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Bodies and Barriers: Queer Activists on Health
LGBT people pervasively experience health disparities, yet many are still grappling to understand the health care challenges leaving LGBT people to experience worsened health outcomes. Bodies and Barriers informs health care professionals, students in health professions, policymakers, and fellow activists about these challenges, providing insights and a road map for action that could improve queer health. Through artfully articulated, data-informed essays by twenty-six well-known and emerging queer activists, Bodies and Barriers illuminates the ubiquitous health challenges LGBT people experience and challenges conventional wisdom about health care delivery. It probes deeply into the roots of these disparities and empowers activists with crucial information to fight for health equity through clinical, behavioral, and policy changes. The activist contributors in Bodies and Barriers look for tangible improvements, drawing lessons from the history of HIV/AIDS in America and from struggles against health care bias and discrimination.
240 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 2020
15 people are currently reading
686 people want to read
About the author
Adrian Shanker
3 books13 followersAdrian Shanker is an award-winning activist and organizer whose career has centered on advancing progress for the LGBT community. He has worked as an arts fundraiser, labor organizer, marketing manager, and served as President of Equality Pennsylvania for three years before founding Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center in Allentown, PA, where he serves as executive director. An accomplished organizer, Adrian has led numerous successful campaigns to advance LGBT progress through municipal nondiscrimination and relationship recognition laws and laws to protect LGBT youth from conversion therapy. A specialist in LGBT health policy, he has developed leading-edge health promotion campaigns to advance health equity through behavioral, clinical, and policy changes.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
January 8, 2022
Bodies and Barriers is a much needed (and accessible) collection of short essays on the various health issues and barriers faced by members of the LGBTQ+ community.
The book is structured along the lines of a regular human lifespan and split into sections reflective of this: youth, young adult, middle-aged adult, and older adult. In this way, the contributors tackle issues that start with finding affirming medical care for transgender youth. They then tackle issues such as reproductive health for all pregnant bodies, healthcare for long-term survivors of HIV/AIDS, and issues around housing, mental health, and grief for individuals of all ages. Each essay is told from a straightforward, public-health informed voice that is both easy to read and relate to.
But Bodies and Barriers is a truly a mixed bag. Some of the essays - particularly the ones on housing, grief, and the ways in which the tobacco industry targeted the LGBT community are unique and non-judgmental. But others focus on issues from perspectives that are troubling: taking the paternalistic position that cigarette smoking should be banned in all queer spaces and policing language use rather than encouraging the ways in which gendered-language can be taken up and celebrated. Despite the mixed-bag nature of this book, Bodies and Barriers really does present some interesting and novel ideas (I am a gay man and had no idea anal PAP checks existed until this book). This book is definitely worth the read or, at the very least, the reference.
The book is structured along the lines of a regular human lifespan and split into sections reflective of this: youth, young adult, middle-aged adult, and older adult. In this way, the contributors tackle issues that start with finding affirming medical care for transgender youth. They then tackle issues such as reproductive health for all pregnant bodies, healthcare for long-term survivors of HIV/AIDS, and issues around housing, mental health, and grief for individuals of all ages. Each essay is told from a straightforward, public-health informed voice that is both easy to read and relate to.
But Bodies and Barriers is a truly a mixed bag. Some of the essays - particularly the ones on housing, grief, and the ways in which the tobacco industry targeted the LGBT community are unique and non-judgmental. But others focus on issues from perspectives that are troubling: taking the paternalistic position that cigarette smoking should be banned in all queer spaces and policing language use rather than encouraging the ways in which gendered-language can be taken up and celebrated. Despite the mixed-bag nature of this book, Bodies and Barriers really does present some interesting and novel ideas (I am a gay man and had no idea anal PAP checks existed until this book). This book is definitely worth the read or, at the very least, the reference.
April 12, 2023
I’m trying to solidify my understanding of issues in health equity. This is a relatively quick and informative read that I would recommend to all of my healthcare friends, particularly those who are interested in creating more equitable care. You don’t have to be a healthcare person to benefit from reading, though! An interest in a more equitable society would be more than enough reason to pick it up.
