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Category: Diversity, Inclusion, & Accessibility

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Close up image of a rainbow Pride flag.
Photo by Cecilie Johnsen on Unsplash

Last week’s Ways to Celebrate This Year’s Pride Month post highlighted a variety of books, documentaries, local events, and volunteer opportunities available to celebrate Pride Month this year. In today’s post, we’ll focus on LGBTQ+ healthcare-focused resources available through Himmelfarb Library that can deepen your understanding of the LGBTQ+ community. 

Selected Books

This selection of LBGTQ+ focused books is available 

Selected Journals

  • Journal of Health Disparities Research & Practice: This journal explores the problems and challenges created by health disparities among diverse populations including the LBGTQ+ community.
  • Health Affairs: This journal covers a wide range of topics related to health care policy and managed care and often addresses LGBTQ+ related issues.
  • International Journal of Transgender Health: This journal covers gender dysphoria, medical and psychological treatment of transgender individuals, social and legal acceptance of hormonal and surgical sex reassignment, and transgenderism.
  • Journal of Gay & Lesbian Mental Health: This multidisciplinary professional forum covers issues related to psychotherapy for gay, lesbian, and bisexual individuals.
  • Journal of LGBT Youth: This journal contains information on current developments in educational policy, curriculum development, professional practice, and pedagogy involving gay and lesbian studies.
  • Journal of LBGT Issues in Counseling: This journal provides a professional forum for research, best practices, and emerging trends and issues related to counseling the LGBT community.

Streaming Videos

  • Born to Be: This documentary provides an intimate look at the work of Dr. Jess Ting (he/him) and the impact of gender-affirming care on patients and has transformed his own life.
  • Cured: This documentary explores the campaign that led to the removal of homosexuality from the American Psychiatric Association’s list of mental illnesses in 1973.

Are you interested in learning more about influential members of the LGBTQ+ community? Check out Himmelfarb’s profile of Dr. Rachel Levine, the first openly trans woman to be confirmed to a federal position by Congress. Or learn more about one of GW’s own in our profile of Dr. Lawrence “Bopper” Deyton, Senior Associate Dean for Clinical Public Health at GW’s School of Medicine and Health Sciences (SMHS). Dr. Deyton played a crucial role in HIV/AIDS research during the early 1990s.

Are you interested in more general resources available at GW? GW’s LGBTQIA+ Resource Center provides comprehensive educational, support, and advocacy services including workshops, special events, and mentoring opportunities. GW Out for Health is a GW SMHS student-led organization that serves as an advocacy group and as a place to build relationships and a sense of community within the LGBTQ+ community within SMHS. Learn more about Out for Health by emailing gwofh@gwu.edu. You can also learn more by exploring the resources available on GW’s Gender and Sexuality Resources page.

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Photograph of a person reading a red book

On June 19, 1865 Union General Gordon Granger along with a band of soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas, one of the furthest corners of the former Confederacy. The general informed the enslaved people in town that by order of President Abraham Lincoln’s 1863 Emancipation Proclamation, slavery was no longer legal within Confederate territories and that they were now free. The following year, on June 19, 1866 the freed people of Galveston organized a celebration to commemorate the ending of slavery within the United States. This event eventually became one of the most important holidays for African-Americans across the country. 

Known as ‘Freedom Day,’ ‘Emancipation Day,’ or most commonly as ‘Juneteenth’, June 19th marked a significant moment in American history and within the African-American community. With the issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863 and the ratification of the 13th Amendment near the end of 1865, the institution of slavery was formally ended in the United States. In Texas and other Southern states, Juneteenth became an annual celebration as freed African-Americans shared meals, read the Emancipation Proclamation aloud, registered new voters, and shared their visions for the development of the community. 

During the Great Migration, a period in the 1900s when many Southern African-Americans moved to the Northeast, Midwest or West, the tradition of Juneteenth celebrations was spread to other parts of the country. For decades, Juneteenth was only recognized and celebrated by African-Americans, but with time, the community began to advocate for state and federal governments to honor the day. In 1979, Texas officially declared Juneteenth an official holiday, making it the first state to recognize the date. Since then, more and more states have recognized Juneteenth in some official capacity. In 2021, President Joe Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act which designated Juneteenth as a federal holiday, making it the 11th federally recognized holiday. 

While Galveston, Texas remains a central location for Juneteenth celebrations, other cities such as Atlanta, Georgia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Washington D.C. also hold events that hundreds or thousands of people attend each year. Events still feature food and music, but some cities also host Juneteenth pageants, rodeos, and lectures that all showcase the rich culture of the community. 

If you are interested in honoring Juneteenth, Monday, June 19th is the last day to see the Emancipation Proclamation and General Granger’s General Order No. 3 on display at the National Archives museum! The museum is open from 10:00 AM through 5:30 PM and there is no entry fee. There will also be a free community event at the Black Lives Matter Plaza on June 19th. The event starts at noon and will feature music, games, a kid zone, and other activities. Last, the National Museum of African American History & Culture curated a ‘Juneteenth Reading List’ filled with fictional, historical, biographical, and autobiographical texts to help people learn more about Juneteenth and the period after slavery. 

