The Biden administration announced a new rule Friday expanding safeguards against potential discrimination of gay and transgender Americans seeking medical care, in a reversal of Trump-era limitations that nixed federal health protections for members of the LGBTQ+ community.
Every doctor I’ve had as an adult, except my university health center doctor and planned parenthood doctor, has been hesitant towards my “gay” care. Things like saying I have multiple sexual partners make them wince when I say I want to be tested for STDs on a regular basis. Only my gay friendly providers offered me an anal exam when I said I was generally the receptive partner (to check for warts, hemorrhoids, sores, etc).
20 plus years ago when I first started working in healthcare anal pap smears weren’t covered by insurance because paps were considered a “woman’s test” and good luck finding a provider that would do them or a lab that would process them. Now it is considered routine testing covered by insurance and more doctors are learning to include this type of care while in med school. It breaks my heart to think about how many people don’t get the care they need because of social prejudices and the slow crawl of progress.
My doctor is with APLA in the Los Angeles area. LGBTQ+ flags and banners all over the doctor’s office. I wish every LGBTQ+ person had this type of healthcare.
Every doctor I’ve had as an adult, except my university health center doctor and planned parenthood doctor, has been hesitant towards my “gay” care. Things like saying I have multiple sexual partners make them wince when I say I want to be tested for STDs on a regular basis. Only my gay friendly providers offered me an anal exam when I said I was generally the receptive partner (to check for warts, hemorrhoids, sores, etc).
20 plus years ago when I first started working in healthcare anal pap smears weren’t covered by insurance because paps were considered a “woman’s test” and good luck finding a provider that would do them or a lab that would process them. Now it is considered routine testing covered by insurance and more doctors are learning to include this type of care while in med school. It breaks my heart to think about how many people don’t get the care they need because of social prejudices and the slow crawl of progress.
My doctor is with APLA in the Los Angeles area. LGBTQ+ flags and banners all over the doctor’s office. I wish every LGBTQ+ person had this type of healthcare.
https://aplahealth.org