LGBT Minority Group Health Disparities
See also LGBT issues in medicine.
Often under emphasized are the minority groups that are heavily affected by health disparities in America, UK and all the same worldwide. Health disparities are not just based on race, ethnic, and cultural differences. Such disparities are seen as affecting the sexuality minority groups and observations and surveys show that one’s sexual minority status may limit access to health care, with especially bad impact on lesbians, who are being discriminated both as females and as homosexual.
“Health inequalities exist for lesbian and bisexual women, largely related to experiences of discrimination, homophobia and heterosexism.” This known interference with health care access is a prime example of heterosexual privilege and homosexual prejudice prevalence in Western societies. Just as this lack of health care affects minority races, ethnic groups, and less represented cultural beliefs; lesbian and bisexual women are deteriorating their health by either not seeing (being feared of) or not be attended to by health care professionals.
It is important that health care professionals consider the nine cultural competency techniques suggested by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and make an effort to break the barriers put into place through society’s homophobia and heterosexism.
"We don't have a good understanding of the developmental processes that affect LGBT persons. I would love to see something that pulls together what we have attempted to piece together: the LGBT life cycle," -Brian de Vries, gerontologist at San Francisco State University.
Most of the current research that exists focuses on homosexual male adults in regards to HIV. There is very little research regarding the entire group of individuals who are categorized under the LGBT umbrella. A ground breaking report sponsored by the University of Minnesota’s Program in Human Sexuality looked into existing literature regarding findings on health issues for LGBT individuals. The report focused on HIV as well as other health issues, including lesbian, bisexual, and transgender individuals. The report listed many key findings:
- HIV is found disproportionately in young men, particularly young black men
- LGB youth and adults have a higher risk for depression, suicidal thoughts or actions, mood and anxiety disorders; some small studies suggest the same elevated risk may be true in transgender youth
- Smoking, alcohol consumption and drug abuse may be have a higher incidence in LGB youth
- Very little research has been done on this topic among transgender youth
- Lesbian and bisexual women may be at a greater risk of obesity and breast cancer than heterosexual women
- Some very limited research may suggest that older transgender individuals will experience some negative health problems as a result of long-term hormone use.
Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Health Access Project:
The Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Health Access Project was established in 1997 and first funded by Massachusetts Department of public health. The program developed standards of practice for quality health care services. It also developed a training curriculum for health care providers.
Mission: "To strengthen the Massachusetts Department of Public Health's ability to foster the development of comprehensive, culturally appropriate health promotion policies and health care services for GLBT people through a variety of venues including community awareness, policy development, advocacy, and prevention strategies."
Vision: "To create a partnership between the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, community-based health and human services agencies, and the GLBT communities and their straight allies to develop an awareness of health issues; reduce barriers to health care and prevention services; and promote, enhance, and sustain health norms for GLBT people throughout the Commonwealth of Massachusetts."
One of their major goals is the identify, quantify and close gaps in services as well as barriers to care for GLBT people. www.glbhealth.org/about.html
Read more about this topic: Health Equity
Famous quotes containing the words minority, group, health and/or disparities:
“If when a businessman speaks of minority employment, or air pollution, or poverty, he speaks in the language of a certified public accountant analyzing a corporate balance sheet, who is to know that he understands the human problems behind the statistical ones? If the businessman would stop talking like a computer printout or a page from the corporate annual report, other people would stop thinking he had a cash register for a heart. It is as simple as that—but that isn’t simple.”
—Louis B. Lundborg (1906–1981)
“[The Republicans] offer ... a detailed agenda for national renewal.... [On] reducing illegitimacy ... the state will use ... funds for programs to reduce out-of-wedlock pregnancies, to promote adoption, to establish and operate children’s group homes, to establish and operate residential group homes for unwed mothers, or for any purpose the state deems appropriate. None of the taxpayer funds may be used for abortion services or abortion counseling.”
—Newt Gingrich (b. 1943)
“However strongly they resist it, our kids have to learn that as adults we need the companionship and love of other adults. The more direct we are about our needs, the easier it may be for our children to accept those needs. Their jealousy may come from a fear that if we adults love each other we might not have any left for them. We have to let them know that it’s a different kind of love.”
—Ruth Davidson Bell. Ourselves and Our Children, by Boston Women’s Health Book Collective, ch. 3 (1978)
“Let it be an alliance of two large, formidable natures, mutually beheld, mutually feared, before yet they recognize the deep identity which beneath these disparities unites them.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)