INTRODUCTION
LGBT people are a part of every community. The LGBT community in itself is diverse, comprising of people of all ages from different racial, ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds, from all over the world. LGBT is the initialism that stands for “Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender”. The initialism is meant to highlight the diversity of sexuality and gender identity-focused cultures.
The “LGB” or lesbian, gay, and bisexual of LGBT refers to the sexual orientation element of the community. There are three components to sexual orientation: behavior, identity and desire (Ard & Makadon, 2012). The “LGB” or lesbian, gay, and bisexual refers to the sexual orientation element of the community. There are three components to sexual orientation: …show more content…
Transgender refers to the term for people who do not conform to traditional norm of gender. This means that a transgender person’s current gender expression or desire expression does not match expected gender expression associated with sex (SOC 424 lecture: gender and sex, 2016). Gender expression may entail altering one’s appearance, going through hormonal therapy, and/or undergoing surgery to transition to one’s desired gender (Ard & Makadon, 2012). For LGBT women, transgender women are typically male-to-female (MTF) transgender women. These women are typically assigned male at birth by medical professionals based on the primary sex characteristics of their reproductive organs, but identify with being female (Ard & Makadon, 2012).
The diversity of the LGBT community, especially among women, is evident not just in terms of background and appearance, but also in the challenges each women faces. There are a great deal of health issues common among LGBT women, yet there are prominent health issues that specifically affect different subgroups. Despite the differences, one point is clear: LGBT women face unique health disparities, which can lead to negative health …show more content…
Health disparities are inequalities in health outcomes that “…stem from structural and legal factors, social discrimination, and a lack of culturally competent health care” (Ard & Makadon, 2012, p.3). There disparities create difficulties for LGBT to access optimal health care services. Stigma and discrimination are the two of the most prominent factors that prevent women from accessing healthcare or deter utilizing available health care services, creating health disparities. Stigma refers to the negative attitudes and beliefs of people towards those who they perceive as different (CalMHSA, 2012). Discrimination refers to the behavioral aspect of stigma. It occurs when “…individuals or institutions unjustly deprive others of their rights and life opportunities due to stigma” (CalMHSA, 2012,
LGBT people are a part of every community. The LGBT community in itself is diverse, comprising of people of all ages from different racial, ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds, from all over the world. LGBT is the initialism that stands for “Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender”. The initialism is meant to highlight the diversity of sexuality and gender identity-focused cultures.
The “LGB” or lesbian, gay, and bisexual of LGBT refers to the sexual orientation element of the community. There are three components to sexual orientation: behavior, identity and desire (Ard & Makadon, 2012). The “LGB” or lesbian, gay, and bisexual refers to the sexual orientation element of the community. There are three components to sexual orientation: …show more content…
Transgender refers to the term for people who do not conform to traditional norm of gender. This means that a transgender person’s current gender expression or desire expression does not match expected gender expression associated with sex (SOC 424 lecture: gender and sex, 2016). Gender expression may entail altering one’s appearance, going through hormonal therapy, and/or undergoing surgery to transition to one’s desired gender (Ard & Makadon, 2012). For LGBT women, transgender women are typically male-to-female (MTF) transgender women. These women are typically assigned male at birth by medical professionals based on the primary sex characteristics of their reproductive organs, but identify with being female (Ard & Makadon, 2012).
The diversity of the LGBT community, especially among women, is evident not just in terms of background and appearance, but also in the challenges each women faces. There are a great deal of health issues common among LGBT women, yet there are prominent health issues that specifically affect different subgroups. Despite the differences, one point is clear: LGBT women face unique health disparities, which can lead to negative health …show more content…
Health disparities are inequalities in health outcomes that “…stem from structural and legal factors, social discrimination, and a lack of culturally competent health care” (Ard & Makadon, 2012, p.3). There disparities create difficulties for LGBT to access optimal health care services. Stigma and discrimination are the two of the most prominent factors that prevent women from accessing healthcare or deter utilizing available health care services, creating health disparities. Stigma refers to the negative attitudes and beliefs of people towards those who they perceive as different (CalMHSA, 2012). Discrimination refers to the behavioral aspect of stigma. It occurs when “…individuals or institutions unjustly deprive others of their rights and life opportunities due to stigma” (CalMHSA, 2012,