Lesbian, Gay, and Transgendered Health Needs

By Alan Mozes

NEW YORK, Jan 25 (Reuters Health) -- Sexual orientation and gender identification are important factors in healthcare, but are currently being neglected when public health funding is distributed by state and federal governments, according to a report issued by The Gay and Lesbian Medical Association (GLMA) -- the largest gay medical association in the United States.

``I think we're making the point to the federal government that a lot more research needs to be done about lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) health issues, and a lot more research needs to be provided to the public and to providers about the needs of LGBT people,'' said Patricia Dunn, the director of public policy at GLMA. The GLMA co-authored a preliminary ``white paper'' of guidelines regarding such issues with the Center for Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Health at Columbia University's Joseph L. Mailman School of Public Health in New York City. The comprehensive report was funded by the US Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). It was released Tuesday to coincide with the imminent release of the federal government's ''Healthy People 2010'' policy paper, which outlines national goals and strategies regarding healthcare over the coming decade.

The GLMA white paper details the specific nature of health problems affecting the LGBT community. The authors write that discrimination in access to care as well as stigma, prejudice, confusion, and lack of knowledge affect many in the LGBT community when dealing with healthcare providers. Specific health needs regarding HIV, drug abuse, mental health, and violence are also discussed.

The Healthy People 2010 paper is considered by most in the healthcare field to be the main framework for establishing funding priorities for health research and services at the federal level, and follows the prior 10-year plan Healthy People 2000. HRSA funded the GLMA paper after the public was given a year to comment on an early draft of the Healthy People 2010 document -- during which HRSA received over 400 comments highlighting a perceived lack of focus on most LGBT issues. In an interview with Reuters Health, Dunn emphasized that ''this is the first time that there is any relationship whatsoever to LGBT issues'' in terms of policy development within the federal government's health bureaucracy. ``I think it's a good start that they funded the paper and that they're willing to listen to our needs,'' said Dunn, adding that the GLMA plans to continue the dialogue by co-authoring an even more extensive companion document after the release of the Healthy People report.

According to Dunn, the initial exchange has so far been productive and helpful in figuring out how to address LGBT concerns. For example, Dunn said that ``one of the problems the federal government brought up to us when we criticized the lack of reference to LGBT health is that there is no good data telling us what the problems are for the LGBT community. So one of the things we hope to see is more research with respect to particular health needs and general ones.'' ``What we need is the federal government and private researchers to fund the research and do it in a coordinated fashion,'' said Dunn. She added that this might not be easy to organize since ``there is still some prejudice and stigma within the federal government and there is an element who might not be happy that they are addressing these issues. They think, 'we're doing things on breast cancer so that takes care of lesbians'. So it's a matter of educating the public in general and the federal and state and local governments about the fact that LGBT people have the same problems that all other people have, and we also have specific health problems beyond HIV and breast cancer that affect us.''

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Revised: February 12, 2000 11:40:08 AM -0800 .