Issy Clegg examines healing with pride: What LGBTQ+ activism gave to healthcare – and what’s still missing
Despite a history of oppression members of the LGBTQ+ community have played a crucial role in revolutionising healthcare expanding its scope of inclusivity for all patients. The LGBTQ+ community has helped to push healthcare into the 21st century, through multiple movements they have created change which resulted in the promotion of inclusion within healthcare and have revolutionised ways in which the industry itself functions. The LGBTQ+ community has worked so hard in promoting change their contributions merit recognition, and there is still more we can do to ensure they receive more equitable treatment and support.
What LGBTQ+ activism has given to healthcare?
The LGBTQ+ community have contributed toward developments in healthcare. Whether they have helped advancements in public health, pushed for inclusive healthcare policies or increased mental health awareness the LGBTQ+ community have clearly made an important impact.
Looking back to the 80s, we see one of the first examples of this, ACT UP and GMHC. ACT UP and GMHC were AIDS activist groups which forced the medical establishment and government to respond to the HIV/AIDS crises. These groups demanded faster drug approval, patient participation in treatment decisions and funding for research essentially revolutionizing how clinical trials are done, making them faster, more transparent, and more patient centred. Not only did these groups revolutionize clinical trials, they also helped pave the way for other LGBTQ+ groups to make their impact and push for inclusivity.
This advocacy achieved: anti-discrimination protections in healthcare; partner visitation rights regardless of gender identity; recognition of same-sex partners in medical decisions; and championing training for doctors and nurses to understand LGBTQ+ patient’s unique needs especially around mental health, hormone therapy, and sexual health.
Finally in terms of expanding the boundaries of medical understanding transgender individuals have challenged medicine to go beyond a binary model of sex and gender and their experiences have shaped new standards of care. However, amongst all these achievements for the LGBTQ+ community there are still some areas in which the health industry may fall short.
So, what is still missing?
Although much work has been done to promote inclusivity for the LGBTQ+ community within healthcare, there are still areas where members of the community feel as if their treatment in hospitals is not fair. According to the NHS the 2017 National LGBTQ+ survey revealed how LGBTQ+ patients felt as if they received poorer treatments in hospital settings. 16% of LGBTQ+ patients reported negative experiences in hospitals due to their sexual orientation and 38% had a negative experience because of their gender identity. These figures reveal that despite LGBTQ+ advocacy for anti-discrimination in hospitals on the basis of their identity and advocacy for more inclusivity there is still a lot of work to be done to ensure these patients are treated fairly by all and feel comfortable within a healthcare setting.
While there have been clear improvements in the health sector, thanks in large parts to LGBTQ+ advocates, we need to ensure a continuation of this progress, making it a shared process amongst individuals to ensure a more inclusive and equitable system for everyone.
Thanks to the efforts of the LGBTQ+ community the healthcare system has clearly come a long way. These efforts paved the way toward a more equitable system that benefits all patients. However, ongoing disparities show how this work is not yet complete. By continuing to work together, we can ensure that our healthcare system better reflects the needs of everyone.
