Very little is known about the prevalence of provider discrimination against minoritized sexual and gender (SGM) populations, or people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, non-binary, and/or queer (LGBTQ+). Few data sources directly measure unfair treatment from health care providers at the population level, and even fewer studies have examined experiences of provider discrimination based on sexual orientation and/or gender identity.
Existing research has shown that SGM populations face substantial inequities in health care access and health outcomes. Quantifying direct reports of provider discrimination among SGM communities is critical for advancing public health.
SHADAC Senior Research Associate Natalie Schwehr Mac Arthur and co-authors wanted to better understand provider discrimination based on sexual orientation and/or gender identity here in Minnesota – their analysis of 2021 and 2023 data from the Minnesota Health Access Survey (MNHA) indicates an alarmingly high prevalence of provider discrimination among SGM populations. They found that over half of transgender and non-binary adults and approximately a third of sexually minoritized adults reported provider discrimination, and these results were consistent in multivariate analysis.
Recently published by the Journal of General Internal Medicine, the full research letter, titled, “Provider Discrimination by Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity,” can be found here. This manuscript was authored by Natalie Schwehr Mac Arthur, Kathleen Panas, Courtney Sarkin, and Gilbert Gonzales.
Learn more about the MNHA and SHADAC’s work with MNHA survey data here.