Welcome to Diagnosis Queer (Dx: Q)! A platform which provides educational resources, conversations, and life stories about queerness in medicine, and more! Queerness in medicine can mean so many things. A queer patient, a queer healthcare provider, or even an ally observing queerness in medicine! This site, and its instagram, are for everyone. We started this site because things have changed. Our community has changed. There is a new generation rising into the world, and it is L G B T Q I A +. Which, btw, is an umbrella term for identities like Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, Asexual/Agender and more! Whether you are a part of the rainbow or not, you belong here. And we want to hear your story!
Our Mission
Diagnosis: Queer is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization whose mission is to strengthen queer visibility amongst patients and providers of academic and clinical medicine. We do this through sharing personal stories that serve as the foundation for unique educational experiences. Through this, we hope to better help folks understand the meaning and importance of queer healthcare that is well informed, easily accessible, patient centered, and properly integrated into medical education.
The center of Dx:Q's mission is our Queer Medical Education (QME) program. QME will be a series of educational experiences for patients, providers, and students in healthcare with a fresh, interactive and temporally integrated approach. We are currently working hard to make this need a reality!
Why the name "Diagnosis: Queer"
Diagnosing individuals as 'queer' is an idea that is deeply rooted in the history LGBTQIA+ community and weighs heavily on queer self-perception and the psychology of understanding the queer community. Feeling like a diagnosis, an illness, and wrong, is one of the first hurdles many of us overcome...to unlearn society's diagnosis of being unnatural. It is an obstacle which challenges LGBTQIA+ individuals both physically and emotionally and, often, throughout our lifespan. We have been labeled as different and have spent our formative years learning what happens when you upset the 'herd'. We are judged, approached, beaten, ostracized, and killed. As a result, those who are different navigate this world carefully, defensively and worried about their safety.
Naming this blog "Diagnosis: Queer" draws attention to the complex interactions LGBTQ+ individuals have in medicine and speaks to the history of healthcare and its understanding of the queer community. Healthcare settings often require more intimate and personal conversation which can force LGBTQ+ individuals to face uneducated biases that negatively impact their experience. For many, this negative bias serves as a critical and devastating risk factor for worse outcomes. Recognizing the state of LGBTQ+ awareness in medicine is the first step toward change, change for a population which consists of approximately 25 million here in the United States of America. Twenty five million. WE ARE HERE. It is time to learn, educate, and communicate our presence, specifically in medicine.
This is why this blog is named "Diagnosis: Queer." We look forward to learning from you while also continuing to finding ways to help your journey!
What to expect from Dx:Q?
There are many working components to Dx:Q, each separated by the type of content and engagement. Every month we publish our #PersonalStoryFridays on this site, as well as on our Instagram and Facebook. If you would like to share your story and be featured, please contact Dx:Q! On our instagram we post #TipTuesdays every week to provide helpful ways to navigate the healthcare system as a queer person.
You will notice the resources section in the menu bar. There you will find our up-to-date and ever changing bank of resources that will help you learn more about our mission. Stay in the loop with LGBTQ+ pop culture, scientific literature, and history by going to the Podcasts, Articles, and more! page. Are you a member of the LGBTQ+ community and looking for a LGBTQ+ allied healthcare provider? Visit our LGBTQ+ Friendly Providers page! Finally, for all healthcare professionals interested in learning more about your queer patients, find some tips and suggestions here from hospitals and organizations around the country.
Thank you for visiting Diagnosis: Queer. Take a look around, visit our instagram, and let us know what you think!
Peace and Love,
Diagnosis: Queer
