I applaud the recent news out of D.C.; their City Council unanimously approved a bill requiring that all continuing education programs for licensed health care professionals include LGBT-related “cultural competency” training.
Before we rush to train health care providers, I recommend we slow down and ask the big questions. What do we mean by LGBT cultural competence? (We are not all employing a clear or identical definition.) What are our training goals and how can we know if we achieved them? (A huge roar of applause is not an evaluation method.) What, (if anything) is it reasonable to expect to achieve in a two-hour training? Is “learning about LGBT people” going to make any difference in the multiple health disparities in our community?
