LGBTQIA+ friendly programs for psychiatry?

[nevadabear123]

Hello everyone,

I am getting ready to apply to psychiatry residencies. What are some LGBTQIA+ friendly residencies and locations? I want to ideally work with the LGBTQIA+ community. I know SF, LA, Philadelphia, and NYC are some of the big ones but I wanted to make sure I don't spread myself too thin by applying to the most competitive state. Thanks!

Nevadabear123

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[splik]

There are LGBTQIA+ folks everywhere. There is really a lot more need for psychiatrists who are competent with working with sexual minority and gender variant populations outside of SF/LA/NYC etc. You would actually be able to potentially do a lot more in terms of creating and leading much needed services in places out of those areas where there are no specific programs or where many providers do not feel comfortable working with such patients. There is definitely need to train mental health professionals to provide care to LGBTQIA+ patients, and it isn't in the places you mentioned. Nevertheless I think you will find that given how gay psychiatry is there are a large number of programs where you would be welcome. whether that is in a location you would want to live in is a separate question. there are only a few programs I am aware of where they provide "christian" oriented care and try to pray the gay away etc.

 

[Crayola227]

I think you forgot a few letters.

"An alternative, more comprehensive (though not exhaustive) acronym is LGBTQQIP2SAA: lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning, queer, intersex, pansexual, two-spirit (2S), androgynous, and asexual. Occasionally, we'll see a third a for ally, and sometimes it's preceded by an s for straight ally.Feb 20, 2014"

One thing that is also missing from this acronym is an extra A or SA for "ally" or "straight ally," especially since that is my own orientation. I was upset by your exclusion of myself and the other orientations listed above.

Possibly your "+" was meant to cover these other orientations, however I find if one goes to the trouble to mention LGBTQIA+ they may as well list pansexual, two spirit, and the third A for ally. I think to not do so and use a plus sign might suggest that these other letters are not as important.

 

[OldPsychDoc]

I believe you would find many kindred spirits and allies in the two Minneapolis-based programs as well.

 

[Attending1985]

I think you forgot a few letters.

"An alternative, more comprehensive (though not exhaustive) acronym is LGBTQQIP2SAA: lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning, queer, intersex, pansexual, two-spirit (2S), androgynous, and asexual. Occasionally, we'll see a third a for ally, and sometimes it's preceded by an s for straight ally.Feb 20, 2014"

One thing that is also missing from this acronym is an extra A or SA for "ally" or "straight ally," especially since that is my own orientation. I was upset by your exclusion of myself and the other orientations listed above.

Possibly your "+" was meant to cover these other orientations, however I find if one goes to the trouble to mention LGBTQIA+ they may as well list pansexual, two spirit, and the third A for ally. I think to not do so and use a plus sign might suggest that these other letters are not as important.

I had to look a couple of these up. Very educational.

 

[birchswing]

I find intersex to be interesting because it's one of those classes that is very objectively observable from a biological basis, either visually or genetically or through hormonal testing (AIS, for example), but the medical community has "tidied it up" to make invisible to the public, such that through invasive, largely medically unnecessary, and often psychologically damaging surgeries along with bizarre experimentations done by a few selects psychologists, doctors have attempted to fit intersex people into a male or female construct. We seem insistent on the concept of opposite sexes, and yet it seems like it's less spoken about than gender or sexual orientation--which is kind of odd when it's the most empirically evident variation. You don't have to take someone's word for it, in other words. And yet it remains unrecognized by most governments (you can't identify with the government as intersex) and largely unspoken of. Perhaps because the changes are imposed by adults on children at such a young age and are engineered onto them, whereas gender and sexuality are traits we can't really take from or impose on children entirely in early years and they have more of an open future to identify with their own understanding of themselves.

 

[Drrrrrr. Celty]

I believe you would find many kindred spirits and allies in the two Minneapolis-based programs as well.

But is the cold LGBTQ friendly? That's the more serious question...

.... Seriously, considered Minneapolis. But I'm shying away because I think I'll turn into ice haha...

 

[nevadabear123]

There are LGBTQIA+ folks everywhere. There is really a lot more need for psychiatrists who are competent with working with sexual minority and gender variant populations outside of SF/LA/NYC etc. You would actually be able to potentially do a lot more in terms of creating and leading much needed services in places out of those areas where there are no specific programs or where many providers do not feel comfortable working with such patients. There is definitely need to train mental health professionals to provide care to LGBTQIA+ patients, and it isn't in the places you mentioned. Nevertheless I think you will find that given how gay psychiatry is there are a large number of programs where you would be welcome. whether that is in a location you would want to live in is a separate question. there are only a few programs I am aware of where they provide "christian" oriented care and try to pray the gay away etc.

Hi Splik,
Thank you for your reply. I just wanted to make sure that I am not going into a program where I am discriminated against or be in a place where I might get attacked on the streets for being queer. That is a big issue for me. What are your thoughts on this?

 

[nevadabear123]

I believe you would find many kindred spirits and allies in the two Minneapolis-based programs as well.

Thank you for offering great advice! Do you have any other programs in mind?

 

[Taddy Mason]

But is the cold LGBTQ friendly? That's the more serious question...

.... Seriously, considered Minneapolis. But I'm shying away because I think I'll turn into ice haha...

Minneapolis is an awesome city, probably one of the most LGBTQ friendly/open places in the country, and both psych programs there are solid. There’s a lot to do year round both indoors and outdoors. The cold is honestly overhyped and you don’t have to deal with ridiculous windchills.

 

[OldPsychDoc]

Minneapolis is an awesome city, probably one of the most LGBTQ friendly/open places in the country, and both psych programs there are solid. There’s a lot to do year round both indoors and outdoors. The cold is honestly overhyped and you don’t have to deal with ridiculous windchills.