Juneteenth is considered one of the oldest celebrations within the African-American community. It marked the beginning of freedom and self-actualization for formerly enslaved people. Even today, families spend time reflecting on the legacy of slavery and the continual fight for civil rights. To hear a personal anecdote about the importance of Juneteenth, please watch this short video from GW Associate Professor Imani Cheers:

References:

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In the United States, June is designated as LGBTQ+ Pride Month in recognition of the 1969 Stonewall uprising in Greenwich Village. For many activists and historians, the 1969 uprising represented a turning point in LGTBQ+ history and activism. While LGTBQ+ people have more legal and social rights in the aftermath of Stonewall, organizations, communities and activists within the United States and around the world continue to push for protections that ensure LGBTQ+ people can live freely. 

Recently, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) released a ‘State of Emergency’ for LGBTQ+ people living in the United States. In their release the organization said “The sharp rise in anti-LGBTQ+ measures has spawned a dizzying patchwork of discriminatory state laws that have created increasingly hostile and dangerous environments for LGBTQ+ people…” (Human Rights Campaign, 2023)

Despite the rise in anti-LGBTQ+ legislation, people embrace June as a month reserved for celebration and community. As journalist Erin Reed wrote, “We carry forward a potent legacy, one of not merely surviving but flourishing even in the margins where we’ve been relegated. We return, time and time again, stronger than ever before…The essence of queer joy is resistance in its own right, and the reverberations of the Stonewall resistance continue to echo in our celebrations today.” (Reed, 2023) 

There are many ways to celebrate Pride month! Whether it is reading a book centering LGBTQ+ narratives, attending a local Pride event or watching a documentary, the following list serves as a starting point for celebrating and uplifting the LGBTQ+ community this month and all year long!

A person holding a cut out of a rainbow colored heart
Photo credit: Photo by Pavel Danilyuk

Books:

Reading books written by LGBTQ+ authors or that feature LGBTQ+ characters is an excellent way to celebrate Pride and feel connected to the community. They are a plethora of books that span genres. If you’re not sure where to begin, consider turning to sources such as the Lambda Literary Awards or the Stonewall Book Awards lists that have recognized LGBTQ fiction and non-fiction for years. Or start with some of the following titles: 

For additional community building, consider organizing a book club with your peers. You can select one title to read together and hold a discussion. Or each member of the book club can commit to reading a different book that was written by an LGTBQ+ author and make their pitch as to why the other members should read it as well! 

Documentaries:

Watching documentaries is another way to celebrate Pride this year! Similar to the book club suggestion, you can hold a documentary watch party and discussion to share any insights you have after viewing the film. Some titles that may be worth watching include Paris is Burning  an intimate look at New York City’s drag and ballroom culture in the 1980s; A Secret Love a film about Terry Donahue, Pat Henschel and their decades long love story; Disclosure that explores the depiction of transgender people in cinema; or United in Anger: A History of ACT UP which looks at the rise of the AIDS activist movement.

For additional recommendations on LGBTQ+ documentaries, please see Advocate’s 32 LGBTQ+ Documentaries to Watch for LGBTQ+ History Month, Collider’s Queer History is Pride: 11 of the Best LGBTQ Documentaries or Rotten Tomatoes’ 40 Essential LGBTQ+ Documentaries. 

Local Events:

Washington D.C. and the surrounding area is home to an active and vibrant LGBTQ+ community. Each June the city is nearly bursting with activities to meet new people, learn about the history of Pride or celebrate with your friends. The most popular event is the annual Capital Pride parade and festival which took place this past weekend. But there are still numerous opportunities to celebrate Pride in the area. 

On June 14, As You Are will hold its inaugural Queer Open Mic Night where writers, musicians, comedians and others can share their work! Want to shop for books and meet local readers? Then purchase a ticket for Little District Books’ June 22 Pride Party. The National Portrait Gallery will host an online conversation titled ‘Sexuality and the Harlem Renaissance’ on June 20. Near the end of June, The DC Mayor’s Office will present this year’s District of Pride Showcase at Lincoln Theatre!

Looking for other Pride events in the area? Check out the Pride guides from DC Trans Events, Clock Out DC or Queer Talk DC!

Volunteer:

If you want to give to the LGBTQ+ community, there are local and national organizations in need of volunteers. The DC Center for the LGBT Community sponsors local volunteer opportunities throughout the year. Or become a volunteer for organizations like The Trevor Project, the Human Rights Campaign or PFLAG!

If you are interested in organizing an event at George Washington University, Himmelfarb Library’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee is open to partnering with student, resident or faculty groups! Please contact the committee’s current chair, Rachel Brill at rgbrill@gwu.edu for more information! 

Whether you are a member of the LGBTQ+ community or an active ally, Pride month is a time to connect with our loved ones and celebrate strides gained through activism. It is also a month where we recognize the many contributions the community has made to our contemporary culture. No matter how you decide to celebrate Pride, what is most important is that we collectively work to build a world where people, regardless of their sexual orientation, gender or gender expression can live as their most authentic selves!

