Teaching about sexual minorities: an Iowa experience

Abstract

Despite greater social acceptance of sexual minorities and growing national support for equal medical care, disparities in healthcare access persist. Medical school curricula allot limited time to sexuality education and students' perceptions. Combining the topics of sexual response and sexual minority healthcare may perpetuate the misconception that lesbianism and transgender identity are deviations from normal sexual functioning. We comment on teaching about sexual minority healthcare at our medical school and argue for a review of medical educator preparation and existing curricula.