Navigating the healthcare system as a sexual or gender minority can be challenging under the best of circumstances. When you’re also facing a life-changing diagnosis, such as cancer, it becomes even more difficult.
That’s why it’s important to find support while you’re on this journey. These organizations can help you locate screenings, tests, and cancer doctors, as well as people who will hold your hand through treatment if you need it. Here are five to consider.
The Cancer Network
The goal of the LGBTQIA+ Cancer Network is to educate the community about their unique cancer risks and how to access critical screenings that can lead to early detection. The network also trains providers to be sensitive to the needs of the LGBTQ+ population while advocating for cancer survivors in all spaces, says deputy director Chelbye McIntyre.
The network offers peer support groups and sponsors research partnerships that allow LGBTQ+ people to find clinical trials or participate in scientific studies. The network also hosts its own health initiatives, such as Out Proud Free, a program aimed at addressing the harms of commercial tobacco products through archiving and advocacy.
More recently, in response to the federal termination of LGBTQ+ health research and data tracking, the organization conducted Out: The Community Survey, to document how political determinants of health are impacting the lives of LGBTQ+ people across the country.
Malecare
Run by oncologists, psychologists, and social workers, Malecare stresses peer-to-peer support for gay and bisexual men diagnosed with prostate cancer, with a special focus on underserved populations, such as Black American men.
Although it has its roots in LGBTQ+ cancer care, Malecare offers a wealth of information on how prostate cancer can affect any man, and it sponsors support groups for tens of thousands of people of all sexual orientations and at all cancer stages. Participants can choose from groups dedicated to gay men with prostate cancer, early stage prostate cancer, late-stage prostate cancer, erectile dysfunction, and even caregivers and partners of people with cancer.
Malecare’s focus is on prostate cancer, but it also provides resources for other types of cancer that can strike men, such as breast cancer, which affects about 2,800 men each year in the United States, according to the American Cancer Society.
GLMA: Health Professionals Advancing LGBTQ+ Equality
Need a doctor or other healthcare provider who is well versed in the needs of the LGBTQ+ population? Look no further than GLMA, an organization committed to advancing health equality for LGBTQ+ people, including those with cancer. The organization also operates the LGBTQ+ Healthcare Directory, which is one of the largest searchable provider databases of LGBTQ+ friendly providers in the nation.
“To be included in the LGBTQ+ Healthcare Directory, providers must affirm their commitment to delivering equitable, welcoming care for LGBTQ+ patients,” says Alex Sheldon, GLMA’s executive director. “Many of the clinicians listed are also GLMA members who engage with our broader education and advocacy work.”
Among GLMA’s numerous organizational partnerships is its collaboration with the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, a volunteer panel of experts in disease prevention and evidence-based medicine. According to Sheldon, GLMA provides a sexual and gender minority perspective to the task force, which, in the past, has included providing LGBTQ+ oncologists’ advice for cancer screening recommendations.
American Cancer Society
The American Cancer Society, a long-established nationwide nonprofit, offers a wide variety of resources for LGBTQ+ people and their families. The organization’s website features an array of educational materials on the particular cancer risks faced by this population.
The American Cancer Society’s Cancer Action Network, which advocates for people with cancer at all levels of government, has an LGBTQIA+ and Allies Engagement Group. This group draws people looking to create policies that reduce health disparities in the LGBTQ+ community. Allies attend Pride events around the nation to network, partner with other groups, and circulate petitions for changes that benefit LGBTQ+ people with cancer.
CancerCare
CancerCare is a national organization that offers support services for LGBTQ+ people affected by cancer. The organization offers free support groups led by oncology social workers and a variety of downloadable publications about coping with cancer as a member of the LGBTQ+ community.
The organization hosts podcasts addressing aspects of cancer care that can affect diverse populations, including healthcare disparities within the LGBTQ+ community and how to participate in care and treatment decisions with your care team.