The book is a collection of essays about issues in LGBTQ healthcare, organized by life stage from early childhood (questions of consent to procedures on intersex children) to teen years (learning to safely bind one’s chest, trans peds care) to adult (tobacco use in the LGBTQ community, gender tone-deafness in language around cancer care) to older adult (the higher likelihood that LGBTQ people will become “elder orphans”, the lack of LGBTQ-specific grief support groups).
I had only a tip-of-the-iceberg understanding of the structural issues that the LGBTQ community faces in healthcare and I feel so much better informed. My only complaint is that the essays are very short, but citations are provided in every section. I’m looking at each essay as a high-level primer and will dig into some of the cited sources to learn more.
The book is a collection of essays about issues in LGBTQ healthcare, organized by life stage from early childhood (questions of consent to procedures on intersex children) to teen years (learning to safely bind one’s chest, trans peds care) to adult (tobacco use in the LGBTQ community, gender tone-deafness in language around cancer care) to older adult (the higher likelihood that LGBTQ people will become “elder orphans”, the lack of LGBTQ-specific grief support groups).
I had only a tip-of-the-iceberg understanding of the structural issues that the LGBTQ community faces in healthcare and I feel so much better informed. My only complaint is that the essays are very short, but citations are provided in every section. I’m looking at each essay as a high-level primer and will dig into some of the cited sources to learn more.
December 28, 2020
25. A book released in 2020: Bodies and Barriers: Queer Activists on Health edited by Adrian Shanker
List Progress: 30/30
I’m finishing out the year with a 2020 release, and one I got right at the beginning, bringing the year all sorts of full-circle. I picked up a copy of the indie-published Bodies and Barriers at FOGcon, the convention I went to in early March, before the shut-downs and we all started having a lot more feelings about healthcare. But while I imagine the authors of this book would have a lot to say about Covid-19, the articles included cover a lot of broad and universal aspects of queer health and the challenges therein. It is a bracing read in a lot of ways, but a very strong and powerful one.
Collected and edited by health activist Adrian Shanker, Bodies and Barriers: Queer Activists on Health is a collection of essays detailing the various struggles and challenges LGBT people face in terms of health and the world of health care. The book is divided into sections by age: Youth, Young Adults, Middle-Aged Adults and Older Adults. This gives the sense of a longitudinal look at a queer person’s life: issues as early as surgeries performed on intersex infants to as late as discrimination within senior assisted-living communities are covered over the course of these pages. I like to think of myself as a fairly well-informed member of the LGBT community, but there were a lot of issues here I had never even considered, though they seem obvious when pointed out. While the issues of mental health and AIDS were covered, it meant a lot to see the conversation stretch out in far more directions than those two. Some of the essays were more anecdotal, some more grounded in statistics and evidence, but they all had compelling messages to convey.
I have very few criticisms of this book. While some of the essays were a little bit weaker, the standard overall was very high, with all of them feeling factual but accessible. My favorites in the collection, often the ones that let me share the most bits of trivia with my partner, are the following:
“Informed Consent for Intersex Children” by Katharine B. Dalke
“Sex and Safety in the Digital Age” by Jack Harrison-Quintana
“That Ass Tho! Anal Health for the LGBT Community” by Adrian Shanker
“Gender, Cancer, and Me” by Liz Margolis
“Challenging HIV Stigma” by Sean Strub
“Caregiving Concerns for LGBT Older Adults” by Liz Bradury
And these are just some of the many that I enjoyed. Adrian Shanker is the editor as well as the writer of one of my favorite pieces, and he has done a great job in compiling and producing this collection. While a lot of these pieces were fairly depressing, I consider reading this book to be ending the year on a high note.
Would I Recommend It: Very much so. And consider supporting PM Press to get a copy.
List Progress: 30/30
I’m finishing out the year with a 2020 release, and one I got right at the beginning, bringing the year all sorts of full-circle. I picked up a copy of the indie-published Bodies and Barriers at FOGcon, the convention I went to in early March, before the shut-downs and we all started having a lot more feelings about healthcare. But while I imagine the authors of this book would have a lot to say about Covid-19, the articles included cover a lot of broad and universal aspects of queer health and the challenges therein. It is a bracing read in a lot of ways, but a very strong and powerful one.
