Planned Parenthood

When the people in your life gather together for a video chat, you have an opportunity to get the conversation going about the issues you’re passionate about.

In fact, talking to your own family is an essential step for social change. (Yes, YOUR family.)

Is LGBTQ+ health care policy important to you? Do you feel safe talking about it with your friends and family? Then follow these 7 tips on fostering a genuine discussion and sparking real insights. 

Tip #1: Discuss why you care about LGBTQ+ rights.

• Every person — no matter their gender identity, sex, or sexual orientation — deserves equal access to health care. But lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, nonbinary, and queer communities, as well as people with other sexual and gender expressions (LGBTQ+), face systematic harassment and discrimination in the U.S. health care system. 
• Nearly 1 out of 10 LGBQ patients and 3 in 10 transgender patients say a health care provider has refused to see them because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.
• A whopping 70% of transgender, gender nonconforming and nonbinary people say they’ve faced serious discrimination in the health care system.

ASK: What would you do if your health care provider was rude to you, belittled your concerns, or refused to see you? And what if it wasn’t so easy to find another provider?

Tip #2: Dive deeper into the barriers LGBTQ+ people face in accessing health care — and the consequences.

• LGBTQ+ people also face higher rates of unemployment and poverty, which are linked to low rates of health care coverage.
• Both discrimination and lack of insurance coverage get in the way of LGBTQ+ people’s access to health care services. 
• Those structural barriers are linked to worse health outcomes for LGBTQ+ people.

Tip #3: Fire up some facts about LGBTQ+ health care policy.

• The Affordable Care Act (ACA) expanded health coverage for LGBTQ+ people. 
• Before the ACA went into effect in 2013, 34% of LGBTQ+ people who earn less than $45,000/year were uninsured. 
• That uninsured rate has since dropped by half and is now 16%.

Tip #4: Emphasize why we need to protect LGBTQ+ people’s access to health care.

• Efforts to chip away at LGBTQ+ people’s rights could cause many LGBTQ+ people to lose access to health care — including people who have low incomes; live with chronic illness; or have pre-existing conditions.
• Transgender, gender nonconforming, and nonbinary people face particular consequences to losing health care access.
• Like everyone, LGBTQ+ people are living in the pandemic. That makes health care access even more important. 

Tip #5: Explain the continuing challenges in the courts.

• Former President Trump seated over 220 judges on our nation’s federal courts, including three Supreme Court justices. 
• Many of these powerful judges have ruled against or expressed hostility to LGBTQ+ rights.

ASK: Can you imagine how scary it is for people who already face discrimination in different areas of their lives to see judges with these records fill lifetime positions on the courts?

Tip #6: Discuss changes you’d like to see in the U.S. government. Those changes may include supporting the government in ending the Title X gag rule:

• The gag rule censors the information health providers can share with patients who rely on Title X, the only federal program dedicated to free and reduced-cost preventive sexual and reproductive health care. 
• This gag rule forced Planned Parenthood out of the Title X program.
• Ending the Title X gag rule would allow LGBTQ+ patients to once again obtain affordable care through Title X at Planned Parenthood health centers, which are safe and welcoming to LGBTQ+ patients. 

Tip #7: Express gratitude for everyone in the conversation.

Thank your friends and family members for engaging with you in what can be a challenging conversation. And remember — it’s not just one talk. Strong allyship and real learning requires having conversations not just once, but over and over again.