While the majority of students at the University of Wisconsin-Madison do not think twice about facing discrimination upon entering a doctor’s office, some students do, particularly members of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer community.
PRIDE in Healthcare for Undergraduates, a new student organization at UW-Madison, is determined to change that.
Despite recent progression in addressing minority health care disparities, LGBTQ people report poorer health than their heterosexual equivalents, according to a Center for American Progress article sent to The Daily Cardinal by PRIDE in Healthcare President James Lehman.
PRIDE in Healthcare’s mission is to raise awareness of LGBTQ health disparities because the general non-LGBTQ population is unaware of them, according to PRIDE for Healthcare for Undergraduates Co-President Matt Spence.
“No [LGBT] orgs on campus really touch on health-care issues,” Spence said. “I thought the undergraduate campus could really benefit from some activism in LGBT healthcare.”
Disparities LGBTQ people face stem from discrimination and harassment in society, which can lead to high rates of stress in addition to low rates of health insurance due to prejudice in the workplace, according to the CAP document. There is also a lack of cultural understanding of LGBTQ people in health-care systems.
PRIDE in Healthcare also aims to provide a social forum for LGBTQ students and connect them to practicing doctors who are accepting of LGBTQ cultures.
“I think it’s important to have an ally in your doctor,” Spence said. “[Discrimination] is an experience I don’t want anyone to have to go through.”
Spence, who came out in high school, said his doctor neglected to provide him with information about LGBTQ issues, which led him to believe his doctor’s office was not a “safe space” for him to be openly gay.
“There was no [sexual information] provided for gay-specific relationships, so there was a lot of confusion,” Spence said. “I received misleading, inaccurate answers [on the Internet] to things my doctor should have easily been able to answer.”
According to Lehman, past experiences or stories LGBTQ people hear caused them to fear general medical care.
“The health-care system doesn’t know how to engage [with LGBT] because they are an invisible population,” Lehman said. “Getting over that invisibility has to be key.”
