The lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) community is a diverse and vulnerable population that, aware or not, diabetes care and education specialists encounter on a regular basis. According to Smith and Gates’s analysis of the 2000 United States Census Data, gay and lesbian families live in 99.3 percent of all counties in the United States, which is likely an undercount. In Northern California, where LGBTQ visibility is better than in many places in our nation, it’s astounding to hear some colleagues comment that they only have heterosexual patients. You can’t “tell” who belongs to this group just by appearance.

The LGBTQ population continues to suffer worse health outcomes when compared to their heterosexual counterparts, even though progress has been made with civil and nondiscrimination protections. The discrepancy is magnified significantly in communities of color.