CHENNAI: But why are you gay?” “Maybe it’s a phase!” “I can help you get out of this gender problem”. These are common responses by medical care professionals, when approached by a non-cisgender individual. Seated in a cafe in Chennai, a handful of people gathered recently to discuss specific end-of-life and everyday medical needs of persons who fall in the LGBTQIA spectrum.
While general medical needs may get addressed with the existing system, specialised needs are not only ignored but misunderstood, claim members from the LGBTQIA community. “Particularly those in need of palliative care or end-of-life treatment are in a predicatment as nature of care and gender identity are strongly intertwined,” explained Sneha Rooh, a palliative physician and the founder of Orikalankini, a campaign that aims to break the stigma around menstruation and sexuality.
“A lot of people from the community are estranged from their families and live alone. They face further social isolation in palliative care. The stigma around sexuality has made them more vulnerable towards mental illness.”
“Doctors have very little understanding of our physical and mental health. We are often in a position where we have to explain that our identity is not a farce before we even seek help,” said Abijeet*, a bisexual man, adding that opening up about health becomes tough .
“In most cases doctors, even counsellors, let their religious view impact the nature of the treatment,” said Ram Rao, a bi-gender individual. Transgenders on hormone therapy are often treated without testing for drug interactions. Homosexuals are misdiagnosed with clinical psychiatric problems and bisexuals are misunderstood even by those within the community. These are some of the other common problems faced by LGBTQIA individuals.
“There is a common ignorance among doctors about the health needs of members of the community,” said Sneha Rooh adding that study of their health is limited to chromosomal anomalies in medical textbooks. “There is a desperate need to create inclusive medical spaces where both doctors and patients are understand the health needs of the LGBTQIA community. I have met only three people from the community in the last five years of working as a palliative physician. I’ve had to give home care for one of them as she was uncomfortable about the way other patients treated her.”