Q. As a homosexual male, what if I want to see a doctor but feel they judged me last time?
A. People become doctors to help ensure patients stay healthy as well as diagnose and treat disease when it occurs. Doctors are people, and as people, they are not always perfect. Sometimes they may have beliefs that do not align with your own and despite taking an oath to help patients, may have unconscious biases that can be detected by the word choice used to convey information or the body language they express. The most important element for you is to find a doctor who can take care of you for who you are. Do not let one bad experience, or two, or three, stop you from taking care of yourself and finding a doctor who can listen to you, prevent undesired diseases from happening, and sometimes treat those bad things when they occur. Sometimes, doctors be a soundboard to talk to about concerns about your health and provide information about physical, emotional, mental, and sexual health personalized to you. Any medical questions or concerns you have, it is guaranteed there are doctors who will listen.
For further information on finding a doctor, consider the Ybor Youth Clinic, USF Pediatrics (up to age 22 with plans to increase to age 25), or USF Internal Medicine-Pediatrics (any age):, or USF Internal Medicine. For USF appointments, call 813-821-8700.