Hippocratic Oath…Hypo-cratic Oath: Discrimination of the LGBTQ Community in Healthcare

UDITI SRIVASTAVA – While the United States has been moving forward to honor the rights and acceptance of the LGBTQ community, individuals from the community still face major discrimination in the workforce, in education, and even in healthcare.

We are told time and time again that healthcare is a fundamental human right, however, the discrimination against LGBTQ individuals clearly demonstrates that healthcare is only a fundamental human right to those deemed human by an outdated definition. The discrimination against LGBTQ community members in healthcare has come into the spotlight in recent years. According to a survey by The National LGBTQ Task Force of more than 6,450 transgender and gender non-conforming people, nearly 1 in 5 of the individuals participating in this report refused medical care due to the fear of being harassed and discriminated against. 28% of the respondents had been subjected to harassment in medical settings. One survey respondent even states, “Finding doctors who will treat, will prescribe, and will even look at you like a human being rather than a thing has been problematic. Having been denied care by doctors and major hospitals so much that I now only use urgent care physician assistants, and never reveal my gender history.” A physician takes an oath to serve and heal all who come to them, yet there are many disparities between the healthcare a cis-gender individual receives versus an LGBTQ individual.

While transgender and other LGBTQ individuals are at the highest risk for various health issues, mental and physical, they are turned away from receiving even the most basic forms of healthcare. The study states that 41% of the respondents reported attempting suicide, and over 25% have been misusing drugs and alcohol to cope with the harsh discrimination and cruelty they have to deal with. The rates of HIV among transgender individuals are almost 4 times the national average. Even though not all physicians have discriminatory intentions, even the most well-intentioned ones fall short in their abilities to provide transgender and LGBTQ patients with adequate care. The National LGBTQ Task Force reports that 50% of the individuals surveyed had to teach their medical providers about transgender care. The lack of competence in transgender and LGBTQ care in physicians is often perceived as discriminatory by patients and can perpetuate more issues and misunderstandings. Placing a heavy emphasis on educating providers on the physical and psychosocial components of being transgender may increase the quality of care for transgender patients.

Discrimination even reaches the federal level, as of January 2021, The Trump Administration officially barred providers from receiving federal funding for discrimination on the basis of gender identity or sexual orientation. The change in policy allowed providers to deny LGBTQ community members important healthcare services. Biden’s Administration has said they will work to protect the LGBTQ community and their right to healthcare, however, their efforts aren’t enough. The executive order they passed to reinstate anti-discrimination regulations in healthcare can be subject to alterations by new administrations and is limited in what good it can do. These limitations reduce the safety that can be provided to the LGBTQ community. Real changes can’t be established until more permanent policies are implemented to secure the LGBTQ community’s access to healthcare.

In order to ensure equal healthcare for all individuals, healthcare providers need to take all populations into consideration. The LGBTQ community has been overlooked time and time again and it’s up to us as future healthcare workers and policymakers to change the system. By increasing training in transgender healthcare through mandating it for physicians and creating lasting legal protections, we can hopefully work towards guaranteeing more equitable healthcare for the LGBTQ community and a brighter future for all.

Copy Editor – Madden Lundy

Photography Source – https://www.clinicaladvisor.com/home/topics/practice-management-information-center/disparities-lgbt-health-outcomes-improved-through-primary-care-intervention/