LGBTQ+ Health -

In 1952, homosexuality was classified as a sociopathic personality disorder. It was declassified as a mental illness in 1973, but discrimination was still rampant. The first known HIV case was in 1959 in what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and was called the Belgian Congo. Even the earliest names for the set of conditions were discriminatory—the prevalent name prior to 1982 was Gay-Related Immune Deficiency (GRID), and it was not until 1982 that the CDC formally adopted the acronym AIDS, for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. By this time, around 300,000 HIV infections had already been recorded and over 10,000 individuals had died of AIDS.

We heartily thank our Guest Editors, Christopher Moore and Dr. Anna Filip for curating this issue and bringing to light the many healthcare focus areas and resources for this community.

Table of Contents

3 | In This Issue: LGBTQ+ Health
Omar A. Khan, M.D., M.H.S. & Katherine Smith, M.D., M.P.H.

4 | Guest Editors: Honoring Voices, Advancing Equity
Christopher Moore & Anna Filip, M.D.

5 | Highlights from The Nation’s Health

6 | Equity in Public Health
Lieutenant Governor Kyle Evans Gay

7 | Letter to the Editor

8 | Is Our Post-Skrmetti World Like a Post-Dobbs World? Lessons from the Fight for Reproductive Rights
Mike Brickner, M.A.

14 | Prevention is Resistance: Upholding LGBTQIA+ Health Equity in the Era of Retrenchment
Suzan Abdallah, M.B.B.S., M.P.H.

16 | The Impact of Current and Proposed Funding Cuts on the LGBTQ+ Communities in Delaware, with a Focus on Sussex County
Sharon A. Morgan, M.S.N., R.N.

22 | Provider Perspectives on LGBTQ+ Youth Homelessness in Delaware
Rebecca McColl, M.A.; Erin Nescott, M.S.; Erik K. Layland, Ph.D.; Tibor Toth, Ph.D.; Sequoia Rent; Mary L. Mitsdarffer, Ph.D., M.P.H.

26 | Mental Health and Substance Use Disparities by Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Among Delaware Youth
Eric K. Layland, Ph.D.; August X. Wei, B.S.; Natalie M. Maurer, B.S.; Rochelle Brittingham, Ph.D.; Ronet Bachman, Ph.D.

36 | The Policy and Public Health Implications of Protecting Gender-Affirming Care for Delaware Youth
Stephen Raskauskas, M.A.

40 | Serious Illness and End of Life in LGBTQIA+ Older Adults
Sarah Matthews, M.D.

42 | If You Seek SOGI: Current State and Practical Implementation Considerations for Health Care Organization Seeking to Collect Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI) Data Domains
Alex Waad, M.A., N.B.C.-H.W.C. & Tylisha Johnson, M.S.M.

46 | Talking About S-E-X in Healthcare Settings: Let’s Get Clinical
Catherine Dukes, Ph.D., L.C.S.W.

50 | Improvement in Quality of Life in Transmasculine Individuals After Chest Masculinization Surgery
Brett E. Herb, D.S.W., M.S.W., L.C.S.W.

58 | Fogarty International – Global Health Matters

74 | The Role of Dissociation in Surviving Severe, Systemic Bullying: A Reflective Narrative for EMDR Therapists (and Trauma-Responsive Clinicians Serving LGBTQ+ Folx)
Reverend Karla Fleshman, L.C.S.W., M.Div.

80 | Poem: “Who was Nex? Who is Nex.T?”
Reverand Karla Fleshman, L.C.S.W., M.Div.

82 | Legislation as Trauma: The Mental Health Toll of Anti-LGBTQ Policy on Clients in HIV Care
Elise Mora, L.C.S.W.

88 | It Never Stopped: The Continued Violation of Forced, Coerced, and Involuntary Sterilization
Julissa Coriano, L.C.S.W., M.Ed. & Noah J. Duckett, L.C.S.W.

94 | Building Comprehensive Gender Affirming Care Programs: Recommendations Based on Planned Parenthood of Delaware’s Model of Care
April Lyons-Alls, R.N., M.S.N., M.P.A.; Zowie Barnes, M.D.; Noah Duckett, L.C.S.W.; Emily Nardone, P.A.-C.; Nena Rapposelli, M.A.