References: 

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Photo Credit: Jason Henry via Heinz Awards

Dr. Abraham Verghese is a physician, best-selling author and professor of medicine at Stanford University of Medicine. Verghese is known for work with bedside medicine and the benefits of providing patients with physical examinations. In a 2011 TEDTalk, Verghese said “Too often these days, rounds look very much like this, where the discussion is taking place in a room far away from the patient. The discussion is all about images on the computer, data. The one critical piece missing is that of the patient.” (Verghese, 2011) Verghese is also known for his creative writing career and has published two nonfiction books and two fiction novels. He believes physicians should read more than scholarly or nonfiction texts, saying “I preach to my medical students that to fully imagine their patients’ lives they must read fiction, because fiction is the great lie that tells the truth (to paraphrase Camus).” (Clarke, 2023)

Dr. Abraham Verghese was born in 1955 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to two Indian parents. His parents worked as educators in Ethiopia and he first began his medical education in the country. In an article from the New York Times, Verghese credits W. Somerset Maugham’s book Of Human Bondage as influencing his decision to become a physician: 

“Somehow, when I read those words as an underachieving student in high school, it suggested to me that anyone with a curiosity and empathy for their fellow human beings and a willingness to work hard could be a good physician and be rewarded by work that has great meaning.” (Clarke, 2023)

Unfortunately, political unrest interrupted Verghese’ medical education. In the 1970s, the Ethiopian emperor and government were overthrown and a civil war broke out across the country. Verghese, along with his parents and siblings, left Ethiopia for the United States. While living in the U.S. Verghese worked as an orderly. He continued to pursue a career in medicine. He attended Madras Medical College in India and graduated in 1980. He pursued a residency program in Johnson City, Tennessee. In 1983, after completing his residency, he was selected for a fellowship at Boston College School of Medicine. During his time in Boston, he witnessed the HIV outbreak that hit urban areas such as Boston and other major cities. Verghese returned to Johnson City, Tennessee and once again was face to face with the impacts of HIV/AIDS, this time in a rural setting. 

When reflecting on that time, Verghese said “I first toyed with the idea of writing because I was so affected by what I witnessed as an infectious diseases specialist during the early years of the AIDS epidemic, taking care of dying men (mostly) who were my age.” (Clarke, 2023) He later wrote about his experiences in his first book My Own Country: A Doctor’s Story of A Town and Its People in the Age of AIDS.

Verghese took a break from practicing medicine and attended the Iowa Writers Workshop at the University of Iowa. He earned his Masters of Fine Arts in 1991. He served as a Professor of Medicine and Chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases at Texas Tech Health Sciences Center. Then in 2007, Verghese moved from Texas to California to work as a professor at Stanford University School of Medicine, a position he still holds. 

Dr. Verghese also maintains a successful writing practice and career. Besides his first book, My Own Country, Verghese has also published The Tennis Partner: A Story of Friendship and Loss, Cutting for Stone and most recently The Covenant of Water which is an Oprah Book Club selection. The Covenant of Water has received high praise from reviewers. An NPR review stated “Ever the skillful surgeon, Verghese threads meaningful connections between macrocosmic and microcosmic details so elegantly that they are often barely noticeable at first.” (Bhatt, 2023) The reviewer also noted that “Whether describing the spice craze sweeping across Europe, Kerala’s breathtaking coastal views, the overpowering Madras evening breeze, or the lively Anglo-Indian enclaves, Verghese tends to be lyrical. But he writes with such singular detail and restrained precision that it is a pleasure to be swept along and immerse deeper.” (Bhatt, 2023) If you are interested in hearing Dr. Abraham Verghese speak or want to learn more about his latest release, please see this upcoming Politics and Prose event!

If you would like to learn about Dr. Verghese’s experiences as a physician or his clinical research interests, read his recent publications such as “Medicine is Not Gender-Neutral–She is Male,” “Practices to Foster Physician Presence and Connection With Patients in the Clinical Encounter” or watch his 2011 TEDTalk “A Doctor’s Touch.” 

Works Cited:

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Jewish American Heritage Month dates to 2006 when it was first proclaimed by then President George W Bush in reflection of the 350th anniversary of Jews first arriving in America.  A group of 23 Sephardic Jews fled persecution in Dutch Brazil during the Portuguese Inquisition and arrived in New Amsterdam (now New York) in 1654.

Since then the Jewish community has been an important contributor to American culture and prosperity, including many discoveries and advances in medicine. These were achieved despite barriers to becoming health professionals that existed well into the 20th century. Limited quotas for Jewish enrollment were quietly instituted in medical schools and post-graduate training in the 1920’s and there is evidence that the quotas continued until the 1950s. 

The quotas were in response to a wave of immigration by Russian and Eastern European Jews from the 1880s to 1920. Many of these immigrants and their children pursued medical training, due to their high esteem for medicine as a profession and the pathway it provided to a middle class life in America.  The number of Jewish physicians who graduated from medical colleges in 10 major US cities increased from 7 in 1875-1880 to 2,313 in 1931-35. 

