MGH Guides: LGBTQIA+ Resources: As Health Professionals

LGBTQIA+ and Healthcare

LGBTQIA+ Resources

National LGBT Health Education Center: A Program of the Fenway Institute

National LGBT Health Education Center: A Program of the Fenway Institute
Provides educational programs, resources, and consultations to health care organizations with the goal of optimizing quality, cost-effective health care for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people.
Ready, Set, Go! Guidelines and tips for collecting patient data on sexual orientation and gender identity.
Published January 2018.
Providing Inclusive Services and Care for LGBT People: A Guide for Health Care Staff.
Topics include: Barriers to Care for LGBT People, Common Health Issues Among LGBT People, What to Do When the Name and Gender on Records Do Not Match, Maintaining a Non-Judgmental Attitude, We All Make Mistakes, and Communication Best Practices
Learning to Address Implicit Bias Towards LGBTQ Patients: Case Scenarios.
Published September 2018.
Affirmative Services for Transgender and Gender-Diverse People.
Best practices for frontline healthcare staff; updated Winter 2019.

National Resource Center on LGBT Aging and SAGE (Services and Advocacy for GLBT Elders)

National Resource on LGBT Aging
The National Resource Center on LGBT Aging is the country's first and only technical assistance resource center aimed at improving the quality of services and supports offered to lesbian, gay, bisexual and/or transgender older adults.
Inclusive Questions for Older Adults: A Practical Guide to Collecting Data on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity
Published 2016.
Out & Visible: The Experiences and Attitudes of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Older Adults, Ages 45-75.
Out and Visible explores the aging realities of LGBT people, as well as their fears, beliefs, behaviors and aspirations in areas such as healthcare, finance and retirement, support systems, housing and sources of information.
Dignity Denied: Religious Exemptions and LGBT Elder Services.
Published December 2017. Ever-growing religious exemption laws put LGBT elders at increased risk for discrimination

Gender Spectrum

Gender Spectrum
Aims to help create gender sensitive and inclusive environments for all children and teens. They also have tools and reflective prompts for you to practice thinking about your own identity.
Gender Inclusive Assessment Tool
Published August 2018.

LGBTQIA+ in the Health Workforce

GLMA: Health Professionals Advancing LGBTQ Equality
A national organization working for health equity among LGBTQ+ patients and equality for LGBTQ+ health professionals
L'GASP - LGBTQ Audiologists and Speech-Language Pathologists
An organization for LGBTQ+ audiologists and SLPs

Research from the Literature

Navigating medical culture and LGBTQ identity.
Toman, L. (2019). Navigating medical culture and LGBTQ identity. Clinical Teacher, 16(4), 335–338. https://doi.org/10.1111/tct.13078
Information-seeking behaviour and information needs of LGBTQ health professionals: a follow-up study.
Morris, M., & Roberto, K. R. (2016). Information-seeking behaviour and information needs of LGBTQ health professionals: a follow-up study. Health Information and Libraries Journal, 33(3), 204–221. https://doi.org/10.1111/hir.12139
A guide to fostering an LGBTQ-inclusive workplace.
Lim, F., Jones, P. A., & Paguirigan, M. (2019). A guide to fostering an LGBTQ-inclusive workplace. Nursing Management, 50(6), 46–53. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.NUMA.0000558484.92567.db

Gender Identity & more

What is the difference between "Sex," "Gender," and "Gender Identity"?

When having discussions with patients who are transgender, gender-queer, or non-binary, it is important to understand the difference between sex and gender. Planned Parenthood's guide to biological sex defines these terms as:

Sex: "a label - male or female - that you're assigned by a doctor at birth based on the genitals you're born with and the chromosomes you have. It goes on your birth certificate."
Gender: "a social and legal status, ans set of expectations from society, about behaviors, characteristics, and thoughts. Each culture has standards about the way that people should behave based on their gender. This is also generally male or female, but instead of being body parts, it's more about how you're expected to act, because of your sex"
Gender Identity: "is how you feel inside and how you express your gender through clothing, behavior, and personal appearance. It's a feeling that begins very early in life."

Sex and Gender: What is the difference?
Historically, the terms “sex” and “gender” have been used interchangeably, but their uses are becoming increasingly distinct, and it is important to understand the differences between the two. Published February 7, 2018.
Definitions Related to Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity in APA Documents
Terms related to sexual orientation and gender diversity have been defined in several APA documents. Due to the developing understanding of constructs, shifting usage of terms, and contextual focus of these documents, the definitions vary somewhat. This resource provides definitions and their sources.
Gender Terminology: Discussion Guide
Gender is much more complex than “boys” and “girls,” but not too complicated for students of any age to learn about. All students have a gender, express that gender each day, and are affected by gender stereotypes.

Pronoun Practice

What are pronouns?

Pronouns are a part of everyday conversation. A pronoun is a word that refers to either the people talking (like "I" or "you") or someone or something that is being talked about (like "she," "it," "them," and "this").

"Some people don't feel like the most common gender pronouns (he/him/she/her) represent their gender identities or expressions because of how they are typically attributed to binary conceptions of sex (male/female) and gender (man/woman)." (Georgia Tech)

Human Rights Campaign Foundation
Website
Discussing Pronouns in the Workplace
Because gender identity is internal -- an internal sense of one’s own gender -- we don’t necessarily know a person’s correct gender pronoun by looking at them. Additionally, a person may identify as genderfluid or genderqueer and may not identify along the binary of either male or female (e.g. “him” or “her”). Some people identify as both masculine and feminine, or neither. A genderqueer or non-binary identified person may prefer a gender-neutral pronoun such as the “they” (e.g. “I know Sam. They work in the Accounting Department”).
Georgia Tech's LGBTQIA Resource Center Program Guide
Includes information on: why is it important to get someone's pronouns right, how should one correct themselves and others when using the wrong pronouns, pronunciation, and conjugation.

Pronoun Practice

Reflect and get some practice in! This can be done by yourself or with others and reflected on daily. Think of all the ways gendered terms come into your daily life. Are these necessary? How do we unlearn gendered language?

Learn more @TransStyleGuide

LGBTQIA+ Glossary

Fenway Health LGBTQ+ Glossary
A guide to LGBTQ+ terminology

LGBTQIA Terminology (UMass Amherst)

LGBTQIA+ Resources

Recommended Reading

LGBT+ Journals

LGBTQIA+ Resources

National LGBT Health Education Center: A Program of the Fenway Institute

National Resource Center on LGBT Aging and SAGE (Services and Advocacy for GLBT Elders)

Gender Spectrum

What is the difference between "Sex," "Gender," and "Gender Identity"?

What are pronouns?

Pronoun Practice