June 2022

As an official publication of the Society of General Internal Medicine, SGIM Forum takes pride in amplifying and, as necessary, repeating the various ways that certain policy changes go against SGIM’s core values and vision of a just system of care in which all people can achieve optimal health. This includes policies that interfere with the patient-physician relationship or penalize evidence-based care, which includes policies that threaten the well-being of gender-diverse and sex and gender minority populations.

In this SGIM Forum theme issue on “LGBTQIA+, Sex, and Gender Minority Health, we take pride in offering multiple viewpoints and tools from authors on: Providing a list of concrete actions to foster inclusivity, combat stigma, and advocate for reforms on behalf of LGBTQIA+ patients; Describing the work of SGIM’s LGBTQ Health Interest Group;
recounting lessons learned from coordinating a timely and impactful response to harmful legislation; Sharing insights from an academic career spent advocating for sexual and gender minorities; Outlining practical guidance for how to integrate gender-affirming care into a primary care setting; Discussing processes for recruitment and retention of sexual and gender minority medical students and trainees; and Offering personal reflections on a system that too often reinforces stigma and causes pain, and on attending to the spiritual needs of persons seeking gender affirming care.

We hope these pages will inspire you to raise your voices and focus your unique expertise to ensure that sensitive, individualized, and life-affirming health care is available to all.