Collected and edited by health activist Adrian Shanker, Bodies and Barriers: Queer Activists on Health is a collection of essays detailing the various struggles and challenges LGBT people face in terms of health and the world of health care. The book is divided into sections by age: Youth, Young Adults, Middle-Aged Adults and Older Adults. This gives the sense of a longitudinal look at a queer person’s life: issues as early as surgeries performed on intersex infants to as late as discrimination within senior assisted-living communities are covered over the course of these pages. I like to think of myself as a fairly well-informed member of the LGBT community, but there were a lot of issues here I had never even considered, though they seem obvious when pointed out. While the issues of mental health and AIDS were covered, it meant a lot to see the conversation stretch out in far more directions than those two. Some of the essays were more anecdotal, some more grounded in statistics and evidence, but they all had compelling messages to convey.
I have very few criticisms of this book. While some of the essays were a little bit weaker, the standard overall was very high, with all of them feeling factual but accessible. My favorites in the collection, often the ones that let me share the most bits of trivia with my partner, are the following:
“Informed Consent for Intersex Children” by Katharine B. Dalke
“Sex and Safety in the Digital Age” by Jack Harrison-Quintana
“That Ass Tho! Anal Health for the LGBT Community” by Adrian Shanker
“Gender, Cancer, and Me” by Liz Margolis
“Challenging HIV Stigma” by Sean Strub
“Caregiving Concerns for LGBT Older Adults” by Liz Bradury
And these are just some of the many that I enjoyed. Adrian Shanker is the editor as well as the writer of one of my favorite pieces, and he has done a great job in compiling and producing this collection. While a lot of these pieces were fairly depressing, I consider reading this book to be ending the year on a high note.
Would I Recommend It: Very much so. And consider supporting PM Press to get a copy.
June 2, 2020
I honestly think everyone should read this book.
June 4, 2024
well this was a disappointing start to pride month!
while the intentions in this collection are good, it is simply too surface-level to be of much use. this is aimed at health care professionals as well as activists and health policy makers, and i find it difficult to see much value being gleaned out of these essays. so much of the advice is boilerplate. I also realized very early on that my idea of health and the essay writers' were different. a lot of essays bring up that lgbt people are more likely to be "overweight" or "obese" and just let that fact hang there without bringing anything else up. 'cause as we all know, being fat definitely is up there as one of the worst things a person could be.
there's a distinct lack of diversity when it comes to the essay writers. out of 23 essays, 7 are written by trans men and only 1 by a trans woman. the foreword is also written by a trans woman, but is not counted as an essay in the book for obvious reasons. having such a distinct lack of trans women chiming in, especially in comparison to the representation of trans men, shows that not much care was put into picking who would be writing for this collection. trans women face many unique issues, including in the healthcare space, and deserved to have more than one measly essay in a collection that includes 2 about creating non-smoking spaces.
on that note, i was surprised to see 2 essays about creating non-smoking spaces but zero about sober spaces and the place alcohol holds in the lgbt community. there is an essay written by an alcoholic, but that is mostly about his personal journey and does not delve into the way alcohol companies have used the higher rates of alcoholism in the lgbt community to their marketing advantage or how they have managed to co-opt events like pride marches. this is a shame, especially because one of the essays about smoking tackled the tobacco industry in an informative way. it seems like a real misstep not to do the same with alcohol. (I assume that the reason we got 2 non-smoking essays is because it's a pet project of the editors - he co-wrote one of the essays).
there was also an essay about suicide that spends 3 of its 4.5 pages to explain, in extreme detail, the author's suicide attempt including the multiple methods he planned to use. apparently this "trauma specialist" doesn't know the general rule that giving that level of detail is severely frowned upon as it can be extremely triggering plus basically gives an instruction manual to anyone considering their own suicide.
there were a couple essays that really focused on the marketing of different campaigns, and while I can understand that from a political and health perspective, one of these essays really just felt like a weird ad for Grindr. the author is the "vice president for social impact" at Grindr and goes into detail about different changes they've made to the app to make it safer for its users. this includes the ability to change the icon to look like something innocuous (in case someone is snooping through the users phone and tries to out them) but notes that this feature is only for paid users in many countries (they so graciously make it free in countries where "anti-LGBT violence and its discrimination is most pervasive and devastating" but i wonder how they go about making that call. just make it free for everyone!).
