I feel this issue is serious enough to warrant a GD discussion: Gays and

[Thtwudbeme]

Healthcare.

Actually, I wanted to write in my title "Non-heteros" but, it took up too much space, so I had to use a term I don't particularly like to use in my personal life.

There is a posting by Matcom in the Lounge about an experience that a Lesbian had at her Doctor's office---until I read that post I had no idea that some health care providers could be that damned ugly and insensitive to their patients. I don't know why I didn't think about it--just never occurred to me.

I don't know what "we," as a group---as Liberals, decent human beings, and members of society can do about this particular problem. I would suggest that anyone going to a Dr. who they think might not be open minded change Dr.s, but that is not such an easy thing to do sometimes.

Here is a good article to see what these people are up against...just for going to the damned Dr!

http://www.arhp.org/healthcareproviders/onlinepublications/healthandsexuality/lesbianhealth/access.cfm?ID=203



Note to mods---PLEASE leave this in GD---this concerns everyone--not just non-heterosexuals.

[muntrv]

1. You're right. This sounds like

the way doctors used to (in some cases still do) treat people of color and immigrants from non-European countries.

[Thtwudbeme]

2. I mean, what the hell???

Wonder why none of my friends never told me about this?

How embarrassing, how ridiculous, mean spirited and ugly.

[abluelady]

3. The discrimination in this country in 2006 is outrageous. eom

[ismnotwasm]

4. Kick

Just because I believe this is a far more serious issue than people realize.
I work on a particular unit in a hospital, and haven't seen any overt differences in treatment, but this is not a health care clinic.

It horrifies me to think Lesbians would not receive proper health care, which includes appropriate diagnostic tests, teaching, and encouragement to receive regular checkups.
Or even with knowing those things are important, being frozen in time, unable to face one more judgmental attitude.

Many serious disorders that affect women, ovarian cancer for instance, have very subtle or nearly non-exsistent symptoms until the cancer has spread. Uninformed women could dismiss vague abdominal discomfort easily, (one of the subtle signs) and NOT get immedietly to the doctor because of bullshit like this

And it horrifies me even more that these things actually happen.

Thanks for posting this.

[Thtwudbeme]

5. I couldn't believe I found out about this issue in the Lounge

I wonder what we can do about it? I mean, this is beyond ridiculous.

[ismnotwasm]

9. You DID do something!

You brought it up. I think so many thinks like this get convientently ignored in the general public. I tend to talk about things like this with friends, coworkers.
Just last night, during a general conversation (about religion of all things) One of my co-workers mentioned her sister was a lesbian, and how coming out was so very, very difficult for her.
The next time I see this co-worker, I'm going to bring this subject up. We get nursing students on my floor, I'm going to ask the instructor if this is ever brought up in the community health rotation. (I don't remember that it was during mine) I'll mention it to the nursing students as a possible research paper subject.

I'm sure there are other resources and probably websites, but these kind of horrible, damaging attitudes towards gays in has to be brought to a grassroots level sometimes. And I start with the people in my enviroment.

[Thtwudbeme]

10. Well, thank you but it's not enough

I can't believe the discrimination against gays in this country; it makes me feel sick.

[Thtwudbeme]

6. Kick

nt

[Zambero]

7. Is this what Bushy boy was talking about -- those poor OBGYN's...

who were not allowed to express their love for women, or something like that, in his shockingly embarrassing 2004 campaign disclosure to those devout country folk in southern Missouri? Perhaps the OBGYN's in question have "issues" with a lesbian clientele, as opposed to "real live loving women"?

[Name removed]

8. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.