[5] Lesbians, gay men, bisexual individuals, and transgender people are often grouped together in research and discussions despite being distinct populations and non-inclusive of all non-heterosexual or gender non-conforming.
In some studies, lesbians, gay men, bisexual, and queer individuals are combined under the label "non-heterosexual," while in HIV research, participants may be grouped together in categories that include various identities.
Students who also fall into the gay, bisexual, lesbian or trans gendered identity groups report being five times as more likely to miss school because they feel unsafe after being bullied due to their sexual orientation.
The theory of minority stress explains how experiences of victimization related to gender and sexual non-conformity contribute to psychological and mental health issues among LGBT individuals.
[20][21] This stress is rooted in negative social interactions and, when prolonged, can significantly impact mental health, leading to behaviors like substance abuse, suicidal thoughts, poor communication, and unintentional actions.
[26][27] Current research indicate that LGBT individuals face disparity compared to their heterosexual and cisgender counterparts regarding access to health facilities, qualities, and treatment outcomes.
[4][31] "Heterosexism can be purposeful (decreased funding or support of research projects that focus on sexual orientation) or unconscious (demographic questions on intake forms that ask the respondent to rate herself or himself as married, divorced, or single).
Amongst other competing variables that contributed to these outcomes, the vast majority of schools that had a GSA were located in urban and suburban areas that tend to be safer and more accepting of LGBT people in general.
At the social structure level, bisexuals noted that they were constantly asked to explain and justify their sexual orientation, and experienced biphobia and monosexism from individuals both within and outside of the LGBT community.
Culturally sensitive mental health services targeted specifically at gay men may be more effective in the prevention, early detection, and treatment of these conditions.
Researcher Annette Erlangsen suggested that along with other gay rights legislation, same-sex marriage may have reduced feelings of social stigmatization among some homosexual people and that "being married is protective against suicide".
[76] This name was proposed in 1982, after public health scientists noticed clusters of Kaposi's sarcoma and Pneumocystis pneumonia among gay males in California and New York City.
[79] Pre-exposure prophylaxis, or "PrEP", are medications to prevent HIV infection in individuals at higher risk, such as sexually active adults or people who inject drugs.
[80] One study showed that there was possible side effects of decreased renal function, however upon stoppage of use changes were reversed Additionally, no increased mortality rate for patients using PrEP was found.
In December 2016, however, a federal judge issued an injunction to block the enforcement of "the portion of the Final Rule that interprets discrimination on the basis of 'gender identity' and 'termination of pregnancy'".
[130] Nine states (California, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Massachusetts, New York, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington) and the District of Columbia require that most private insurance plans cover medically necessary health care for transgender patients.
[136] According to transgender advocate Rebecca Allison, trans people are "particularly prone" to depression and anxiety: "In addition to loss of family and friends, they face job stress and the risk of unemployment.
[140] In the sample all minority ethnic groups (Asian, Latino, black, American Indian and mixed race) had higher prevalence of suicide attempts than white people.
There has been controversy about the inclusion of transsexuality in the DSM, one claim being that Gender Identity Disorder of Childhood was introduced to the DSM-III in 1980 as a 'backdoor-maneuver' to replace homosexuality, which was removed from the DSM-II in 1973.
[158] Intersex is a term used to describe a diverse range of natural variations in sex characteristics and development that do not fit within the typical definitions of male or female.
[159] Some common medical specialty care needs include steroid replacement for those with combined adrenal gland/gonadal variations, gynecologic, urologic, and sexual health care to address complications from prior surgeries, hormone therapy for inducing secondary sex characteristics, affirming gender identity, or replacing sex hormones after gonad removal, prevention and treatment of osteoporosis, and cancer surveillance for internal gonads.
[159] Since the 1950s, the medical approach to intersex infants and children focused on surgically altering their genitalia to conform to typical male or female appearances and prevent non-heterosexual relationships.
[161] Intersex individuals often suffer adverse effects from these surgeries, including physical complications (scarring, chronic pain, loss of sensation, urinary and sexual dysfunction) and psychological distress (PTSD, depression, feelings of loneliness and fear or intimacy).
Positive healthcare experiences for transgender people of color can most often be attributed to provider's respect and knowledge around gender identity and sexuality, as well as cultural competency.
Stressors included assaults (verbal, physical, and sexual), unstable environments, fear of safety, concealing undocumented status, and economic insecurity.
Asylum seekers often had difficulties accessing health care services for hormones, and often withheld information during treatment for fear of being reported for holding undocumented status.
A focus on inclusive and non-judgmental communication methods in training and development can also help reduce distrust of health services by transgender and ethnic minority patients.
[176] Various bodies have called for dedicated teaching on LGBTQ+ issues for healthcare students and professionals,[177] including the World Health Organization[178] and the Association of American Medical Colleges.
In 2019, WAXOH, in partnership with DatingPositives, The Phluid Project, Bi.org, Hairrari, the OUT Foundation, launched #WeNeedAButton, a campaign that calls for patient-matching sites like Yelp and ZocDoc to add a queer-friendly button or filter, so that consumers can easily see which doctors are LGBTQ-friendly.
[181] The campaign was launched during Pride 2019, on the 50th anniversary of Stonewall, and was supported by ambassador and journalist Zachary Zane and sexual health advocate Josh Robbins.