pursuing his education as a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA) at The University of New England in Portland, Maine. After graduating in 2016 he continued his career as a CRNA in California.
“Elevating the organization to a nonprofit was one of our first goals, as well as changing the name of GALA to NAPF in 2022,” said Gianitsis. The rebranding included creating a new logo and a new name that would be more inclusive of the organization. Crowdsourcing was used to help transform NAPF into a nonprofit organization to better enable fundraising endeavors and include a newly-formed NAPF Board of Directors. This initiating board of nine members serves on a rotating term of two and three years.
This change in status was instrumental in NAPF awarding $12,000 in scholarships to four recipients during the 2022 AANA Annual Congress.
According to Gianitsis, NAPF is building initiatives and programs to serve its mission of supporting LGBTQ+ nurse anesthetists and creating more resources for their community. The main focus of the last year was getting the organization off the ground, building toward the mission of supporting LGBTQ+ CRNAs and SRNAs through mentorship, scholarship, and professional networking.
The year 2023 has been more about working towards NAPF’s vision to support LGBTQ+ identified CRNAs and Student Registered Nurse Anesthetists (SRNAs) in community through building educational, and professional endeavors. NAPF is accomplishing this through networking, establishing social media platforms, and having a bigger presence with the DEI Committee at the 2023 AANA Annual Congress. This year, attendees will have the opportunity to meet and talk with members of NAPF at a dedicated booth. There is also a meet and mixer scheduled for August 19 at Optimism Brewing Company in Seattle.
Pride Month creates the opportunity for NAPF to align with other LGBTQ+ organizations in healthcare to connect with communities about issues including awareness and also to connect with allies who can help place a positive spotlight on the LGBTQ+ community. According to Gianitsis, it is critical for our allies to reach out to us and ask how they can help.
“Networking is so important for LGBTQ+ CRNAs especially those who live in small communities where they may feel more isolated and don’t have access to as many resources,” said Gianitsis. “My hope is to have a NAPF presence at all the major AANA meetings going forward including Mid-Year Assembly and the Leadership Summit.”
To learn more about the Nurse Anesthesiology Pride Foundation and how you can be involved, visit www.crnapride.com.