By Len Meyer
Over the last year, the same question has come up over and over: “why is a health center for the LGBTQ community necessary?” The assumption is that every person is already able to get the care they need. If you are one of the many people in the LGBTQ community, you know that simply isn’t true. Many people with traditional gender presentation experience anxiety going to a healthcare provider. For individuals with nontraditional gender presentation, that anxiety is amplified. For some people, just the prospect of filling out paperwork is enough to keep them from seeking the care they need and deserve. Filling out intake paperwork can be especially complicated for transgender individuals. People are more than a checked box, and it can be hard to determine how to best answer questions. Male or female? That isn’t a simple question to a person who is maybe at the beginning of transitioning. Should they use their birth name, legal name, or their common name? A patient may not have visited the DMV to change their identification since they began transitioning and changed their name. Providing a safe space for everyone to access care without judgment, regardless of their gender identity/status or sexual orientation, is the goal of the Planned Parenthood and Central Illinois Pride Health Center partnership.
The partnership started in the early months of the center. In the process of getting the word out, I was approached by Planned Parenthood. Planned Parenthood had heard about the center and wanted to find ways to help us achieve our goal of helping the LGBTQ community. Planned Parenthood started off by offering HRT (Hormone Replacement Therapy) in Central Illinois for transgender individuals. Central Illinois Pride Health Center will provide mental and social support to patients of Planned Parenthood. Thus a partnership was born to further serve the LGBTQ community.
The Central Illinois Pride Health Center and Planned Parenthood’s doors are open to everyone, regardless of gender identity, gender expression, and sexual orientation. Planned Parenthood has been providing comprehensive reproductive healthcare for almost 100 years and is already a place where individuals feel safe and supported. Helping people to feel safe speaking honestly and candidly with their provider is critical in ensuring they get the right care. “Coming out” to a healthcare provider is more than just telling them about sexual orientation or identity — it means being honest about sexual behaviors and activity. Honest and open communication allows the provider to focus on health concerns unique to the patient and avoid unnecessary questions or discussions.
We believe that all people deserve high-quality, affordable health care and accurate, nonjudgmental sexual health information, no matter who they are or where they live. Further, we know that when people care about their health, the health of their families and the health of our community all improve.
For more information, you may visit the Central Illinois Pride Health Center online at www.cipridehealthcenter.org or find them on Facebook. If you would like to help further their mission, donations of time or money are most welcome — or just spread the word!
Len Meyer is the Founder and Executive Director of the Central Illinois Pride Health Center and Brenda Wolfe is the Director of Clinical and Educational Initiatives for Planned Parenthood of Illinois.