Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences: LGBTQIA+ Health
LGBTQIA+ Health
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning, intersex, asexual or agender and other (+) sexualities and genders. The language used for these identities is extensive and evolving. It is important to note that many of these terms can mean different things to different people (e.g. the history and reclamation of the word queer).
Individuals within these communities experience unique health-related barriers and disparities. Healthy People 2030 has set the goal to "improve the health, safety, and well-being of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people."
The resources below can help you familiarize yourself with the challenges LGBTQIA+ individuals face, incorporate strategies in your practice that can address some of these issues, and engage with the research in these areas.
"Progress" Pride Flag by Daniel Quasar is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License
Getting Started: Providing LGBTQIA+ Inclusive Care
Plaza, C. M., Mathews, J., & Hanneman, T. (2015). The role of pharmacists in LGBTQ health [Slides]. Pharmacy Faculty/Staff Publications. https://fisherpub.sjfc.edu/pharmacy_facpub/81
Ponushis, A. (2021, Feb. 19). Advocating for LGBTQ+ education. Academic Pharmacy Now, (1). https://www.aacp.org/article/advocating-lgbtq-education
Shah, A. (2022, Feb. 25). How to create an inclusive culture for LGBTQ+ patients at the pharmacy: A practical approach. Pharmacy Times. https://www.pharmacytimes.com/view/how-to-create-an-inclusive-culture-for-lgbtq-patients-at-the-pharmacy-a-practical-approach
Research Literature Databases
- EMBASE via Elsevier This link opens in a new window
- GenderWatch This link opens in a new window
- LGBTQ+ Source This link opens in a new window
- PubMed This link opens in a new window
Literature Highlights
Chaudhary, S., Ray, R., & Glass, B. (2021). Pharmacists' role in transgender healthcare: A scoping review. Research in Social and Administrative Pharmacy, 17(9), 1553–1561. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sapharm.2020.12.015 UB Libraries Link
Grundmann, O., Segal, R., Pullo, J., Davis, L., Felix-Irizarry, Y., Da Silva, L., & Holets, T. (2020). The pharmacist as an LGBTQ ally. American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education, 84(7), 874–876. https://dx.doi.org/10.5688%2Fajpe7835 UB Libraries Link
Llayton, C., Wagner, T. D., Anderson, A. N., Crawford, A. N., Donohoe, K. L., Matulewicz, A. T., & Caldas, L. M. (2021). Introducing lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual, others (LGBTQIA+) patient care through laboratory-based exercises. American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education. https://doi.org/10.5688/ajpe8569 UB Libraries Link
Pienaar, K., Murphy, D. A., Race, K., & Lea, T. (2020). Drugs as technologies of the self: Enhancement and transformation in LGBTQ cultures. International Journal of Drug Policy, 78. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugpo.2020.102673 UB Libraries Link
van der Graaf, P. H. (2021). Diversity in clinical pharmacology and therapeutics. Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics, 110(4), 837–840. https://doi.org/10.1002/cpt.2391 UB Libraries Link
Vernon, V. P., Cieri-Hutcherson, N. E., Arellano, R., Collins, O., & Lodise, N. M. (2023). Contraception for transgender and gender diverse individuals in pharmacy education: A cross-sectional survey and select resources. Currents in Pharmacy Teaching & Learning. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cptl.2023.07.010 UB Libraries Link Advance online publication.
Books
Open Web Resources
- National LGBTQIA+ Health Education CenterDon't miss their training opportunities!
- University of Michigan Library Global Sexual and Reproductive Health Free and openly available resources on global sexual and reproductive health, including the health of all who are capable of giving birth
Spotlight on Trans, Nonbinary, Gender Fluid, and Gender Nonconforming Health
National Transgender Discrimination Survey
In 2011, the National Center for Transgender Equality and the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force released the first National Transgender Discrimination Survey (NTDS) titled Injustice at Every Turn. This initial report revealed the pervasive discrimination and violence trans individuals face throughout society. You can also review the executive summary and additional analyses of the data by region, state and ethnicity of respondents.
Within Pharmacy
Pharmacists play an integral role in the lives and treatment of transgender individuals who undergo hormore therapy. A study from Lewis et al. demonstrated discrimination from pharmacists is a common concern among trans and gender non-conforming adults. Discrimination and other barriers can lead those looking to undergo gender-transition care to seek out do-it-yourself hormone replacement therapy (DIY HRT).
Transgender and gender non-conforming pharmacists have also shared their experiences within the profession and have brought forward discrimination they have experienced.
What is deadnaming and what impact does it have on individuals?
"Why Deadnaming is Harmful" from the Cleveland Clinic's Health Essentials is a quick and easy read on the topic.
"Making Mistakes When Serving Gender Diverse Patients and Recovering" from Cei Lambert of the National LGBT Health Education Center is a set of slides with a number of case examples in healthcare settings.
Goldenberg, T., Gamarel, K. E., Reisner, S. L., Jadwin-Cakmak, L., & Harper, G. W. (2021). Gender affirming as a source of resilience for addressing stigmatizing healthcare experiences of transgender youth of color. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 55(12), 1168–1183. https://doi.org/10.1093/abm/kaab011 UB Libraries Link
Hisle-Gorman, E., Schvey, N. A., Adirim, T. A., Rayne, A. K., Susi, A., Roberts, T. A., Klein, D. A. (2021). Mental healthcare utilization of transgender youth before and after affirming treatment. Journal of Sexual Medicine, 18(8), 1444–1454. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsxm.2021.05.014 UB Libraries Link
Redfern, J. S., & Jann, M. W. (2019). The evolving role of pharmacists in transgender health care. Transgender Health, 4(1), 118–130. https://doi.org/10.1089/trgh.2018.0038 UB Libraries Link
Scholarship Spotlight
- Out to Innovate: The Amy A. Ross Scholarship in BioscienceOut to Innovate is a professional society and global community of LGBTQ+ students and professionals in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Applicants to this scholarship must demonstrate a commitment to furthering LGBTQ+ visibility, diversity, and inclusion in the biosciences. This is a $2000 scholarship.