Following World War I,  the rise of nativism and anti-Semitism in the United States was reflected in the growth of organizations like the Ku Klux Klan and anti-immigrant groups.  Russian and Eastern European Jews were particularly discriminated against due to prejudice about their culture, countries of origin and suspected revolutionary ideologies, as well as their religion. The institutions that Jewish medical students were entering were largely private, Protestant universities and colleges and there was growing pressure to keep their numbers down, resulting in both official and unacknowledged quotas. 

“In an era in which it was estimated that 32-50% of U.S. medical school applicants were Jews, the medical historian Henry Sigerist wrote that “Jewish students are subject to a tacit, but nevertheless highly effective, quota-system and in most schools the number of Jewish students rarely exceeds 10 per cent. …”

(Halperin, 2019)

The president of Harvard in the 1920s, A. Lawrence Lowell, was a member of the Immigration Restriction League and openly endorsed admission quotas. Columbia and Yale both had explicit quotas starting in 1918 and 1920. At Yale, the admissions committee was to admit no more than 5 Jewish students per medical class.  The University of Michigan began requiring interviews for entry to medical school in the late 1920s and subsequently rejected many Jewish applicants based on their personalities.  Many schools also required disclosure of religion and family background on applications.

“A 1946 review of thirty-nine U.S. medical school application forms showed that all asked the applicant’s religious preference or affiliation, ten asked for the religion of the applicant’s parents, fifteen asked the parents’ race, and eleven inquired if the family name had ever been changed.”

(Halperin, 2001)

As the Second World War ended, attitudes began to change and there was increased sympathy for the Jewish community and Holocaust survivors in the US. Jewish associations worked to enact anti-discriminatory education policies and had the support of President Truman’s Commission on Higher Education. The state of New York and city of Philadelphia both launched investigations into the quota system, exposing it to the public. New York’s Hart Report found that Jews, African-Americans and Italian Roman Catholics were selectively denied admission to the medical schools at Cornell and Columbia. The State University of New York system was founded in the wake of the Hart report, creating new public medical schools in the state.  Several Jewish medical schools were established in the 1950s including Albert Einstein Medical College and Mt Sinai School of Medicine. 

The AMA and AAMC did little to investigate or condemn the quota system. In 1947 when the two organizations published findings of a survey of medical schools, they defended the practice of asking questions about race, religion and family background on applications and opposed anti-discriminatory policies saying they would interfere with school’s freedom to select students “who will most advance the quality of medical education.” 

Despite all of these challenges, the achievements of Jewish physicians and medical researchers in the 20th century are remarkable. We can thank them for the polio and hepatitis b vaccines, the invention of Novocain and streptomycin, pioneering surgical procedures, and important genetic advances.  See this Wikipedia entry for a list of the many Jewish American Nobel laureates in Physiology and Medicine.

References

Halperin E. (2001) The Jewish Problem in U.S. Medical Education, 1920–1955, Journal of the History of Medicine and Allied Sciences, 56(2), 140–167. https://doi.org/10.1093/jhmas/56.2.140

Halperin E. (2019). Why Did the United States Medical School Admissions Quota for Jews End? The American Journal of the Medical Sciences, 358(5), 317–325. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amjms.2019.08.005

Sokoloff L. (1992). The rise and decline of the Jewish quota in medical school admissions. Bulletin of the New York Academy of Medicine, 68(4), 497–518.

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Get Naked, slogan from Melanoma Research Foundation.
#GetNaked campaign from the Melanoma Research Foundation

It’s nearly summer! When was your last skin check?

Malignant melanoma is the most serious type of skin cancer. For 2022, the American Cancer Society estimated nearly one hundred thousand new diagnoses of melanoma, making it the fifth most common type of cancer in the United States. Advances in melanoma treatment over the past decade have fortunately begun to make it a less deadly disease if caught early.

Melanoma is most often diagnosed by dermatologic exam and skin biopsy, but you can play a part in the early detection of melanoma by doing skin self-exams, and particularly noting any spots that meet the ABCDE guidelines:

  • A is for Asymmetry: One half of a mole or birthmark does not match the other.
  • B is for Border: The edges are irregular, ragged, notched, or blurred.
  • C is for Color: The color is not the same all over and may include different shades of brown or black, or sometimes with patches of pink, red, white, or blue.
  • D is for Diameter: The spot is larger than 6 millimeters across (about ¼ inch – the size of a pencil eraser), although melanomas can sometimes be smaller than this.
  • E is for Evolving: The mole is changing in size, shape, or color.

While superficial spreading melanoma is the most commonly diagnosed type, there are numerous types of melanoma. Controlling ultraviolet exposure, including ceasing the use of tanning beds, is one action that can help to prevent melanoma from developing. However, childhood sun exposure remains an important risk factor in the development of the disease.

Acral lentiginous melanoma is most frequently diagnosed in patients with darker skin and those of Asian descent, and is most frequently found on the palms of the hands, soles of the feet, and under nails. It is not caused by sun exposure. The misconception that people of color cannot develop melanoma has led to delayed diagnosis of melanoma, which leads to poor outcomes for patients. Check out the Himmelfarb Library’s Diversity in Dermatology collection to explore dermatology resources which include representations of the full range of human skin tones.