lastly, 11 out of the 23 essays come from people who live or have lived in Pennsylvania with the majority of their work in lgbt circles being done in PA. the editor for the collection founded a community center in PA and serves as the executive director for said center, so it really feels like he just called up a bunch of people in the area to contribute instead of reaching out to places throughout America (not to mention including voices outside of the US). the majority of the remaining 12 essays were from people on the east coast, with a couple written by Californians. there's hardly anything said about the south (where I live) and so I felt incredibly removed from so much of the advice given in this collection. it just felt very strange going every other essay reading about PA again and not feeling like a lot of examples given fit into my own experiences. there is an essay about organizing for lesbians in rural communities, but it has a real issue with transmisogyny which was upsetting to read.
all in all this was not what I wanted it to be. I should have expected that my own ideas of health and the kind of bodily autonomy I believe in would not be front-and-center of this collection, but I was surprised by just how reductive and behind-the-times a lot of it felt.
while the intentions in this collection are good, it is simply too surface-level to be of much use. this is aimed at health care professionals as well as activists and health policy makers, and i find it difficult to see much value being gleaned out of these essays. so much of the advice is boilerplate. I also realized very early on that my idea of health and the essay writers' were different. a lot of essays bring up that lgbt people are more likely to be "overweight" or "obese" and just let that fact hang there without bringing anything else up. 'cause as we all know, being fat definitely is up there as one of the worst things a person could be.
there's a distinct lack of diversity when it comes to the essay writers. out of 23 essays, 7 are written by trans men and only 1 by a trans woman. the foreword is also written by a trans woman, but is not counted as an essay in the book for obvious reasons. having such a distinct lack of trans women chiming in, especially in comparison to the representation of trans men, shows that not much care was put into picking who would be writing for this collection. trans women face many unique issues, including in the healthcare space, and deserved to have more than one measly essay in a collection that includes 2 about creating non-smoking spaces.
on that note, i was surprised to see 2 essays about creating non-smoking spaces but zero about sober spaces and the place alcohol holds in the lgbt community. there is an essay written by an alcoholic, but that is mostly about his personal journey and does not delve into the way alcohol companies have used the higher rates of alcoholism in the lgbt community to their marketing advantage or how they have managed to co-opt events like pride marches. this is a shame, especially because one of the essays about smoking tackled the tobacco industry in an informative way. it seems like a real misstep not to do the same with alcohol. (I assume that the reason we got 2 non-smoking essays is because it's a pet project of the editors - he co-wrote one of the essays).
there was also an essay about suicide that spends 3 of its 4.5 pages to explain, in extreme detail, the author's suicide attempt including the multiple methods he planned to use. apparently this "trauma specialist" doesn't know the general rule that giving that level of detail is severely frowned upon as it can be extremely triggering plus basically gives an instruction manual to anyone considering their own suicide.
there were a couple essays that really focused on the marketing of different campaigns, and while I can understand that from a political and health perspective, one of these essays really just felt like a weird ad for Grindr. the author is the "vice president for social impact" at Grindr and goes into detail about different changes they've made to the app to make it safer for its users. this includes the ability to change the icon to look like something innocuous (in case someone is snooping through the users phone and tries to out them) but notes that this feature is only for paid users in many countries (they so graciously make it free in countries where "anti-LGBT violence and its discrimination is most pervasive and devastating" but i wonder how they go about making that call. just make it free for everyone!).
lastly, 11 out of the 23 essays come from people who live or have lived in Pennsylvania with the majority of their work in lgbt circles being done in PA. the editor for the collection founded a community center in PA and serves as the executive director for said center, so it really feels like he just called up a bunch of people in the area to contribute instead of reaching out to places throughout America (not to mention including voices outside of the US). the majority of the remaining 12 essays were from people on the east coast, with a couple written by Californians. there's hardly anything said about the south (where I live) and so I felt incredibly removed from so much of the advice given in this collection. it just felt very strange going every other essay reading about PA again and not feeling like a lot of examples given fit into my own experiences. there is an essay about organizing for lesbians in rural communities, but it has a real issue with transmisogyny which was upsetting to read.
all in all this was not what I wanted it to be. I should have expected that my own ideas of health and the kind of bodily autonomy I believe in would not be front-and-center of this collection, but I was surprised by just how reductive and behind-the-times a lot of it felt.
