QueerTips Says: Self-advocacy and coming out to your healthcare provider
Needing medical care while being queer can be really hard for some of us. Why? Some of us lack access to trained providers that know how to talk to us and care for us, some of us have had way too many awful experiences and even thinking about making an appointment can bring up a mild sense of panic. On top of those kinds of worries and fears, some of us don’t have health insurance or money to pay for care so our options are even more limited. There are often a lot of barriers to care to contend with for queer folks. If we get to the place where we’ve actually gotten ourselves to an appointment and we’re walking in the door and checking-in, despite all of those barriers, then we may still have a couple more hurdles to get over.
We don’t want to be super bleak or discourage queers from getting health care at all — getting good care really matters! We also know some folks have awesome providers that really do it right and offer exceptional care — it’s a real mixed bag for queers.
This next bit from us here at QT is for folks that find the courage and fortitude to make an appointment, folks who have a pretty good provider that you’d like to keep seeing, those of us who make it in to receive care from a medical provider. If you’re like many LGBT folks, you might not be out to your primary care doctor. Here’s what we know: if you can do it, coming out to your healthcare provider can be an important step in your healthcare.
Why is it so important? LGBTQ folks have unique health needs — and no, it is not our queerness that creates those unique health needs. Being queer isn’t inherently unhealthy. It is the stigma, discrimination, and bias that we have to navigate everyday as queers that screw with our health. And this is only made more challenging for people of color, specifically for trans folks, for women, for poor people, for rural queers – anyone who is further stigmatized or discriminated against in incredibly big structural ways and with routine microaggressions.
We’re more likely to smoke, have mental health concerns, and have higher rates of some sexually transmitted infections. Also, in the case of trans folks, not being out to your doctor may mean missing out on crucial preventive healthcare. Having honest discussions with your provider about your sexual health needs and behaviors can make a really big difference in getting the care, services, testing, safer sex supplies, contraceptives, etc. that you need. Coming out to your doctor can mean getting better-personalized healthcare.
But I’m afraid the providers/ receptionists will be jerks to me if they find out I’m queer. The Cleveland Clinic has some solutions if you’re nervous about talking to your doc:
“When you call to schedule an appointment, ask if the practice has any LGBT patients. If you’re nervous about asking, keep in mind that you don’t have to give your name during that initial call.
At the appointment, bring up the subject when you feel the time is right. Or ask your doctor for a few minutes to chat while you’re still fully clothed or before you go in the exam room.”
You can also ask if the practice has a non-discrimination policy in place for LGBT patients. If the issue doesn’t come up on its own, tell your doctor that you know how important open communication with a health care provider is. Say something like “it’s important that you know I am a lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender person. Is there anything else relevant to my healthcare and my sexual orientation/gender identity we should talk about?”
If you’re still nervous, bring a friend with you to your first appointment. You can also check out the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association’s Healthcare Provider Directory to find a healthcare provider that’s LGBT-friendly in your area.
But what if the doctor outs me? There are laws in place preventing doctors from sharing your personal and medical information with other people. You may have heard of HIPPA, (that’s the main law in question,) which you can learn more about here.
It’s important to be able to advocate for yourself and the healthcare you need, and to have a healthcare provider who understands your life and provides you with the care you need regarding both your mental, physical and sexual health. Coming out to your doctor is a significant step to advocating for your own best care. No doubt it can be hard and bad providers make it harder, if you can keep trying that’s amazing, your heath matters a lot.