Here at GW, two SMHS student dermatology interest groups are marking May with a couple of events focused on skin health. Learn2Derm will host an event on Saturday, May 13 from 2-5 p.m. at the Pennsylvania Avenue Baptist Church which will bring skin health topics, resources, and services to community members with limited access to dermatology. Students from GW, Howard University and Georgetown University will take part in this event.  This event will also feature a visit from the Skin Cancer Foundation's Destination Healthy Skin RV, which travels around the country providing free skin checks. Email learn2derm@gmail.com to volunteer to help out at this event!

Skin Health Fair event flyer. Details in text above.
Learn2Derm Skin Health Fair, 5/13/2023, 2-5 p.m., Pennsylvania Avenue Baptist Church

The Dermatology Interest group will support a nonprofit, IMPACT Melanoma, with a doubles tennis tournament at GW’s Mount Vernon campus on Saturday, May 20 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. This event, held  in conjunction with students from Georgetown University and Howard University, will raise funds for IMPACT Melanoma’s mission to bring education, sunscreen dispensers, and sun shelters to underserved communities.

Tennis tournament event announcement. Details in text above.
Serve Your Skin tennis tournament, 5/20/2023, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m., Vern Tennis Center at GW

Whether it's playing tennis for a cause, raising awareness about how to keep skin healthy, or just picking up the phone to make an appointment with a dermatologist, there are plenty of things you can do this month to take care of yourself and your community. When it comes to skin health, what's on the outside counts just as much as what's on the inside.

References:

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Himmelfarb’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee (DEI Committee) is pleased to announce the release of the new Antiracism in Healthcare research guide! This guide is one of many ways Himmelfarb Library is showing its commitment to cultivating an inclusive and welcoming environment within the library. The guide features healthcare organizations, journal collections, virtual tutorials and more to help you learn about antiracism and racial biases in healthcare. Some of the resources listed include:

Please note that some of the resources, such as ebooks and journal collections, may require GW credentials to access. 

The DEI Committee envisions this guide growing over time and we are interested in community feedback and being transparent about the selection process. To show our commitment to community building and transparency, the resource selection criteria is featured on the guide’s homepage and the Committee will evaluate suggested resources based on the five listed categories and evaluation questions. Students, staff and faculty members are invited to submit resources they believe will make an excellent addition to the guide. If there is a book, documentary, podcast show/episode, online training, healthcare organization or other valuable resource that you believe should be included, please fill out the ‘Resource Suggestion Google Form’.

Additionally, if you are a member of a GWU organization and would like for your organization to be featured on the research guide or if you’re interested in partnering with the DEI Committee, please contact the current committee chair, Rachel Brill, at rgbrill@gwu.edu!

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Trans and gender diverse people often report encountering many barriers to care when seeking health care services. According to researchers, some of these barriers include trans and gender diverse people being uninsured/underinsured, patients having to teach their providers about transgender health, experiencing transphobic discrimination during healthcare visits, and a general lack of healthcare providers knowledgeable about transgender health (Safer et al., 2016; Warner & Mehta, 2021). Citing the 2015 United States Transgender Survey, Warner & Mehta write that “Among the conclusions provided, 33% of respondents seen by a healthcare provider within the year prior to completing the survey reported having at least one negative experience related to their gender identity” (Warner & Mehta, 2021, pg. 3359).

Providing a safe and nonjudgmental healthcare environment is necessary when interacting with any patient. Many trans and gender diverse people report that many of the solutions are relatively simple and will improve the quality of care for everyone. In an effort to continue the discussion on supporting the trans community, particularly in healthcare settings, this article will serve as a follow-up post to our recent article International Transgender Day of Visibility, and provides tips on how to interact with trans and gender diverse patients.

Tips:

  • Use a patient’s personal name and pronouns: A simple way to make trans and gender diverse patients comfortable is by using their personal name and pronouns. If you are unsure of how to refer to your patients, ask what their pronouns are and how they would like to be referred to. You can also offer your name and pronouns first and offer them the opportunity to share their information. In an article in Healthline, KB Brookins also suggests providers evaluate their intake forms and include information fields such as “Legal name for insurance, chosen name/nickname, sex assigned at birth (if necessary), sex listed on insurance, pronouns, gender identity, sexual orientation (if necessary)” (Brookins, 2022). Consider leaving open fields for people to write in their responses instead of checking off a set number of boxes. Using a person’s correct pronouns and name will build trust between patients and providers and this will encourage patients to return for future appointments. 
  • Do not ask personal questions not related to care: Trans and gender diverse people are subjected to frequent and invasive questioning about their bodies or any medical procedures they may have experienced. This form of questioning is deeply personal and can make trans and gender diverse people uncomfortable. Vermeir, Jackson & Marshall write “Many trans people encounter HCPs [healthcare providers] who ask inappropriate questions regarding their trans identity or bodies, or questions that are irrelevant to their care” (Vermeir, Jackson & Marshall, 2018, pg. 16). To avoid these uncomfortable situations, Vermeir et al. suggests that providers maintain professional boundaries and ask questions that are directly related to the reasons behind a patient’s current visit. “Participants recommended that HCPs remember that a patient’s purpose is not to satisfy one’s interest, and that even if a question is relevant to one’s care, it must be asked with sensitivity and appropriateness” (Vermeir, Jackson & Marshall, 2018, pg. 16). 
  • Learn more about the community from multiple perspectives: Understanding the transgender community allows providers to better understand their patients’ needs and provide a high standard of care. It may seem easy to ask your patients about the history and current state of the transgender community, but some trans and gender diverse people report that they feel burdened when placed in this position. There are organizations, novels, memoirs, historical accounts, and other resources that may serve as appropriate sources of information. Resources will be listed in the ‘Reference’ section. Here is a brief selection of titles:

