Why should I talk to my doctor about my sexual orientation?

For you to get the best care and advice, you and your doctor should be able to talk openly. For example, if your doctor does not know about your life partner, your doctor cannot consult your loved one in a medical emergency. If your doctor does not know your sexual practices, you may not get the tests that you need. For some diseases, it is important to treat or vaccinate people who have close contact with you. The more your doctor knows about you, your family, and your community, the better care your doctor can give.

What types of things should I tell my doctor?

You should tell your doctor:

• What words you want your doctor and others to use to describe your sexual orientation and your partner

• Who you live with

• Who you depend on or who depends on you for housing, shelter, insurance, and medical care

• Who you want to make health care decisions for you if you can’t make them yourself

• What your legal relationship is with your partner, children, father of your children, or sperm donor

• If you have a power of attorney for health care or an advance directive

• What would happen to you and your loved ones if you separated from your partner, lost your job, moved, had serious medical problems, became disabled, retired, or died

• If you have sex (oral, anal, or vaginal) with men, women, or both

• How many sexual partners you have had

• If you need birth control

• If you need information on protecting yourself from sexually transmitted diseases

• If you’re having problems because of your sexual orientation (such as job discrimination, family problems, or feeling bad)

• If you have experienced domestic violence or a hate crime

• If you have an addiction

Where can I get more information?

For health information:

• Bisexual Resource Center

  Web site:http://www.biresource.org

• LesbianSTD

  Web site:http://www.depts.washington.edu/wswstd/index.htm

• Gay and Lesbian Medical Association

  Telephone: 1-415-255-4547

  Web site:http://www.GLMA.org

• University of California, San Francisco,

  Lesbian Health Research Center

  Telephone: 1-415-502-5209

  Web site:http://www.lesbianhealthinfo.org

• Association of Gay and Lesbian Psychiatrists

  Telephone: 1-215-222-2800

  Web site:http://www.aglp.org

• Mautner Project, the National Lesbian Health Organization

  Telephone: 1-866-MAUTNER (1-866-628-8637)

  Web site:http://www.mautnerproject.org

• American Association of Tissue Banks

  Telephone: 1-703-827-9582

  Web site:http://www.aatb.org

For legal information:

• National Center for Lesbian Rights

  Telephone: 1-415-392-6257

  Web site:http://www.nclrights.org

• American Civil Liberties Union Lesbian and Gay Rights Project

  Telephone: 1-212-549-2627

  Web site:http://www.aclu.org/lgbt/index.html

• Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund, Inc.

  Telephone: 1-212-809-8585

  Web site:http://www.lambdalegal.org