Last week on October 11, National Coming Out Day, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people all over the country celebrated the opportunity to come out to others about their sexuality and identity. The tradition of celebrating this ‘holiday,’ so to speak, began on October 11, 1988 to commemorate the first ever March on Washington for LGBT rights, which happened on this date the previous year. In addition to giving people the opportunity to come out to loved ones, colleagues, and others, this day also provides a means of increasing the visibility of LGBTIQ people and our struggle for equality.
But of course, coming out isn’t something that LGBTIQ people do just one time in their lives, or once a year on Coming Out Day. We're challenged daily with deciding who it’s safe to come out to in every single interaction that we have. One of these interactions - a very important one - might be the relationship you establish with your doctor.
This is a really important issue because a significant number of LGBTIQ people have medical doctors or other health care providers with whom they have not shared their sexual orientation. There are many reasons for this, including fear of homophobic attitudes or having had a bad experience coming out to a provider in the past. We thought we'd take this opportunity to ask:
Are you out to your doctor? Do you think its important to be out to your doctor? What has been your experience if you are out to your doctor now, or have come out to a doctor in the past?
(If you haven't already, go to the main page and answer the poll question! If it doesn't show up in the main window right away, sit tight and it'll rotate onto your screen in a few seconds. You can also use the arrows to scroll to it if you want. After you've voted, click on "discuss this poll" to come back here & post your thoughts.)
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