LGBTQ

What kind of freedom are we fighting for?

We doctors take an oath to honour the health of those we serve, prevent illness whenever we can and first do no harm. These values aren’t a political preference; they’re enduring, evidence-based principles of healthy systems.

DEI dying: Why sex/gender in health research should matter to us all

As the U.S. disengages with sex differences research, Canada must double down on its own research program. Science takes years to bear fruit – the research we invest in today are the therapies we have tomorrow.

My birth sex is part of my medical history; it should be as private as the rest of my medical history

Insisting on primary birth sex identification for trans people does little to improve the health of trans and gender diverse persons; it merely exchanges one theoretical set of adverse health care outcomes for others that are definite and far more impactful.

‘I wish he would have just hit me’: Bill criminalizing ‘insidious’ form of domestic abuse dies with prorogation

Coercive control, a form of intimate partner violence, was nearly criminalized in Canada before parliament was prorogued on Jan. 6. Will new Parliament revive it?

Prescribing evidence: Combatting anti-scientific policies on puberty blockers

None of the policies preventing puberty blockers can be justified, as they are entirely discriminatory. If cisgender-affirming care is on the table, then transgender-affirming care must join it.

Apologies are not enough. How Canadian Blood Services can rebuild trust with 2SLGBTQIA+ communities 

Canadian Blood Services, and other health organizations, have the opportunity and moral responsibility to build a better health system for 2SLGBTQIA+ communities.

Beyond acceptance: Fostering inclusive care for sex and gender minority youth

Sex and gender minority youth are disproportionately impacted by mental health concerns tied to the COVID-19 pandemic. But they're also less likely to find adequate supports.

Backlash against call for equity in medicine is misguided

A backlash against EDIA (equity, diversity, inclusion and accessibility) is gripping Canadian medicine. The reasons for this backlash are complex but ultimately misguided.

Transitioning to inclusivity: Why OB/GYNs need trans care training

Both women and trans men may require obstetrics services. But many working in health care don't know how to appropriately treat trans patients. It is time we listen to the trans community and mandate transgender care education.

Quit your job, go home and prepare to die: Surviving the AIDS epidemic

In 1986, I left Toronto and moved to New York. I fell head over heels for a man in 1988. We wanted to make sure we didn’t transmit HIV to each other, so we got tested. I felt healthy as ever. However, my test came back: HIV positive.

The Time is Now for LGBT+ Health Equity

Creating inclusive environments for LGBT+ clients has not occurred on a broad scale in Canada or elsewhere. The onus is on the health-care system and its leaders, from the local level to the federal government, to address LGBT+ health inequity. The lives of millions of people depend on it.

Lessons learned, mistakes repeated: From HIV/AIDS to COVID-19

Many infectious disease practitioners pivoted from HIV to COVID when the pandemic struck. Now, some of them are sharing their views on what we’ve learned, where we’ve repeated mistakes, and how we can move forward.

Telemedicine proves its value for trans and non-binary community

The pandemic has led to a rise in virtual care, which has increased access to primary care for the transgender and non-binary communities. But this trend highlights the relative lack of gender-affirming care available through traditional primary care.

U.K. to base blood donation on behaviour, not stereotypes. Why not us?

Canadian Blood Services researching screening changes for plasma

After Pride Month, a reflection on health care’s progress

Infectious Love: Coronary Angiography in Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest and Risk of HIV Transmission in Serodifferent Gay Couples

Address transphobia in Canada’s health system

Health care system stigmatizes and discriminates against transgender people

Homeless LGBT youth face discrimination, violence in shelter system