March 18, 2020
I recently assigned a few chapters of Bodies and Barriers: Queer Activists on Health to my students in a 12th grade AP Human Geography class. I teach in an independent boarding school and have some flexibility over the texts that I assign. For about one week of this course, we examine the human geography of identity – namely, how people understand themselves and are understood by others in particular locations and cultural contexts. For the part of this unit that considers LGBTQ+ identity, I assigned chapters 8 and 9 of Bodies and Barriers. Prior to these readings, I talk about the historical importance of gay bars as the first LGBT community centers and share images of famous bars (The Stonewall Inn) and districts (Philadelphia’s Gayborhood, D.C.’s Dupont Circle) with the class. Chapters 8 and 9 of Bodies and Barriers build upon this idea of communal spaces. In chapter 8, Jack Harrison-Quintana discusses digital safety for queer youth. I found this chapter particularly useful in the study of human geography because it presents the creation of digital spaces and online communities as well as the global reach of platforms like Grindr. In chapter 9, Adrian Shanker and Annemarie Shankweiler discuss activism around making all LGBT community spaces, whether bars, clubs, or community centers, tobacco free. These chapters are clear, concise, readable, and engaging. I know that these chapters were empowering for some of my students. One student remarked that these assigned texts were the first time they had LGBT issues discussed in the academic classroom. In the past few days, I sat down to read the whole book. Adrian Shanker, the editor, has achieved something truly extraordinary with this collection. Each essay touches on an aspect of the diverse experiences across the LGBT community. The essays give voice to both particular and shared experiences of navigating the health care system as well as inspiring testimonies by activists on what can be done to improve health care access for all people. Shanker sums this up in the final lines of his conclusion: “There is nothing biological about LGBT people to prevent health equity. Our health challenges are grounded in a history of bias, discrimination, stigma, and structural barriers to care. These are fixable problems, if we work for it.”
November 15, 2022
Healthcare matters, almost by definition, are anxiety-ridden events. Few, if any, people go to doctors for mere enjoyment. If added to that anxiety lies further anxiety about who one loves or how one feels comfortable about their own body, the outcome of a medical transaction can be negatively impacted. Negative healthcare outcomes can lead to decreased quality of life or even length of life. Few people would wish for this, even for people who think, act, and talk differently than they do. With this aim towards health equity (a concept in the news since 2020 when it comes to race in America), Shanker provides a compilation of over two dozen pieces that address various parts of LGBTQ experiences with (mainly US) healthcare.
Unfortunately, health equity is not a reality when it comes to LGBTQ people, even in the United States. Although the biology, genetics, and medical treatments are basically the same, worse outcomes are reached because of social barriers. Over and over, this book brings to light detailed, cited data that support this general theory. All healthcare workers, who are sworn by oath to serve the general public regardless of personal views, should pay heed to these overtures. Their actions and biases likely play an outsized influence on these outcomes.
LGBTQ influencers should also pay heed in developing strategies to overcome these inequities. This book compiles firsthand stories of those impacted by healthcare inequities. These stories bring out nuances for several age groups: youth, young adults, middle-age adults, and older adults. Each of these possess unique needs, and essays deal with topics focused on each. Topics are medically focused and include a myriad of drivers of health, like tobacco (the #1 killer of LGBTQ people), cancer, HIV, eldercare, family planning, suicide, and transgender care.
Overall, this book provides a helpful compilation providing insight about socially relevant issues. This book is not about politics or power, but about human rights and health. No one deserves discrimination or ill-treatment – even if not motivated by animus – based on who they love or how they feel about their own bodies. By addressing our often unconscious, unintentional mistakes, this book can teach us how to accomplish that feat better.
Unfortunately, health equity is not a reality when it comes to LGBTQ people, even in the United States. Although the biology, genetics, and medical treatments are basically the same, worse outcomes are reached because of social barriers. Over and over, this book brings to light detailed, cited data that support this general theory. All healthcare workers, who are sworn by oath to serve the general public regardless of personal views, should pay heed to these overtures. Their actions and biases likely play an outsized influence on these outcomes.
