In this issue

Minnesota’s Mark on Advancing LGBTQ + Health Care

Our country is referred to as the great social experiment. Consider how a scientific publication detailing this nation’s social experiment with LGBTQ + rights would read: The introduction would recap America’s history of LGBTQ + prejudice. The methods section would describe a power struggle marked by riots, lawsuits and a devastating AIDS epidemic. The results and conclusion would include stricken anti-sodomy laws, marriage equality and improved health outcomes. In the opinion of the Supreme Court that extended marriage equality to all Americans, Justice Kennedy wrote, “The nature of injustice is that we may not always see it in our own times.” His words, intended for LGBTQ + persons, ring true for many movements and are particularly poignant following George Floyd’s murder. His death led to heated discourse that has caused many white Minnesotans, including myself, to realize that they failed to see the full extent of current injustice in our community. Dr. Chapa and her colleagues provide readers with a historical understanding of racism in health care and offer instructions that can be applied to actively listen and improve the healthcare experience for Black, Indigenous and people of color. Our Colleague Interview highlights the work of Dr. Eli Coleman, a pioneer who has advanced LGBTQ + health through education and research. His interview touches on work at the Program in Human Sexuality and his well-known human sexuality course at the University of Minnesota Medical School. Gender affirming therapy is now offered by most health systems in the Metro. However, readers will understand this was not always the case after reading Dr. Debra Thorp’s article. Her piece examines how providers in our state worked together to redefine gender care and expand services for patients. While gender care has traditionally fallen under the scope of adult medicine, Dr. Rhamy Magid of Hennepin Healthcare offers a recap of gender care basics in the pediatric population. Dr. Magid’s work is an excellent example of how Twin Cities doctors are moving the needle on LGBTQ + health care. Dr. Erik Haugland discusses his successful experience

By James Pathoulas, MS3 Member, MetroDoctors Editorial Board at North Memorial with gender care as a part of comprehensive primary care. His article features the importance and role of primary care in the lives of LGBTQ + people. M Health primary care physicians Dr. Josh Thompson and Dr. James Smith follow with a useful guide for understanding the language needed to provide competent LGBTQ + care. Their article offers knowledge that can be used by all readers. In a personal essay, Dr. Barret Holen shares coming to terms with his sexuality and professional identity as a physician. His thoughts are a reminder of the social navigation required of LGBTQ + providers. Conversion therapy is a harmful practice that aims to “reverse” same-sex attraction. It remains legal in most of greater Minnesota. Jacob Thomas from OutFront discusses recent municipal bans and calls for all to take real action against conversion therapy. Pharmacist Mary Sauer provides an excellent framework for understanding medications used in gender affirming hormone care. She is followed by Beret Fitzgerald, MS4 and Rachel Oldfather, MS4, along with Kerry Hjelmgren, Executive Director, Honoring Choices MN, who have put together a guide that details special considerations on documentation at the end of life for LGBTQ + people. Finally, Dr. Frank Rhame, our Luminary, shares how his passion for virology led to a prolific clinical and research career combating HIV/AIDS and now COVID-19. His lifetime of work has advanced the global fight against HIV/AIDS. The pages of this MetroDoctors issue contain information and stories from Minnesotans who have stepped up to make this a better world for LGBTQ + people. Innovators for change, they have altered the course of the great American experiment. I hope that after reading this issue, our readers find themselves better able to see injustice and use new information to build a more equal Minnesota. Thanks to Marin Olson and Ryan Kenney for their comments on this Editor’s Message.