This issue of the Journal focuses on Health in Delaware’s LGBTQ+ Community.
Throughout history, marginalized communities that are not part of the dominant culture have faced difficulties and challenges. There have been religious, legal, and political forces at work to keep such communities of people on the margins of society through systemic discrimination. The communities of people represented in this issue of the Delaware Journal of Public Health are no different in this regard. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender / gender non-conforming, queer and others are not well represented in our heteronormative and cisgender normative culture and face daily challenges and barriers to achieving optimal health.
These barriers and challenges cause significant health risks for the LGBTQ+ population as seen in national health data (higher suicide rates and lower cancer and preventive health screening rates). Despite this systemic discrimination, the remarkable resiliency of the LGBTQ+ community enables them to thrive in the face of an oftentimes unfriendly welcome in society, and in the institutions that form the foundation of our lives as a larger community. There are many organizations and individuals working to reverse this discrimination and these poor health statistics, and this issue of the DJPH demonstrates the exceptional work many are doing across the state to reverse these trends and support our LGBTQ+ community.
Article 1. In this Issue: LGBTQ+
Omar A. Khan, MD, MHS and Timothy E. Gibbs, MPH
Article 2. Guest Editors
Timothy Rodden, MDiv, MA, FACHE and Anna Filip, MD
Article 3. The Value of Identity: Providing Culturally-Responsive Care for LGBTQ+ Patients Through Inclusive Language and Practice
Christopher Moore, BA, LSSGB and Catherine Dukes, PhD, MSW
Article 4. Delaware Hospitals and the Healthcare Equality Index Since 2011: How do they rate?
Timothy Rodden, MDiv, MA, FACHE and Tari Hanneman, MPA
Article 5. Caring for Our Community: Telehealth Interventions as a Promising Practice for Addressing Population Health Disparities of LGBTQ+ Communities in Health Care Settings
Alex Waad, MA
Article 6. Keep Trans Youth Alive: Considerations for Suicide Prevention of Gender Expansive Youth
Elise Mora, LCSW, ICGC
Article 7. Improved Data Collection for Our LGBTQ Population is Needed to Improve Health Care and Reduce Health Disparities
Karyl T. Rattay, MD, MS
Article 8. A Mother’s Story
Sally McBride
Article 9. Building Resilience, Reducing Risk: Four Pillars to Creating Safer, More Supportive Schools for LGBTQ+ Youth
Rev. Karla Fleshman, LCSW, MDiv
Article 10. Part of the Solution to Address Sexual and Gender Minority Health and Health Care Disparities: Inclusive Professional Education
Karla Bell, PT, DPT
Article 11. Why Count and Measure?
Justin Glasgow, MD
Article 12. The Religious Landscape for LGBTQ+ Persons
Rev. Douglas D. Gerdts, DMin