Better health channel gay and lesbian discrimination

Protections for LGBTQ People with Behavioral Health Needs

*Former Law Fellow Rachel Holtzman is co-author of this Issue Brief.

“The therapy to help with my PTSD was actually quite pleasant and helped drawn-out term … However, I was constantly misgendered … I received greater encourage from other patients regarding my transition than I got from my therapists.”

– Heather, transgender girl, quote from mentalhelp.net[1]

Access to behavioral health services is critical for lesbian, lgbtq+, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) individuals in the Merged States.[2] There are more than 5.5 million LGBTQ people living in the United States.[3] Although our country has made great strides to protect the rights of LGBTQ people in the past few decades, many LGBTQ individuals continue to exposure the negative impact of societal bigotry and discrimination.[4]

Unfortunately, the discrimination and stigma faced by LGBTQ people places them at a higher risk for behavioral health conditions, including mental health conditions and substance employ Disorders (SUDs), than non-LGBTQ people.[5] Yet too often, pursuing health care services, including treatment for their behavioral health conditions, puts LGBT

Community health pride – LGBTIQA+ inclusive practice resources

The Society health pride - queer woman , gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, queer/questioning, asexual (LGBTIQA+) resources support community health services in inclusive service planning and practices.

The resource suite is structured so that it can be used by all community health services, whether they are starting to develop inclusive practice approaches or pursuing to review and boost their models.

By valuing diversity, actively practising inclusion and working to eliminate access barriers, community health services can help to refine the experience of LGBTIQA+ clients and their health and wellbeing.

These resources were developed in consultation with community health services and key experts in the LGBTIQA+ field. You can access the resources in the download section of this page.

LGBTIQA+ inclusive apply toolkit

The comprehensive toolkit includes practical advice, tips, links to resources, templates and case studies for society health services to embed LGBTIQA+ inclusive practice across all levels of the organisation.

The toolkit broadly invites community health services to reflect on:

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Proportion of population who name as LGBTIQA+

In the 2017 Victorian Population Health Survey, 5.7 per cent of respondents identified as womxn loving womxn, gay, bisexual, trans and gender diverse, intersex, gender non-conforming and asexual (Victorian Agency for Health Information - unpublished), with the relative proportion of each subgroup summarised in Table 1:

Table 1: Proportion (%) of the adult population, by LGBTIQA+ status, Victoria, 2017

LGBTIQA+ group	Sample size (n)	Proportion (%) of mature person population by LGBTIQA+ status
Gay or Lesbian	458	1.8
Bisexual, Queer, Pansexual	616	3.0
Transgender, Gender diverse	41	0.2
Intersex	57	0.2
Asexual, Other	128	0.4
TOTAL LGBTIQA+	1,300	5.7

Health and wellbeing indicators for LGBTIQA+ Victorians

Data from the survey shows that LGBTIQA+ Victorian adults experience poorer health and wellbeing than heterosexual, non-LGBTIQA+ Victorians (Victorian Agency for Health Knowledge - unpublished).

A summary of indicators for LGBTIQA+ Victorians shows that a significantly higher proportion of LGBTIQA+ adults:

had minor to medium life satisfaction and a feeling of life being worthwhile, compared with the heterosexual,

If you are lesbian, lgbtq+, bisexual, trans or gender diverse, intersex, queer or asexual (LGBTIQA+) you hold the right to equality, fairness and decency for your end of being and palliative care needs. The Victorian Government principles and celebrates diversity and is committed to removing discrimination from laws, services and society.
You can employ end of life and palliative care services to help you and your partner as you approach the end of your life. You can acquire care in hospital or in your home. Appropriate end of life concern helps affirm your individual identity, your life story, and includes respect for both you and your partner.
Rainbow tick organisations
The rainbow tick (pictured below) was developed by Gay and Lesbian Health Victoria (GLHV) in 2013 and shows which services have been accredited to provide inclusive practices to make you feel safe and welcome. Rainbow tick organisations will treat you fairly and respectfully as an LGBTIQA+ person.
A service source with the rainbow tick seeks to improve the health and wellbeing of LGBTIQA+ people by providing services regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity or intersex status.
For more data on this to

For LGBTQ patients, discrimination can become a barrier to medical care
In recent years, medical experts possess been awakening to the specialized needs of LGBTQ people. But one of the most significant barriers to their care can sometimes be right in their doctor's office.

Jamison Green knows this firsthand.

"One of the worst things is actually just anticipating having to explain yourself," said Green, 70, who began his medical transition from female to male in 1988. "It causes tremendous emphasize and anxiety to think about organism thrown out of a doctor's office or being laughed at or existence treated insensitively to the point of feeling abused."
Grassy, who lives in Vancouver, Washington, and is a former president of the World Professional Association for Transgender Health, has dealt with a doctor so hostile he refused to look Leafy in the eye.
And although he's been able to find good doctors, too, he knows the affronts other transgender people include endured.
Discrimination is not limited to gender non-conforming patients. Gay, sapphic, bisexual and other sexual or gender minority people meeting doctors who are ill-informed, ask inappropriate questions or decline to treat them.
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