These tips are just a starting point for treating transgender and gender diverse patients with respect and dignity. Vermeir, Jackson & Marshall also suggest that educational organizations broaden the scope of their curriculums to include transgender health and healthcare. The authors say “...we believe that there is also a need for education organizations and regulatory bodies to incorporate this topic into their curriculums and continuing education opportunities to promote HCPs’ cultural competence including an acknowledgment of the power differentials between HCPs and trans patients” (Vermeir, Jackson & Marshall, 2018, pg. 15). Ultimately, healthcare providers must listen to transgender and gender diverse patients and unlearn any biases they may have about the transgender community. By incorporating these and other tips into your practice, you will build trust with your trans and gender diverse patients making it easier to meet their healthcare needs.

References:

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The Transgender pride flag done in chalk on a gravel background
Photo credit: Photo by Katie Rainbow 🏳️‍🌈

LGBTQ+ news outlets and civil rights organizations are reporting that across the country local, state and federal legislatures are continuing to introduce legislation that targets the transgender community. The Human Rights Campaign’s (HRC) President Kelley Robinson noted in an a recent interview that the organization is “currently tracking over 400 bills against our community” (Riedel, 2023, para. 9) and the HRC released a new report which found that “more than one-fifth of trans youth live in states that have passed bans on gender-affirming care for minors” (Factora, 2023, para. 1). For many transgender individuals, supportive family members, and friends and allies, the onslaught of anti-trans bills and legislation feels stifling and overwhelming. To honor this year’s International Transgender Day of Visibility, this article will offer resources and tools to help transgender people and allies in the fight for safe and affirming healthcare. 

Most legislation seeks to limit children’s and teen’s access to gender-affirming services, though some journalists note that certain states are now moving to limit trans adults’ access to care. Independent journalist and activist Erin Reed “is particularly concerned about a new type of gender-affirming care ban that includes trans adults….These new bills would, in effect, force trans adults to detransition by restricting the gender affirming care they may already have been accessing.” (Haug, 2023, para. 5)  

Them, an online LGBTQ+ news outlet, reported that “Bills targeting the rights of trans youth at school and in health care are also gaining ground…These include school-based bills, which often target trans students’ privacy around using their correct pronouns and names at school, as well as bills targeting pronoun use more generally” (Haug, 2023, para. 12). 

On a federal level, H.R.5 which was introduced in the House of Representatives earlier this year, would “require elementary and middle schools that receive federal funding to obtain parent consent before “changing a minor child’s gender markers, pronouns, or preferred name on any school form; or allowing a child to change the child’s sex-based accommodations, including locker rooms or bathroom” (Mizelle & Wilson, 2023, para. 4). While this bill passed in the House of Representatives, it is not expected to be voted on in the Senate. 

Some states are moving to secure or expand the healthcare rights of transgender people. In Maryland, the legislature passed the Maryland Medical Assistance Program–Gender-Affirming Treatment also known as the Trans Health Equity Act and this is expected to be signed into law by Governor Wes Moore. This bill will go into effect on January 1, 2024, and many activists see the bill as one of the most positive pieces of legislation to date. The Trans Health Equity Act “would require Maryland Medicaid, beginning Jan. 1, 2024, to provide coverage for additional gender-affirming treatments…The expanded treatments include hormone therapy, hair alteration, voice therapy, physical alterations to the body, and fertility preservation” (Gaines & Sears, 2023, para. 9). Maryland’s bill could serve as a template for other states that seek to provide healthcare services to trans individuals. 

While many anti-trans bills fail to become laws, their existence impacts the mental health of transgender people. The Trevor Project, an LGBTQ+ youth advocacy organization, reported in January that “state-level anti-trans laws negatively affected the mental health of 86% of trans and nonbinary youth between ages 13 and 24” (Factora, 2023, para. 6). Researchers found that trans and gender-diverse youth who receive gender-affirming care experience “lower rates of adverse mental health outcomes, build [their] self-esteem, and improve [the] overall quality of [their] life…” (Department of Health and Human Services, n.d., pg. 1; Green et al. 2022). It is important to support the transgender community and work alongside activists and organizers as they seek to expand trans people’s access to gender-affirming healthcare. 

