Sydney,
Australia — The Australian Medical Association
(AMA) <http://www.ama.com.au/>
issued a position statement on Thursday at the Amnesty
International Global Human Rights Conference, saying
that prejudice can affect the health of gays and
lesbians.
"There is still
unacceptable injustice, prejudice, inequalities under
the law, and serious health consequences as a result
of homophobia," Federal AMA president Dr. Kerryn
Phelps <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kerryn_Phelps>
said at the conference.
Phelps pointed out that
because homosexuals experience discrimination, they are
less likely than heterosexuals to seek healthcare. For
example, she noted that lesbians are less likely to
undergo cervical and breast cancer screening than their
heterosexual counterparts, and are less likely to be
tested for sexually transmissible diseases
Some lesbians may use
sperm donors who have not been screened for disease
because they may be denied access to in vitro
fertilization programs, Phelps added.
Doctors also need to be
aware of specific health issues affecting transsexuals,
she said.
"Male-to-female
transsexuals who do not have their prostate removed
after sex reassignment surgery are still at risk of
prostate cancer," she noted. "Female-to-male
transsexuals can still be at risk of breast cancer in
spite of breast reduction surgery, as well as risk of
ovarian cancer if ovaries are not removed."
The major issues center
around a reluctance to disclose sexual behaviors or
sexual relationships, Phelps told Reuters
Health.
"Gay men and
lesbians are less likely to undertake health screening
of a variety of different sorts, particularly leading
to a higher incidence of cancer and heart disease,"
she said. "There is also a higher incidence of mental
health problems such as anxiety and depression, which
is not caused by homosexuality but caused by
homophobia."
Phelps stated at the
conference that "mental health problems are statistically
over-represented in the gay and lesbian population
throughout life because of exposure to discriminatory
behavior." She suggested that gay and lesbian youth are
often denied "rites of passage" experienced by
heterosexual youth, including moments such as going to
the prom and having their first kiss.
She cited a 1996
Australian study that showed that over half of gay male
youths had attempted suicide. "Because of homophobia,
people are suffering. Young people are dying. There can
be no excuses for delays in achieving justice and human
rights for all people. Lives depend on it," said
Phelps.
"There was very
wide consultation in reaching this position
statement," Phelps told Reuters Health. "I
believe that it's a very important document, and it's
one which the AMA will be disseminating widely to
community groups and medical colleges and
universities."
MTRA
Comment This AMA position statement contains
basic errors of fact regarding transgender and
transsexual people.
Studies
show for female-to-male men, there is no reason to remove
the ovaries on account of potential cancer, nor is it
practiced as a matter of course. For male-to-female
women, the prostate is never removed as a matter of
course nor is it required for GRS nor when correcting
legal-sex.
Studies
on this population show no greater increased risk of
cancer than could usually be expected for the general
population.
