"I'm forever grateful to the queer community and allies around me whose visibility gave me the courage to live more authentically."
Pride 2022 marks my 10th anniversary of coming out. In June 2012, I shared with my family, friends, and community at UC Berkeley that I was gay. I'll never forget the feeling of holding my partner's hand in public for the first time, unafraid to be recognized and seen for who I am.
Although it wasn't a walk in the park, my coming out path was lined with love and support, in stark contrast to most queer youth. Nearly a third of LGBTQ+ college students experience bullying, harassment, or assault in school. And devastatingly, 39% of LGBTQ+ youth seriously considered attempting suicide in the past year alone, including nearly half of transgender and nonbinary youth. I'm forever grateful to the queer community and allies around me whose visibility gave me the courage to live more authentically.
A step into the healthcare community – A step back into the closet
A year after coming out, I co-founded Eko, a digital health company that developed the first smart stethoscope, which is now used by hundreds of thousands of healthcare professionals.
As the founder focused on sales and marketing I flew the progressive Berkeley coop, visiting hospitals and healthcare professionals across the country. I quickly developed a deep sense of respect for the lifesaving work of healthcare organizations, but I also noticed the lack of LGBTQ+ visibility that has been well documented in healthcare.
There are countless healthcare professionals and hospitals that are part of and lift up the LGBTQ+ community. But discrimination against LGBTQ+ people is shockingly common. In fact, according to the American Heart Association, more than half (56%) of LGBTQ+ adults report experiencing some form of discrimination from a healthcare professional. It's clear that a large population of healthcare professionals aren't prepared to treat, let alone work with, LGBTQ+ people.
LGBTQ+ patients often delay seeking important medical care for fear of receiving substandard treatment. And LGBTQ+ professionals in healthcare – from physicians to entrepreneurs – fear being open and speaking out on behalf of the LGBTQ+ community while at work.
"By hiding my sexual orientation, I found myself stepping partially back into a closet I had so proudly escaped."
Reading these statistics, it might be easier to understand why for my first few years in healthcare, my defense mechanism was to make my sexual orientation invisible, avoiding the risk that being out may put me or my budding company at a disadvantage. When engaging with people outside of my team, particularly in certain regions, I avoided mannerisms that could be perceived as "gay" and often referred to my boyfriend as "my friend."
By hiding my sexual orientation, I found myself stepping partially back into a closet I had so proudly escaped. My personal and professional paths collided in ways that I didn't fully expect.
A tipping point for LGBTQ+ visibility in healthcare
While there is still so much work to do to make healthcare a safer and more inclusive place for the LGBTQ+ community, I do feel the tides beginning to shift. And now more than a decade after starting Eko, I'm proud to share that I'm committed to being more visible within the healthcare community.
In the last few years, I've added a pride flag to my professional social handles. I refer to my partner openly in any setting. And I've started to find and help bring together a community of LGBTQ+ doctors, entrepreneurs, nurses, and administrators in healthcare.
And I’m not alone. I’m inspired daily by others who boldly work to change the paradigm of LGBTQ+ in healthcare:
- I'm inspired by the rapid rise of #LGBTQinMedicine and #gaymedtwitter; virtual town squares for LGBTQ+ professionals in healthcare to meet and come together.
- I'm inspired by HHS Assistant Secretary Admiral Rachel L. Levine, the first openly transgender federal official to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate.
- I'm inspired by Dr. Jon, who started a TikTok with over 700,000 followers to show LGBTQ+ youth that they can be openly queer in healthcare.
- I'm inspired that 906 healthcare facilities now participate in the Human Rights Campaign Foundation's Healthcare Equality Index.
This community has inspired me to, in the words of Harvey Milk, "come out, stand up, and let the world know" that I am gay. And I work in healthcare.
"Only by raising our visibility will we help LGBTQ+ patients understand they have allies in and out of the clinic."
For those who can do so safely, Pride Month is a great time to commit to being more visible. Only by raising our visibility will we move the needle on health equity for the LGBTQ+ community. And only by raising our visibility will we help LGBTQ+ patients understand they have allies in and out of the clinic.
And please, if I can be helpful in any way, don't hesitate to reach out.