COVER

Despite progress, the LGBTQIA community continues to rank among the most underserved populations in terms of healthcare. Homophobia, transphobia, and stigma can significantly impact a person’s ability to receive suitable care. Over 27% of transgender people in the U.S. report being denied healthcare, more than 20% report being subjected to harsh or abusive language from a healthcare professional, and an almost equal amount say healthcare providers have blamed them for their own health conditions. Barriers to access can be compounded when a patient’s identity as LGBTQIA intersects with other marginalized communities. Black, Indigenous, people of color (BIPOC) who are LGBTQIA are subjected to compounding systems of oppression such as homophobia, transphobia, misogyny, and racism.

Even though the ACA grants federal protection against discrimination based on gender identity, several states have pushed for laws that deny care to forcibly detransition transgender people or criminalize healthcare services for trans people altogether. There have been over 300 anti-transgender bills introduced throughout the country in the first few months of 2023 — all of which include specific exemptions allowing “corrective” procedures on intersex traits to set a legal standard for what a “normal” body should look like regarding gender— dozens of harmful op-eds published in national news publications and calls to “eradicate transgenderism” at right-wing political events. All of this contributes to the likelihood of violence against transgender people — especially trans women of color — and increases the risk of self-harm and suicide among transgender youth. The attacks against transgender people receiving essential gender affirming healthcare has even extended to hospitals being harassed and healthcare providers receiving death threats from those who believe (or willfully perpetuate) transphobic lies.

There has been a resurgence of politicization of the existence of LGBTQIA identities in public spaces as characterized as placing children at risk of being “groomed” — a term commonly used to describe how sexual predators initiate contact with their victims. This trend echoes homophobic/transphobic campaigns from the 1970s in which far right and religious groups characterized gay, lesbian, and transgender people as trying to “corrupt the youth.” Anti-LGBTQIA legislation often uses language that negatively affect the mental health and safety of LGBTQIA families, while some the same far-right controlled states support expanding child labor and removing the minimum age of consent for heterosexual marriage which would directly put children in those areas at greater risk of abuse, exploitation, coercion, manipulation, and grooming from sexual predators. These conflicting positions expose the insincerity of their claims of seeking to protect children and stand to cause greater harm than anything they assert to prevent. Even if the accusations are unfounded and the laws are unconstitutional or never enforced, they can still be used to affect employment or permit abuse of vulnerable people — including children.

If you are looking for a LGBTQIA-friendly medical center, the Human Rights Campaign has an interactive map with locations of over 2200 healthcare facilities in the United States. To further help those in need, NeedyMeds has a growing list of programs in our Diagnosis-Based Assistance database for transgender people that offer various forms of assistance such as financial aid for gender affirming care or legal services when experiencing discrimination. We also list recreational camps and retreats and academic scholarships available for LGBTQIA children seeking to continue their education. For more information, call our toll-free helpline at 1-800-503-6897 (open 9am to 5pm ET, Monday through Friday).

We encourage everyone to educate themselves, strive to understand the difficulties and experiences people around us live with, and to replace stigma and bias with hope and support. If you or someone you know is suffering, it is important to know that no one is alone in their struggle. Call your local organizations for assistance, whether help is needed immediately or long-term.

Needymeds.org