The Essential Role of LGBTQ+ Attentive Physicians

LGBTQ+ attentive physicians are providers dedicated to meeting the unique needs of LGBTQ+ patients with compassion and special expertise.

If you’re an LGBTQ+ patient, it can be uncomfortable seeing a physician for the first time and not knowing how they might respond to you. LGBTQ+ attentive physicians take that uncertainty out of the equation.

Dr. Susan Maya, primary care physician at Beth Israel Lahey Health’s Healthcare Associates (HCA), describes LGBTQ+ attentive physicians as providers who have expressed direct interest in serving LGBTQ+ patients and have experience working with the LGBTQ+ population. They’re dedicated to meeting the unique needs of these patients with both compassion and special expertise. With LGBTQ+ attentive physicians, patients can show up as their whole selves and receive health care without fear of judgement.

LGBTQ+ patients benefit from providers who understand them. Some such benefits include knowledge and understanding. With LGBTQ+ attentive physicians, “patients are not put in the position of having to teach the provider about who they are or their lifestyle and health needs,” says Dr. Maya. She adds that most LGBTQ+ attentive physicians “have an awareness of health disparities among the LGBTQ+ population and a desire to close those gaps in care.”

Like any other providers, LGBTQ+ attentive physicians work across the full spectrum of medical specialties. Dr. Maya notes that many LGBTQ+ attentive physicians have special interests within the medical field. She notes that LGBTQ+ attentive physicians often “have specific knowledge, interest, or expertise in health topics that commonly come up, such as gender affirming care, PrEP, fertility challenges, and more.”

If you’re looking for an LGBTQ+ attentive physician, you can Find a Doctor.