Introducing Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) and Gender Identity Issues in a Medical Humanities Module

Abstract

Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) are ways of referring to someone's sexual orientation/preferences; gaining a better understanding as to how best serve the needs of the LGBT community are becoming increasingly important in medical education. While nations (especially developing ones) are making efforts to become more pluralistic societies that uphold and honor the rights of all their citizenry, members of the LGBT community continue to face hostility and violence. These factors cause many members of the LGBT community to be wary about identifying their sexual orientation. Curricular interventions to address LGBT issues are becoming increasingly common. The LGBT community faces a number of challenges and disparities in accessing healthcare. The authors facilitate a medical humanities (MH) module at the Xavier University School of Medicine, Aruba.. Small group, activity-based learning strategies are widely used during the module. Literature, case scenarios, paintings and role-plays are used to explore different aspects of MH. In this manuscript role-plays serve as vehicles to introduce LGBT issues to medical students during the module. The process of debriefing the role-play including students' comments are briefly discussed. One scenario deals with a young girl forced to become a worker in the sex trade, another contends with a night club owner who is diagnosed as HIV positive, a third situation portrays a young woman with a same gender life partner suffering from terminal cancer, the fourth situation explores the difficulties a female student faces when she reveals a sexual attraction for a same sex classmate. The role-plays serve to introduce students to an initial understanding of some of the issues faced by members of the LGBT community and an opportunity to put themselves in the position of a LGBT individual.