With any civil rights issue, it is vital to listen to activists, organizations and the people most impacted. Journalists and trans rights organizations are actively tracking new and upcoming bills that target their community and they often provide new, verified updates as soon as they’re made available. Organizations and individuals who are actively working to inform the public include:

  • Erin Reed is an activist, journalist, and content creator who shares updates on anti-LGBTQ+ legislation in the United States and around the world. She seeks to “achieve gender justice for queer and marginalized people through education and understanding” (Reed, n.d., para. 1). Her content is available via Twitter, TikTok, Instagram, and her Substack newsletter. Her website also features an informed consent HRT (hormone replacement therapy) map and an anti-trans legislative risk map. Both of these resources are updated frequently. 
  • The Trans Formation Project is a grassroots organization “dedicated to tracking and educating about the anti-trans legislative crisis currently sweeping the United States” (Trans Formation Project, 2023, para. 1). The organization’s website features resources that educate people on the current landscape of legislation that impacts the lives of trans people. The organization tracks local, state and federal legislation and also has a ‘Legislator Scorecard’ for people interested in learning about their representatives’ stances on trans rights and the trans community. 
  • The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) is another organization that seeks to support the LGBTQ+ community and strives to build an inclusive environment within the United States and around the world. The organization also actively tracks current legislation. The HRC provides resources to educate people on LGBTQ+ issues and the community. Their ‘Myths and Facts: Battling Disinformation About Transgender Rights’ and ‘Transgender and Non-Binary People FAQ’ are examples of some of the resources that affirm the lived experiences of trans and gender-diverse individuals. 

Himmelfarb Library’s collection contains resources that discuss trans healthcare. Some of the titles include:

Our Diversity and Disparities in Health Care collection features over a hundred items and is an invaluable resource for users who wish to learn more about trans healthcare and how to interact with their trans and gender-diverse patients. 

The amount of new discriminatory legislation and harmful rhetoric surrounding the trans and gender-diverse community is overwhelming. If you are mentally or emotionally impacted by the continuation of anti-trans sentiments and laws, please seek mental health services, if possible. SMHS’s Mental Health Resources page can connect you with mental health resources that may be beneficial. GW’s Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) provides mental health counseling to GW students and the community.  

On this year’s International Transgender Day of Visibility, we recognize that the fight to protect and affirm transgender and gender-diverse people is still ongoing. In February 2023, Gabrielle Union-Wade and her husband Dwyane Wade gave an emotional and inspiring speech that called on people to continue to fight for trans rights. We would like to share their speech in an effort to remind people of the importance of this work:

References:

Published on
Photograph of the Washington Monument and blooming cherry blossom trees.
Photo by Bryant's Juarez

Washington D.C. has been home to many influential and powerful women. Whether they were born in the city or moved to the capital during the course of their lives, many women who helped shape the country lived in and formed communities in D.C. The stories of the following three women provide a glimpse into the ways in which women contributed to the well-being of the city and the broader country! 

Charlotte Dupuy:

Born on the Eastern Shore of Maryland to Rachel and George Stanley, Charlotte Dupuy (nee Stanley) was an enslaved woman who petitioned the U.S. Circuit Court of the District of Columbia for her freedom. When Charlotte was a child, she, her mother and two siblings were enslaved to Daniel Parker of Dorchester County, Maryland. While Charlotte’s father was able to eventually secure freedom for his wife and two children, for unknown reasons, Charlotte was still enslaved to the Parker household. At the age of nine, Charlotte was then sold to James Condon, a local tradesman. While working for this new household, Charlotte maintained contact with her own family, but several years later, Condon moved his family from Maryland to Lexington, Kentucky, separating Charlotte from her relatives. 

While living in Lexington, Charlotte eventually met and married Aaron Dupuy, an enslaved man who worked at Ashland, the estate for Whig politician Henry Clay. After Charlotte and Aaron’s marriage, Henry Clay purchased Charlotte and she worked as a domestic servant for the Clay estate. Clay was a politician, serving in the House of Representatives in 1810 before becoming the Speaker of the House in 1817 or 1818. Clay moved his household, including Charlotte, Aaron Dupuy and their two children, to Washington D.C. When Henry Clay was appointed to the Secretary of State for the Adams administration, he once again moved his family, this time settling in the house across from the White House, now known as the Decatur House. While living in Washington D.C., Charlotte Dupuy was able to frequently visit her extended family and when Henry Clay sought to return to Kentucky years later, Charlotte resisted. A local lawyer filed a petition on Charlotte’s behalf as she attempted to seek her freedom through legal action. Charlotte Dupuy was one of many enslaved people who petitioned the courts and attempted to use legal precedents to gain their freedom. In Charlotte’s case, she argued that because her grandmother and mother were both free women, this entitled Charlotte to her freedom as well.

Photograph of the exterior of the Decatur House in Washington D.C.
The Decatur House located at the corner of H Street NW and Jackson Place. Photo Credit: National Park Service

Unfortunately, the Circuit Court ruled against Charlotte and while she resisted returning to Henry Clay’s estate, she eventually was transported to New Orleans where she worked for Clay’s daughter. Charlotte Dupuy and her daughter gained their freedom in 1840 and while records are sparse, it seems likely that she continued to live in Kentucky to remain close to her husband and other children. Charlotte Dupuy’s story is a reminder of the ways in which enslaved people actively resisted their enslavement and her story is still told to modern day visitors of the Decatur House. 