LGBTQ influencers should also pay heed in developing strategies to overcome these inequities. This book compiles firsthand stories of those impacted by healthcare inequities. These stories bring out nuances for several age groups: youth, young adults, middle-age adults, and older adults. Each of these possess unique needs, and essays deal with topics focused on each. Topics are medically focused and include a myriad of drivers of health, like tobacco (the #1 killer of LGBTQ people), cancer, HIV, eldercare, family planning, suicide, and transgender care.
Overall, this book provides a helpful compilation providing insight about socially relevant issues. This book is not about politics or power, but about human rights and health. No one deserves discrimination or ill-treatment – even if not motivated by animus – based on who they love or how they feel about their own bodies. By addressing our often unconscious, unintentional mistakes, this book can teach us how to accomplish that feat better.
December 27, 2019
This book contains attention grabbing stories by activists and advocates for LGBT health care rights. I read with interest. (disclosure: I participated in the Kickstarter that produced this book, so I got an early copy.)
As a "straight older woman," I learned a lot about the issues facing all LGBT persons. I believe that the compelling testimony of a wide range of people involved in the movement and in seeing this publication to fruition prepared me to become a stronger advocate myself.
Highly recommend.
As a "straight older woman," I learned a lot about the issues facing all LGBT persons. I believe that the compelling testimony of a wide range of people involved in the movement and in seeing this publication to fruition prepared me to become a stronger advocate myself.
Highly recommend.
December 21, 2019
A must-read for healthcare professionals who want to improve standards of care. Culturally competent care is the gold standard. Thoughtfully arranged chapters present complex (true to life) presentations in clinical settings from cradle to grave. Contributors are foremost in their fields. Well edited. My patients benefit greatly as I continue to educate myself as a healthcare provider.
March 26, 2021
YES!! This book was really helpful for someone who doesn’t identify as LGBT but will definitely be a doctor treating people who do in the future. Cultural competency is critical. Personal narratives, bringing up topics like birth control/anal health/terminology, and making pleas for welcoming & affirming providers were great in these essays. I wish some of the essays that were more vague could’ve been combined and more specific guidance for health care workers could’ve been provided in others. But this is a great guide for providers looking to treat patients with the care they need & deserve on a personal level, rather than the “we treat everyone the same!” blanket statement level.
December 1, 2019
The writers of these essays were open, vulnerable, and firm in their conviction that health care is a human right--one that must be fully extended to all branches of the LGBTQ community.
April 28, 2020
‘LGBT people lack health equity’
Adrian Shanker is the editor of this informative compendium of essays that address the disparity in healthcare availability and quality facing the LGBT community. He is assisted in this publication by Rachel L Levine, MD and Kate Kendall who open and close this important series of observations and experiences as related by prominent queer activists.
One keen aspect of this collection of essays is the focus on informing the body of healthcare professionals as well as those in position of providing medical insurance and those whose position is in creating and maintaining policies about healthcare delivery. Dr. Levine, the secretary of health for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and professor of pediatrics and psychiatry at Pennsylvania State College of medicine, sets the tone in her Foreword - ‘As a physician, I’ve seen the health consequences of neglecting a patient’s needs; as a policy maker, I’ve seen the cost of creating policies that are uninformed; and as a transgender woman, I’ve felt the burden of other’s ignorance. Too often LGBT rights are overlooked and set aside as a personal issue for LGBT individuals to tolerate. LGBT rights are irrefutably human rights, and currently there is a significant discrepancy between the treatment of LGBT individuals compared to their heterosexual and cisgender counterparts…LGBT individuals are part of larger communities, families, teams, and social networks. It pains me that these points must be reiterated, however this conversation is clearly pressing and imperative.’
This moving statement opens the platform for the voices of twenty-six significant contributors, introduced by editor Adrian Shanker who shares, ‘LGBT people experience unique structural barriers to care that lead to higher behavioral risk factors for numerous sexually transmitted and chronic diseases. When compounded with past negative experiences in health care settings, including outright discrimination, the LGBT community experiences worse health outcomes than the majority population. This isn’t our fault...This book is arranged to follow the lifespan – youth, young adults, middle-age adults, and older adults. Every health care professional can benefit from this book. From emerging activists to nonprofit leaders, from pride organizers to those engaged in direct action, the activism that supports the LGBT community improves our health.’
