Sexual and Gender Minority Health Care Disparities: Barriers to Care and Strategies to Bridge the Gap

Abstract

Gender and sexual minority individuals face considerable physical and mental health disparities, health risk factors, and barriers to care. These disparities are rooted in systemic and interpersonal prejudice, discrimination, and violence toward lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and other (LGBTQ+) individuals and communities that place LGBTQ+ individuals at increased risk for negative social determinants of health. While also advocating for systemic change, individual providers and clinics have an ethical duty to promote an openly affirming, culturally competent health care environment that can help to address these disparities on an individual patient level.

Keywords: Health care; Health disparities; Health outcomes; LGBTQ+; Minority stress; Sexual and gender minority; Sexual orientation; Transgender.