The new LGBT Healthcare Resource Guide is designed to assist health professionals with finding health and research information related to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and gender-questioning communities. There are also links for LGBT individuals looking for professional associations and community resources. Researchers can find links for statistics, funding, and research collaboration.
Additionally, March 28-April 1 is National LGBT Health Awareness week. The National Coalition for LGBT Health created the awareness week to address some of the stigmas and health disparities facing LGBT individuals, including STDs, HIV, and mental health. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reports that members of the LGBT community are at increased risk for a number of health threats when compared to their heterosexual peers. Some of these health disparities are caused by stigma and discriminatation.1 It is important for sexual and gender minority patients to feel acceptance of their sexual identity when they are seeking healthcare.2 If you are a practitioner interested in ensuring a welcoming environment for LGBT patients, please visit the Cultural Resources page on our LGBT Healthcare Resources Subject Guide.
1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2014, March 25). About LGBT Health. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/lgbthealth/about.htm
2. Kenneth H. Mayer, Judith B. Bradford, Harvey J. Makadon, Ron Stall, Hilary Goldhammer, and Stewart Landers. Sexual and Gender Minority Health: What We Know and What Needs to Be Done. American Journal of Public Health: June 2008, Vol. 98, No. 6, pp. 989-995.