LGBT

We had a session on lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) health care. It's pretty surprising to me how much disparity there exists in our system. There is no federal legal protection for sexual orientation or gender identity. Insurance and employers differ in whether they cover domestic partnerships. Bias, discrimination, and harassment limit both access and quality of health care for LGBT patients, whether related to sexual practices or not. This is really unacceptable. Physicians have a responsibility not only to advocate for their patients, but also to advocate for those populations which in the past or in other aspects of society may be marginalized. Medicine is really at the forefront of so many arenas - international health, child abuse, homeless populations - that it is shocking that medicine itself could be perpetrators in discrimination against LGBT patients. This is changing, which is good. But it is always important that, no matter what our personal views or opinions are on these issues, we are first and foremost patient advocates and our judgments have no place in determining whether someone gets care.