Gay Men & Lesbians

Gay men and lesbians can have unique health needs and concerns which many health care providers lack understanding and experience dealing with. If you’re a patient, it’s important to advocate for your own health by asking your healthcare provider about the health matters that may apply to you.

The following lists from the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association (GLMA) and The Fenway Institute can help patients effectively communicate issues with their healthcare providers:

Resources for Consumers:

Resources for Providers:

Learning Modules on LGBT Health – The Fenway Institute
Bonvicini KA, Perlin MJ. The same but different: clinician-patient communication with gay and lesbian patients. Patient Education and Counseling. 2003;51:115-122. Read article abstract.
Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Health Access Project. Community standards of practice for the provision of quality health care services to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender clients. Read online/Download.
Gay and Lesbian Medical Association. Guidelines for the care of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender patients. 2006. Download.
Kaiser Permanente National Diversity Council and the Kaiser Permanente National Diversity Department. A provider’s handbook on culturally competent care: Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered population. San Francisco, CA, 2000. To order: Kaiser National Diversity Department: 510.271.6663
Makadon HJ, Mayer, KH, Potter J, Goldhammer H (eds.). The Fenway Guide to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Health. American College of Physicians, 2007. Order online. Go to Fenway Guide Resources for Clinicians and Patients.
Makadon HJ. Improving health care for the lesbian and gay communities. N Engl J Med. 2006;354:895-897. Read article abstract.
Chemoprophylaxis To Prevent HIV Infection: An Interim Guidance for Clinicians
American Psychological Association. Guidelines for psychotherapy with lesbian, gay, and bisexual clients. Read online guidelines.
Omoto A, Kurtzman H. Sexual Orientation and Mental Health. American Psychological Association; 2006. Order online.
Perez R, DeBord K, Bieschke K. Handbook of counseling and psychotherapy with lesbian, gay and bisexual clients. American Psychological Association; 2000. Order online.
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, US Department of Health and Human Services. A provider’s introduction to substance abuse treatment for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals. 2001. DHHS Publication No. (SMA) 01-3498. Download.
Knight D. Health care screening for men who have sex with men. Am Fam Physician. 2004; 69:2149-2156. Link to article abstract.
Makadon H. Primary care of gay men. UpToDate 2006, Version 14.2. Link to abstract.
Makadon HJ, Mayer KH, Garofalo R. Optimizing primary care for men who have sex with men. JAMA. 2006;296:2362-2365. Link to article abstract.
Massachusetts Department of Health, Fenway Community Health. Prevention and management of sexually transmitted diseases in men who have sex with men: a toolkit for clinicians. 2003. Download.
White JC, Levinson W. Lesbian health care. What a primary care physician needs to know. West J Med. 1995:162: 463466. Download.
Therapy With Sexual Minorities: Queering Practice published in Principles and Practice of Sex Therapy, Fourth Edition, edited by Sandra Leiblum, Guilford Press, 2007. Co-authored by Michael Shernoff.
Sexual Function in Lesbians and Lesbian Relationships published in Female Sexual Dysfunction, edited by I. Goldstein, C. M. Meston, S. Davis and M. Traish, Parthenon Publishing, 2005.
Sex Therapy with Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgendered, and “Kinky” Clients published in Principles and Practice of Sex Therapy, Third Edition, edited by Sandra Leiblum and Ray Rosen, Guilford Press, 2000.
Sexual Desire Disorder in Lesbian-Feminist Couple: The Intersection of Therapy and Politics published in Case Studies in Sex Therapy, edited by Raymond C. Rosen and Sandra R. Leiblum, Guildford Press, 1995.
Lesbian Relationships: Implications for the Study of Sexuality and Gender published in Homosexuality/Heterosexuality, edited by McWhirter, Sanders and Reinisch, Oxford University Press, 1990.
Low Sexual Desire in Lesbian Couples published in Sexual Desire Disorders, edited by Sandra R. Leiblum and Raymond C. Rosen, Guildford Press, 1988.
Lesbian Sexuality: Issues And Developing Theory and Doing Sex Therapy With Lesbians: Bending A Hetrosexual Paradigm To Fit a Gay Life-style published in Lesbian Psychologies: Explorations and Challenges, edited by The Boston Lesbian Psychologies Collective, University of Illinois Press, 1987.

LGBT Health Training and Teaching Materials

Projects in a Box for teaching LGBT health in medical schools.From the American Medical Student Association, Gender and Sexuality Committee.
Gender, Sex, and Sexuality Learning Module. From the Gender and Health Collaborative Curriculum Project.
Addiction Technology Transfer Center LGBT Substance Abuse Counselor Training Curriculum. From the Prairielands Addiction Technology Transfer Center Network.
LGBT Health Education Working Group. An email discussion group and forum for those working to design and implement LGBT health education programs. To sign up for this listserv, email your name and affiliation to:professionaleducation@fenwayhealth.org. Put “working group” in the subject line.
MedEdPortal Online, peer-reviewed medical learning and teaching resources. Search for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender-related materials.
Patient Sexual Health History: What you need to know to help
From the American Medical Association