“Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals have unique health experiences and needs, but as a nation, we do not know exactly what these experiences and needs are (Institute of Medicine [IOM], 2011, p. 4).”
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning individuals—often referred to under the umbrella acronym LGBTQ—are becoming more visible and acknowledged I many societies. Yet, healthcare providers and researchers are still faced with incomplete information about their health status. The LGBTQ community is often combined as a single group in research studies and for advocacy, but each is a distinct population with its own unique health needs. Increasingly, the “questioning” individual is included in this group and the acronym “LGBTQ” is increasingly being used (IOM, 2011).
For many individuals, the acronym LGBTQ describes a community of individuals who, in some way, are attracted to members of the same sex. However, the “T” in LGBTQ refers to a person’s sense of gender (“gender identity”) and not whom they are sexually attracted to (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration [SAMHSA], 2012). Others use the acronym TGNC, which stands for transgender and gender nonconforming people, to describe individuals who have a gender identity that does not align with the sex they were assigned at birth (American Psychological Association, 2015).
LGBTQ individuals encompass all races and ethnicities, religions, and socioeconomic groups across the globe. Because sexual orientation and gender identity questions are not asked on most national or state surveys in the United States, it is difficult to estimate the number of LGBTQ individuals and their health needs (Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion [ODPHP], 2017). However, the LGBTQ population most likely represents a relatively small proportion of the U.S. and global populations. This makes it labor intensive and costly to recruit a large enough sample in general population surveys for meaningful studies. Some estimates suggest that approximately 0.6% of the U. S. population (about 3 out of every 500 people) identify as transgender while approximately 3.5% of the population identify as gay, lesbian, or bisexual (National LGBT Health Education Center, 2016).