Health Care Disparities and the LGBT Population

Vickie L. Harvey is professor of communication studies at California State University, Stanislaus.Teresa Heinz Housel is associate professor of communication at Hope College.

• ForewordGary L. Kreps ForewordAllan D. PeterkinPart I: Constructing Identity by Coming Out to Your Physician 1.An Introduction to the Loosely Knit Patchwork of LGBT Health CareTeresa Heinz Housel and Vickie L. Harvey 2.The Importance of Sexual Orientation Disclosure to Physicians for Women Who Have Sex with WomenKarina Willes and Mike Allen 3.Coming Out Conversations and Gay/Bisexual Men’s Sexual Health: A Constitutive Model StudyJimmie Manning 4.Shaping Self with the Doctor: The Construction of Identity for Trans PatientsKaty Ross, Juliann C. Scholl, and Gina Castle BellPart II: Access, Disparities and Harassment Under the Guise of Policies 5.Health Insurance Coverage For Same-Sex Couples: Disparities and Trends under DOMAGilbert Gonzales, Ryan Moltz, and Miriam King 6.Carving Triangles into Squares: The Effects of LGBTQ Stigma Related Stressors During Youth, Adulthood, and AgingDawn L. Strongin, Marc J. Silva, and Fredrick Smiley 7.Reproductive Physicians’ Treatment o

This collection particularly underscores the importance of two major health policy issues—gaps in access to insurance coverage for LGBT people and discrimination against transgender people in the health system—that health professionals and those working for LGBT equality alike need to take up in earnest, especially in the era of the opportunities for change offered by the Affordable Care Act. The book explicitly frames its engagement with LGBT health issues through the framework of the unprecedented progress in public policy that has been achieved over the last five years. It demonstrates how research and policy can go hand in hand to define opportunities for change, and it will help readers from all backgrounds craft real solutions that work for LGBTQ people, our families, and our communities.