Come Out to Your Doctor

Are you “out” to the health care providers in your life?

Kicking off today through April 1 is National LGBT Health Awareness Week. And this year’s theme – “Come Out for Health” – is a call to action for community members, advocates, service providers and governmental officials to recognize health and wellness as an essential part of the social justice movement for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals.

“This year’s campaign is a chance for all of us to learn more about how we, as a community, support the health and wellbeing of ourselves and our families, friends and neighbors. The National Coalition for LGBT Health calls on policy makers and healthcare providers to address the needs of LGBT individuals and families not only this week, but every week,” said Hutson W. Inniss, executive director of the National Coalition for LGBT Health, in a press statement.

Coming out or finding an LGBT-friendly doctor in your community is as easy as asking friends who they see, researching hospitals and healthcare facilities online that have laws against discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender, talking to professionals at your local LGBT community center, and simply opening up about your life to the doctor you may already be seeing for years.

To learn more about how to have the conversation and why visibility matters, visit the National Coalition for LGBT Health or talk to someone at Philly’s own Mazzoni Center, an LGBT health center in Center City.