In each of the four categories Adrian mentions, outstanding contributors offer sensitive, factual, well-researched and documented essays on the imperative need for reform in the field of health care. This is a powerful, well-written and important book, not only for the LGBT community, but for all people who wish to be informed and assist in change. Highly recommended.
Adrian Shanker is the editor of this informative compendium of essays that address the disparity in healthcare availability and quality facing the LGBT community. He is assisted in this publication by Rachel L Levine, MD and Kate Kendall who open and close this important series of observations and experiences as related by prominent queer activists.
One keen aspect of this collection of essays is the focus on informing the body of healthcare professionals as well as those in position of providing medical insurance and those whose position is in creating and maintaining policies about healthcare delivery. Dr. Levine, the secretary of health for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and professor of pediatrics and psychiatry at Pennsylvania State College of medicine, sets the tone in her Foreword - ‘As a physician, I’ve seen the health consequences of neglecting a patient’s needs; as a policy maker, I’ve seen the cost of creating policies that are uninformed; and as a transgender woman, I’ve felt the burden of other’s ignorance. Too often LGBT rights are overlooked and set aside as a personal issue for LGBT individuals to tolerate. LGBT rights are irrefutably human rights, and currently there is a significant discrepancy between the treatment of LGBT individuals compared to their heterosexual and cisgender counterparts…LGBT individuals are part of larger communities, families, teams, and social networks. It pains me that these points must be reiterated, however this conversation is clearly pressing and imperative.’
This moving statement opens the platform for the voices of twenty-six significant contributors, introduced by editor Adrian Shanker who shares, ‘LGBT people experience unique structural barriers to care that lead to higher behavioral risk factors for numerous sexually transmitted and chronic diseases. When compounded with past negative experiences in health care settings, including outright discrimination, the LGBT community experiences worse health outcomes than the majority population. This isn’t our fault...This book is arranged to follow the lifespan – youth, young adults, middle-age adults, and older adults. Every health care professional can benefit from this book. From emerging activists to nonprofit leaders, from pride organizers to those engaged in direct action, the activism that supports the LGBT community improves our health.’
In each of the four categories Adrian mentions, outstanding contributors offer sensitive, factual, well-researched and documented essays on the imperative need for reform in the field of health care. This is a powerful, well-written and important book, not only for the LGBT community, but for all people who wish to be informed and assist in change. Highly recommended.
September 29, 2022
3.5 stars
This book is an important one and for sure much needed, but it wasn't pulled off as well as I had hoped.
This is an anthology by a somewhat diverse group of queer activists on the topic of lgbtq+ health. What I was really missing was more diversity in where the authors came from - it was very much north-east centric.
It's organized by which stage of life these issues affect (though often the lines are blurry when it comes to which essays should be in which sections). The same topics, ideas and experiences were often written extensively and independently about by different authors, while other things went completely unspoken. It was unclear who exactly the target audience was as each writer seemed to have somebody else entirely in mind.
As for the essays themselves, they varied between meh *groans* and meh *shrugs*. It seemed like the editor just asked random LGBTQ+ people off the street to write something. Often the descriptions, especially of trans identity, felt misleading and uncomfortable as a trans person myself. ("wrong body" narrative etc.)
I was made especially uncomfortable by "Surviving suicide" which was incredibly triggering and an almost grotesquely suspenseful account of a suicide attempt INCLUDING METHOD. While talking about how gendered body parts are often triggering to trans people, Laura Jacobs somehow thinks it's helpful to list those parts in the most triggering way possible (TW: t-slur - clits, dicks, boycunts, breasts, cocks, dicklets etc).
Other small, similar things annoyed me throughout the book, making this not at all an enjoyable read for someone well-versed in queer theory. As for those who are maybe just now introduced to the topic, take everything in this book w/ a grain of salt if you still want to read it.
I don't necessarily recommend this, but it's basically the only book on the issue, so you might consider reading it, I guess. I might use it for reference some time.
