LGBT health care

The best way to be an ally and a support to anyone often starts with questions like "How can I support you?" or "What do you want and need from me in this?" Then you listen to the answers and respond accordingly.

Just as it is wrong to make better health care available only to those who can afford it, so too, it is wrong to make coverage contingent on a life that looks like the Brady Bunch. Good health care should not depend on wealth or hetero-patriarchy.

The lesbian community faces unique challenges when accessing health care, from widespread provider misconception about STI risks for women who partner with women to doctors who tailor their medical advice to stereotypes they have of lesbians' lives and needs.

Follow Pamela Merritt on Twitter, @SharkFu