We should add UW-Madison and U Michigan-Ann Arbor to the list of friendly locations as well.

 

[st2205]

there are only a few programs I am aware of where they provide "christian" oriented care and try to pray the gay away etc.

Where might that be?

 

[SeniorWrangler]

It depends if you want to go someplace which is known for its care of sexual minorities or not.
Also, most university towns are very gay friendly but some are islands of liberalism in a Red State sea, like Ann Arbor, MI and Austin, TX.

 

[WisNeuro]

It depends if you want to go someplace which is known for its care of sexual minorities or not.
Also, most university towns are very gay friendly but some are islands of liberalism in a Red State sea, like Ann Arbor, MI and Austin, TX.

Michigan is not all that red, really. It's a purple state, more red in recent years, but we'll see what happens now that some of the metros are turning around and slowing the drain of young educated people out of the state.

 

[Evidence Based]

Hi Splik,
Thank you for your reply. I just wanted to make sure that I am not going into a program where I am discriminated against or be in a place where I might get attacked on the streets for being queer. That is a big issue for me. What are your thoughts on this?

I think there are a ton of places that meet this criteria. I'm sure you've thought of Boston but that easily makes your list. Lots of smaller cities in more liberal states or locales (Portland Maine, Burlington VT, Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill NC, Providence RI, Albuquerque or Santa Fe NM, Ann Arbor, Minneapolis and Madison as mentioned), big cities in more conservative states (Austin as mentioned, probably Houston and Dallas too, Atlanta GA, Miami FL, New Orleans).

I think the tl;dr answer to your question is most medium to large cities almost anywhere in the country, and small to medium cities in more liberal areas. Which should leave most programs in the country open to you. This is something you can absolutely ask on interview days as well!

 

[Amygdarya]

I second that these days psychiatry in general is *very* LGBT+ friendly and that you should make your choice based on where you’re comfortable living (which is addressed above).

While I agree with splik that psychiatrists (and really all kinds of health care providers) that specialize in working with LGBT+ population are desperately needed in more conservative areas, which is something to consider in planning your future career, I think that it makes sense to get enough exposure to the population you’re interested in and to see good examples of work with that population while you’re in residency. In this respect, check out residency’s web sites; some of them list LGBT clinics etc as one of their “specialties”.
Off the top of my head, programs offering some sort of special clinics/electives/particularly strong exposure to LGBT+ population include UCSF, MTSinai (main and Beth Israel) in NYC, CHA and BIDMC in Boston. I’m sure there are others as well; these are just based on my own application experience. You can also check out if the training hospital has LGBT specific programs/clinics in other specialties (LGBT primary care, gender affirmation surgery, transgender endocrinology), which can also give you an idea of the patient population, LGBT friendliness of the training hospital in general and potential future collaborators/bases on which you can design your own elective or organize an LGBT specialized psych clinic.

 

[Wilf]

This thread seems a little out of the early 2000s. I did both residency and child fellowship in red states and both programs were very LGBT friendly. Acceptance of the LGBT community is no longer a conservative/liberal issue.

 

[Shufflin]

I totally agree. Residencies and large metropolitan cities for that matter are friendly. Over the past few years, the beatings and shootings are not done by American conservatives last I checked.

On an individual level, so many folks are secretly, or not so secretly, a mix of liberal on some issues, conservative on others. The damn media tries to polarize us to get viewership and ratings. Tired of it.

 

[Psychotic]

OP, send me a PM for a good program...

 

[chasingcognition]

I think you forgot to add Seattle and Chicago on your post?
Speaking of other parts of CA, UC Davis is a liberal campus.
Also check SUNY-Brooklyn if you're applying all-around. It's in the heart of Brooklyn and Queens. It is my guess there might be something there.

 

[clausewitz2]

One of the residents in the year above me atUPMC literally co-authored a textbook on LGBT healthcare. While it is not formally part of our system there is also a mental health agency in town specifically devoted to the needs of the LGBTQ population.

So what I'm saying is I think we count.

 

[dassie]

Hello everyone,

I am getting ready to apply to psychiatry residencies. What are some LGBTQIA+ friendly residencies and locations? I want to ideally work with the LGBTQIA+ community. I know SF, LA, Philadelphia, and NYC are some of the big ones but I wanted to make sure I don't spread myself too thin by applying to the most competitive state. Thanks!

Nevadabear123

Honestly, most large cities (even in the south or Midwest) will have a pretty sizable LGBT community. even for smaller places, if it’s a big academic center, there will be a number of faculty who are LGBT themselves or are allies. A lot of universities have an out-list so you could try emailing them to get a better sense of what it’s like. It might narrow your search more if you have a specific interest (like HIV/ID, global health, transgender health etc).

If you’re not specifically geographically wed id recommend checking out Atlanta, Charleston, Miami, Providence, Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill, Austin, Portland (both Oregon and Maine), Seattle, etc. Boston also has the Fenway institute and is fantastic in general.

 

[WingedOx]

Michigan is not all that red, really. It's a purple state, more red in recent years, but we'll see what happens now that some of the metros are turning around and slowing the drain of young educated people out of the state.

As a Michigan exile I wish this were more true. It seems like more of my college classmates are living in Denver than living in Metro Detroit nowadays.

 

[WisNeuro]

As a Michigan exile I wish this were more true. It seems like more of my college classmates are living in Denver than living in Metro Detroit nowadays.

Likewise. It definitely hasn't reversed, just started to slow over what it was. It seemed in the 10-20ish years ago time frame, after graduating from college, everyone moved out. Now, at least some are staying. Long way to go, but I actually think there are some reasons to be optimistic, as long as things are managed well in the next decade.