In a Healio video exclusive, Edward V. Loftus Jr., MD, highlighted that the first step in building an LGBTQ-friendly gastroenterology practice starts with “just normalizing it.”
However, in the United States, there are decades of stigma and discrimination for providers to hurdle to regain the trust and confidence of their LGBTQIA+ patients.
From homosexuality being considered a mental disorder to bans on blood donation
by men who have sex with men, medical marginalization has led to significant mistrust of health care providers by the LGBTQIA+ patients, and contributed to worsening