LEC 10: Inclusivity, Healthcare, & The LGBT+ Community Flashcards
Each persn has the following identities:
- Sex
- Biological assigned at birth
- Gender
- Socially constructed age 3-4
- Gender expression
- Specific to each person
- Sexual orientation
- Comes into formation around puberty
The Societal “Norm”
- Female or Male
- Sex
- Girl/Woman or Boy/Man
- Gender
- Feminine or Masculine
- Gender expression
- Heterosexual
- Sexual orientation
Sexual Orientation: Who You Like
- Gay
- Lesbian
- Asexual
- Bisexual
- Pansexual
Gay
A non-gendered term for thos who are attracted to the same gender
Lesbian
A term for women who are attracted to women
Asexual
A term for people who do not experience sexual attraction
Bisexual
A person who is attracted to two genders
Pansexual
A person who is attracted to people regardless of their gender
Gender Identity: Who You Are
- Cisgender
- Transgender
- Two Spirit
- Non-Binary/Genderqueer
Cisgender
A term for people who identify with the gender they were assigned with at birht
Transgender
A term for people who do not identify with the gender they were assigned at birth. Some trans people will choose to transition while others wont.
Two Spirit
A term specific to Indegenous peoples, for those who are gender diverse and gifted with two spirits (masculine and feminie)
Non-Binary/ Genderqueer
A term for people whose gender does not fit within the gender binary.
Sex: Your Body
- Intersex
Intersex
A term for peopel whose sex assigned at birth is ambigous.
Queer
- An umbrella term
- A reclaimed term for identities that are seen as “outside the norm” of sexual orientation, gender identity, and sex
Experience Related to Gender
- The patient’s gender becomes the focus of the appoitment rather than the patients actual medical needs
- The healthcare provider dosen’t respect patient confidentiality
- Doctor/Nurse feelt they must consult with parents/guardians and outs the patient
- Refusal of care
- Refusing to provide hormones to a trans patient AND refusin to refer them to another doctor who does perscribe hormones
- Healthcare provider mocks or trivializes the patients gender, pronouns, and/or name
- The patient’s gender is blamed for their physical or mental health issues
- Healthcare providers refuses to use the patient’s correct name and correct pronouns
Experiences Related to Sexual Orientation
- Healthcare provider does not respect patient confidentiality
- Outs patient to other healthcare providers
- Homonegative regarding the patient’s sexual orientation
- Refusal of care or providing substandard care
- Indifference or avoidance of the patient’s loved ones
- The patient’s partner is ignored and not given timely updates on their loved ones health or is not allowed visitation rights
- Healthcare provider views all patients as heterosexual
What is at stake?
- Mental health
- Addictions
- Physical health
Mental Health
- Compared to the heterosexual and cisgender community, LGBTQ people are at a greater risk of depression, anxiety, and suicidal behaviour
- Compared to heterosexual men, gay and bisexual men have a higher prevalence of eating disorders and body dissatisfaction
- Compared to heterosexual women, lesbians have a lower prevalence of eating disorders and body dissatisfaction
- Transgender people face higher risks of depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation compared to the rest of the LGBQ community and heterosexual and cisgender community
- 41% of Transgender people attempt to commit suicide vs. %20 – LGBQ vs. 4.6% overall population (Haas, Herman, Rodgers. 2014)
Addictions
- LGBTQ people abuse alcohol more than heterosexual and cisgender people
- LGBTQ people are twice as likely to smoke than heterosexual and cisgender people
- 38%-52% of LGBT youth smoke vs. 28%-35% of heterosexual youth
- LGBT people have a higher rate of lifetime use of cocaine, marijuana, ecstasy, and methamphetamine
Physical Health
- Lesbians tend to get fewer paps than heterosexual women
- All people with a cervix need to be routinely screened for cervical cancer, which includes trans men
- Lesbians and bisexual women get fewer mammograms
- Gay men have much higher risks of anal cancer
- MSM (men who have sex with men) are at a higher risk of syphilis, HIV, gonorrhea, chlamydia, viral hepatitis, and HPV
Why People May Not Come Out to You
- Fear of reduced or substance care
- Fear of a confidentiality breach and discrimination
- Internalized homophobia or transphobia
- Heteronormative assumption of the part of the caregiver
- Fear that their disclosure would reinforce anti-LGBT stereotypes
Why Patients Need to Come Out
- To facilitate more appropriate care
- To identifiy and disclose their own relationships relevant to care
- Same-sex partners
- To facilitate specific health care needs
How to Be Proactive: Actions
- Examine your own degree of comfort and willingness to learn about sexual orientation and gender identities. Use that as a baseline for a plan to create a more accepting environment.
- What else do you need to learn so that you are comfortable treating queer and trans people? What contacts do you need to make so that you know who to refer patients to? What can your office do so that it’s more inclusive and is ultimately safe for the queer and trans community?
- Put up OUTSaskatoon’ Safe Space poster in your office, waiting room, etc
- Wear a rainbow or ally pin on your scrubs or lanyard
- Acknowledge sexual and gender diverse identities and issues in discussions and in-take forms
- Use inclusive language (Ex. Partner, they/them pronouns)
- Gender inclusive washrooms
Remember
Remember:
When you publicly identify as an ally or as a safe space you have an accountability to have the knowledge and resources needed to support gender and sexually diverse communities. If you don’t have the knowledge and resources it’s up to you to find out who does. If you or your co-workers mess up, recognize it, apologize, and work with the patient to make the situation right.