Eliza Scidmore:

Photograph portrait of Eliza Scidmore.
Photograph of Eliza Scidmore. Photo Credit: National Park Service

This week the cherry blossom trees located on the Tidal Basin and around D.C. are predicted to hit peak bloom. There are countless people to thank for bringing cherry blossoms to Washington D.C. and one figure who was most influential in the beautification process was Eliza Scidmore! 

Born in Iowa in 1856, Eliza Scidmore was an explorer, writer and editor who traveled through the Alaska Inside Passage and published the first Alaska travel guide which sparked tourism in the state. Scidmore also was a member of the National Geographic Society and sat on their Board of Managers. While she is remembered for her travel writing, one of her most lasting impacts is felt every spring when the cherry blossoms bloom.

During a visit to Japan, Scidmore was deeply impressed with the Japanese cherry trees and their flowers. When she returned to the United States, she immediately began to work to bring the trees to the States in an effort to beautify the Capital. Her efforts were initially rebuffed by the Superintendent of Public Buildings and Grounds. But this did not stop Scidmore. She eventually met and partnered with Department of Agriculture Plant Explorer David Fairchild who was actively engaged in his own work with the cherry blossoms. Scidmore also wrote a letter to First Lady Helen Taft who was also keen to improve the city. Scidmore’s original idea was to raise money to purchase a hundred trees each year for several years. But a Japanese chemist, Dr. Jokich Takamine, heard about Scidmore’s letter to First Lady Taft and this spiraled into multiple political and influential leaders working together to bring cherry blossom trees to the United States. 

The Japanese government first donated a shipment of about 2,000 trees but unfortunately the trees were diseased and contained bugs that American scientists feared would be harmful to native plants. The first shipment of trees were burned as a result. The Japanese government then sent another shipment of 3,020 trees and once they were approved by scientists, the trees were planted around the Tidal Basin and throughout the city. Today, less than one hundred of these original trees are still on display. But the annual blooming of the cherry blossoms serves as a reminder of Eliza Scidmore’s dedication to beautifying Washington D.C. 

Mary Ann Shadd Cary:

Black and white photograph of Mary Ann Shadd Cary.
Photograph of Mary Ann Shadd Cary. Photo via National Park Service and courtesy of National Archives of Canada

Mary Ann Shadd Cary was a major figure in the women’s suffrage movement and spent years fighting for the expansion of voting rights. 

Mary Ann Shadd Cary was born in 1823 in Delaware to a family who actively participated in the Underground Railroad and assisted people who sought to claim their freedom. After the passage of the Fugitive Slave Act in 1850, Mary Ann Shadd Cary and her family moved to Ontario, Canada. While living abroad, Cary opened her own schoolhouse where she taught both white and black children. She eventually married Thomas J. Cary and together they had two children.

When the American Civil War began in 1861, Cary returned to the United States and assisted the war effort by recruiting soldiers to join the Union Army. When the war ended, she moved to Washington D.C. and enrolled in Howard University’s first law school cohort. She was politically active at this time; she wrote articles for the African-American newspaper, The New National Era and encouraged Black Americans to work together to recover after the end of slavery. 

Mary Ann Shadd Cary was passionate about voting rights. During the congressional committee meetings about the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Constitutional Amendments, Cary spoke before the House Judiciary Committee and encouraged congressional leaders to ratify the amendments. She was critical of the fact that the Fifteenth’s Amendment didn’t also extend voting rights to women, but she argued that voting rights should be granted to African-American men. Cary was a member of the National Woman Suffrage Association and continued to fight for the right for women to vote, hoping to one day see voting rights be given to women. 

She lived in a brick row home located on W Street Northwest. The home is now a historic landmark, though it is not currently open to the public. A plaque outside the home shares a more detailed history about Mary Ann Shadd Cary and her efforts to uplift people within her community. 

The Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum:

Charlotte Dupuy, Eliza Scidmore and Mary Ann Shadd Cary are just a few of the many women who lived in and left their mark on Washington D.C. Landmark plagues and historical sites share stories of other women such as suffragist Lucy Burns, entrepreneur Cathy Hughes, educator Mary McLeod Bethune and more. In a few years, Washington D.C. will also be home to the Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum! 

“With a digital-first mission and focus, the Smithsonian amplifies a diversity of women’s voices in a new museum and through the Smithsonian’s museums, research centers, cultural heritage affiliates, and anywhere people are online.” (About, n.d., para. 2) . 

While the physical building is not projected to open until the 2030s or later, visitors can explore their digital exhibits, collections and collection items such as ‘In Her Words: Women’s Duty and Service in World War I’, ‘Women of Public Health’ and ‘American Women Athletes’. The Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum will be an essential resource for people interested in learning more about American Women’s History and the contributions women made to the United States.

There is a long history of women investing time and energy into improving Washington D.C. and the United States as a whole. If there is a local figure you’d like to highlight during Women’s History Month, we’d love to read about it in the comments! 

References:

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