EVENTS: LGBTQ+ Health Care Symposium, May 10 (Charlottesville, VA)
There are an estimated 700,000 people in this country who consider themselves transgender. Add in those who are openly gay, lesbian or bisexual and the number rises to nine million. They find growing acceptance in society, but many people – including doctors and nurses — remain uncomfortable when dealing with the LGBT community. That’s why UVA is hosting a special conference on May 10th.
Ken White is an associate dean of nursing at the University of Virginia. He’s also a gay man, yet no doctor has ever asked about his sexual history, and he knows many health care professionals who are even more uncomfortable with transgender men and women.
“They don‘t know what to say,” he explains. ” They don’t want to make a mistake, so they don’t say anything, and that makes patients feel isolated.”