Coming Out Gay To Your Doctor

Why You Should Come Out Gay To Your Doctor

Regardless of the comfort level one has in coming out to their doctor, there are specific gay health concerns that need to be focused upon such as, HPV and anal cancer, hepatitis, syphilis, not to mention HIV. Being open with your doctor regarding your lifestyle is an opportunity to open one's own life and makes it easier to assist the doctor in providing a plan to stay healthy. Doctors have a legal and ethical obligation to observe patient confidentiality, so there should be no reason not to be frank with the relevant information.

What If Your Doctor Is Not Gay-Friendly

The purpose in coming out to one's doctor is to provide you with the opportunity to get the best healthcare possible. You should understand that there are some medical professionals who are not gay-friendly. This can cause certain undue stress to the patient. For example, there was a case where an individual came down with a cold and went to their doctor with the expectation of a routine exam. The doctor asked if the person was a homosexual and when the person said "yes", the doctor immediately directed the patient to the nearest HIV clinic. A second opinion confirmed it was nothing but a common cold, but the panic caused was totally unnecessary. This situation is not only unfortunate, but it is also completely unprofessional.

This type of incident does not happen as a general rule. Doctors should be educated enough to know that HIV does not go hand-in-hand with homosexuality. By coming out gay to your doctor early on, you can establish the level of comfort the doctor has with the gay population before the doctor is needed for some kind of emergency.

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