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.
National LGBT Cancer Network
The goal of the National LGBT 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 is also unique in that it hosts its own health initiatives. For example, it’s home to the Tobacco-Related Cancer Project, which is funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. According to the network, 1 in 6 heterosexual adults smoke cigarettes, compared with 1 out of 5 in the LGBTQ+ population. For transgender people, the number may be greater than 1 in 3.
To reduce these numbers, the Tobacco-Related Cancer Project works with partners, such as state and local health departments, to spread the word to LGBTQ+ people about the dangers of smoking. It also makes sure this population is included in grant programs designed to help people stop smoking.
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 offers one of the largest searchable provider databases in the nation.
“In order to be listed in the directory, providers create their own profiles and … must affirm their commitment to equality for LGBTQ+ patients,” says Alex Sheldon, GLMA’s executive director, who adds that many of the providers in the directory are also GLMA members.
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 and also offers a searchable database of resources that can connect you with everything from financial help to housing during treatment.
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.
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