Let's get closer to a better understanding of how healthcare and the LGBTQ+ community intersect. We are queer and we are here, honey.
Welcome to Diagnosis Queer (Dx: Q)! A platform which provides 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 +. Which, btw, stands for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, 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 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 the patient experience.
Why the name "Diagnosis: Queer"
Diagnosing individuals as 'queer' is an idea that is deeply rooted in the history LGBTQ+ 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 not something unfamiliar to the LGBTQ+ community. It is one of the first hurdles many of us overcome...to unlearn society's diagnosis of being unnatural. It is an obstacle which challenges LGBTQ+ 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. It is important to understand this about the LGBTQ+ community.
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 will publish a couple opinion personal stories on this blog as well as its Instagram (@diagnosis_queer) and Facebook (. If you would like to share your story and be featured, please contact Dx:Q! [Your confidentiality and anonymity are respected as you wish].
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