American Medical Student Association

Gender and Sexuality

Recognizing that discrimination based on gender and sexuality stems from common roots in sexism and heterosexism, the Gender and Sexuality committee is dedicated to assuring equal access to medical care and equality within medical education. We work to establish AMSA as a leader on issues affecting the health of women, intersex and the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) communities and support initiatives to improve policy at the institutional, local, state, and federal levels. We advocate for patients through curricular improvement, increased physician education, research and health-related resources. We support physicians-in-training by providing a safe and supportive environment, leadership development opportunities, and advocating for their rights.

AMSA’s Policies on Gender and Sexuality - Read about:

• Gender Identity
• the FDA's Prohibition on Men Who Have Sex With Men From Donating Blood Products
• Intersex Health
• Physicians and the Armed Forces
• Representation of Women in Medicine
• Reproductive Rights, Family Planning and Sex Education
• Sexuality
• Violence and Hate Crimes

News & Information

• LGBT Health Awareness Week
  March 28-April 3, 2010
  Learn how to get involved.

• The Stupak-Pitts amendment now in the House health care reform bill threatens to erode women’s reproductive rights (find out how your Representative voted). 
  Use our sample script and Action Alert tool to call your Senator and Representative.
  Find out more information about the bill.

• What are medical schools teaching about LGBT Health? The last statistics are from years ago and to update them, we need your help!
  The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, & Transgender (LGBT) Medical Education Research Group at Stanford University School of Medicine strives to improve the health and well-being of LGBT patients and healthcare providers by conducting groundbreaking research to affect change in today's medical curricula. More information. Complete the survey.

• My Right Self is a documentary photography series with trans (transgender, transsexual, gender-variant) individuals and couples from Philadelphia. It was created by Arthur Robinson Williams, a medical student at the University of Pennsylvania. The work is meant to help viewers understand the experiences of transfolks and foster interest in learning more about taking care of trans and LGBT patients. It was displayed with trans health educational materials at AMSA 2009 National Conference.

• AMSA's LGBT Medical School and Residency Program Directory
  Find out what other students and trainees have to say about programs, or provide your own feedback.

• Learn about current state & national LGBT policies

• Check out our LGBT International News Blog
  

• AMSA and IFMSA
  AMSA just joined medical students across the world in the International Federation of Medical Students' Associations! LGBT and Women's Issues are represented in the IFMSA through the Standing Committee on Reproductive Health Including AIDS (SCORA).

• Fourth Years - Want to do an elective in LGBT Health?

• Trans Bodies, Trans Selves (to be published Fall 2011) is a resource guide for the transgender population, covering health, legal issues, cultural and social questions, history, theory and more. It is a place for transgender and gender-questioning people, their partners and families, students, professors, guidance counselors and others to look for up-to-date information on transgender life. The book's editor is AMSA's 2009-2010 Director of Student Programming, Laura Erickson-Schroth. Anonymous quotes from transgender and gender-variant people, gathered from an online survey, will be included in the book. AMSA members are encouraged to participate in this survey and share it with friends.

Things You Can Do At Your School

Local Projects in a Box – Do it Yourself!

• Projects in a Box: LGBT & Women's Health
• LGBT National Inclusion Campaign
• Womens' Health Activism By-the-Day Calendar
  To read more about this calendar, click here.
• Project in a Box: Sex-Based Biology and Sex in Clinical Research

Get Funding or FREE STUFF for your events

• Take the Rainbow Pin Challenge and earn FREE pins and white coat cards for your chapter
• Download FREE LGBT White Coat Cards for students at your school.

Get involved politically!

• Check out AMSA’s Legislative Action Center
• Find out more about LGBT Institutional Policy Index
• Join the Policy Letter Writing Campaign
• Marriage Equality Campaign

Improve the Curriculum at your school!

• Project in a Box: Sex-Based Biology and Sex in Clinical Research
• Learn how AMSA's Medical Education team supports curriculum reform
• Other ways to change the curriculum at your school

Come to an Institute!

• Women’s Empowerment Institute
  February 27-28, 2010, Washington, DC
• AMSA/GLMA LGBT Leadership Institute
  April 9-11, 2010, San Francisco, CA
• Sexual Health Scholars Program
  Early October - Early March

Awards

• Nominate your outstanding student group for the LGBT Health Achievement Award
• “Raising our Voices – Women Leaders in Medicine” Award
  Nominate your Woman Leader in Medicine