Dr. Dissen: Very often when topics such as LGBTQIA+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, Asexual, and Others) competence is brought into a health care discussion, a common response I receive is, “Oh, I treat everyone the same, so it doesn’t matter what their sexuality or their gender identity are, as I will treat them the same as anybody else.” And while this is often rooted in a desire to be supportive and compassionate, it really is important to realize that all medical and/or health care professionals really do need to know that the LGBTQIA+ community does have unique health needs and considerations that must be taken into account in order to provide quality care.
First, we need to recognize that many LGBTQIA+ are profoundly distrustful and suspicious of the health care system, and for rather good reasons. When the first Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) was published in 1952, there was an official diagnosis for “homosexuality” which was viewed as a “a sociopathic personality disturbance” alongside pedophilia and sexual assault. It would take 35 years before the DSM would no longer same-sex attraction as a psychiatric or medical disorder, or a form of sexual deviation. And it wouldn’t be until 1990 before the World Health Organization would stop classifying homosexuality as a mental disorder. During the time period during which the DSM did classify homosexuality and same-sex attraction as a disorder, the medical community committed horrific abuse towards LGBTQIA+ people including chemical castration, aversion therapy, and forms of shock treatment. […]
Click here to read the full piece. This story was originally published by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine on June 18, 2024.
