The February 8th issue of the Canadian Medical Association includes an article by Cathy Risdon, Deborah Cook and Dennis Williams on the experience of gay and lesbian physicians in training. These aspiring physicians reported challenges in the safety of learning environments and considerable professional and personal risk. Training programs were "at best indifferent and at worst hostile". The need was identified for professional education that would be proactive in supporting diversity. This, of course, raises a disturbing, revealing question: if LGBT medical students are facing homophobic-based peer & sexual harassment, how are the perpetrators of this harassment – i.e. med students & teaching physicians -- treating LGBT patients who are far more vulnerable?
Reference: "Gay and lesbian physicians in training: a qualitative study", CMAJ, Feb 8, 2000: 162(3), 331 - 334.