Healthcare and the LGBTQIA+ community

Various topics in medicine relate particularly to the health of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex and asexual (LGBTQIA) individuals as well as other sexual and gender minorities. According to the US National LGBTQIA+ Health Education Center, these areas include sexual and reproductive health, mental health, substance use disorders, HIV/AIDS, HIV-related cancers, intimate partner violence, issues surrounding marriage and family recognition, breast and cervical cancer, inequities in healthcare and access to care. In medicine, various nomenclature, including variants of the acronym LGBTQIA+, are used as an umbrella term to refer to individuals who are non-heterosexual, non-heteroromantic, or non-cis gendered. Specific groups within this community have their own distinct health concerns, however are often grouped together in research and discussions. This is primarily because these sexual and gender minorities groups share the effects of stigmatization based on their gender identity or expression, and/or sexual orientation or affection orientation. Furthermore, there are subpopulations among LGBTQIA+ groups based on factors such as race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, geographic location, and age, all of which can impact healthcare outcomes.

Understanding the health of LGBTQIA+ people requires consideration of contextual factors such as historical background, stigma, laws and policies, demographics, and barriers to care, all of which are interconnected. Historical events, like laws against same-sex marriage, can impact access to health insurance for non-heterosexual individuals. Some barriers to care include a homophobia, transphobia, lack of providers trained to treat transgender patients and historical negative experiences within the healthcare system. Research shows sexual and gender minorities are more prone to psychological disorders, physical illnesses, and barriers to inclusive healthcare compared to heterosexual or cisgender individuals. The HIV/AIDS epidemic during the 1970s and 1980s, while devastating, illuminated stigma and disparities in healthcare, and the need for research funding. Today, HIV/AIDS remains a critical health issue for subgroups within the LGBTQIA+ community, particularly gay and bisexual men and transgender women, however there are many topics beyond HIV/AIDS that is effecting the health of this community. This article will discuss specific topics in healthcare for sexual and gender minorities, specifically LGBTQIA+ people, individually and collectively.