Gynecological Health Care for Lesbian, Bisexual & Transgender Individuals

The purpose of this paper is to better understand gynecological health care for lesbian, bisexual and transgender individuals.

• Define and describe for lesbian, bisexual and transgender individuals.

o   Gender and sexuality concepts.

o   Social and political context.

o   Social determinants of health affecting lesbian, bisexual and transgender individuals.

o   Barriers to health care.

o   Health care disparities.

Gynecological Care for Lesbian, Bisexual & Transgender

Lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (LBT) individuals experience unique intersections of gender and sexuality. To them, gender refers to a person’s internal sense of identity such as woman, man, nonbinary.  Sexuality pertains to who individuals are emotionally, romantically, or sexually attracted to. LBT individuals often navigate complex social and political contexts, including historical marginalization, discriminatory laws, stigma, and underrepresentation in policy decisions. These challenges are compounded by social determinants of health such as reduced access to education, employment discrimination, housing insecurity, and social exclusion. Members of this community experience significant barriers to health care, including lack of culturally competent providers, fear of discrimination, inadequate insurance coverage, and limited provider knowledge of LBT-specific health needs. Consequently, LBT individuals face higher rates of mental health disorders, substance use, delayed care, poor sexual and reproductive health services, and increased risk for certain chronic diseases compared to their heterosexual and cisgender counterparts.

Submission Instructions:

• The paper is to be clear and concise and students will lose points for improper grammar, punctuation and misspelling.
• The paper is to be no shorter than 3 pages in length, excluding the title and references page.
• Your paper should be formatted per APA.
• Incorporate current practice guidelines for diagnosis and treatment and a minimum of 4 current (published within the last five years) scholarly journal articles or primary legal sources (statutes, court opinions) within your work. Journal articles and books should be referenced according to APA style (the library has a copy of the APA Manual).