This book is an important one and for sure much needed, but it wasn't pulled off as well as I had hoped.
This is an anthology by a somewhat diverse group of queer activists on the topic of lgbtq+ health. What I was really missing was more diversity in where the authors came from - it was very much north-east centric.
It's organized by which stage of life these issues affect (though often the lines are blurry when it comes to which essays should be in which sections). The same topics, ideas and experiences were often written extensively and independently about by different authors, while other things went completely unspoken. It was unclear who exactly the target audience was as each writer seemed to have somebody else entirely in mind.
As for the essays themselves, they varied between meh *groans* and meh *shrugs*. It seemed like the editor just asked random LGBTQ+ people off the street to write something. Often the descriptions, especially of trans identity, felt misleading and uncomfortable as a trans person myself. ("wrong body" narrative etc.)
I was made especially uncomfortable by "Surviving suicide" which was incredibly triggering and an almost grotesquely suspenseful account of a suicide attempt INCLUDING METHOD. While talking about how gendered body parts are often triggering to trans people, Laura Jacobs somehow thinks it's helpful to list those parts in the most triggering way possible (TW: t-slur - clits, dicks, boycunts, breasts, cocks, dicklets etc).
Other small, similar things annoyed me throughout the book, making this not at all an enjoyable read for someone well-versed in queer theory. As for those who are maybe just now introduced to the topic, take everything in this book w/ a grain of salt if you still want to read it.
I don't necessarily recommend this, but it's basically the only book on the issue, so you might consider reading it, I guess. I might use it for reference some time.
March 5, 2020
I had the privilege of reading some sample chapters when this book was in early production. And though I'd heard the rationale for the book prior to that time, I suddenly got it. As a lesbian, I'd encountered my own barriers growing up and growing older. Still, I just didn't appreciate the breadth and depth of the issues related to health and LGBTQ people's lives, wellness, self-esteem.
Bodies & Barriers is such a fresh, honest, helpful and easy read. The book is organized in lifestage order and deals with a mind-blowing array of challenges. In a word, it's real. I especially appreciate a couple of chapters with which I have very little personal connection--Surviving Suicide and Navigating Pediatric Care for Transgender Youth.
Kudos to you, Adrian Shanker, for having the vision and the perseverance and the connections to pull this together and fill a gaping, previously unaddressed void that literally has, in some cases, life-saving potential and otherwise certainly life-changing information--for LGBTQ individuals, parents, policy makers, healthcare professionals, and more.
Bodies & Barriers is such a fresh, honest, helpful and easy read. The book is organized in lifestage order and deals with a mind-blowing array of challenges. In a word, it's real. I especially appreciate a couple of chapters with which I have very little personal connection--Surviving Suicide and Navigating Pediatric Care for Transgender Youth.
Kudos to you, Adrian Shanker, for having the vision and the perseverance and the connections to pull this together and fill a gaping, previously unaddressed void that literally has, in some cases, life-saving potential and otherwise certainly life-changing information--for LGBTQ individuals, parents, policy makers, healthcare professionals, and more.
June 25, 2020
I have nothing but praise for this book and the people who contributed to it. As a pre-PA student, this was an AMAZING primer for my medical training. Not only do I have a better understanding of the broad range of experiences LGBTQ+ people can face in health care, I also have tools and suggestions to work for health equity at the clinical and policy level. The narratives are balanced with facts and figures that touch your heart and mind. This is a must-read for every current and future health care provider! Whether you are in the LGBTQ+ community or are an ally, you have something to learn from another’s experience. I wish my previous doctors had read this book.
July 6, 2020
I didn't know I needed this book until I read it. I read it to review to put in our bookstore, I just planned on skimming it, and found myself engrossed. Although it is an important book for all health care providers, as well as all in the LGBTQ community, it is also for everyone else!
What a profound collection of real stories that completely opened my eyes to so many issues. Again, this book is essential reading for all - can't recommend enough.
What a profound collection of real stories that completely opened my eyes to so many issues. Again, this book is essential reading for all - can't recommend enough.
April 17, 2020
Kudos to Adrian and his fellow queer authors for sharing their personal stories with the aim of raising the bar on LGBTQ healthcare equity and access. These narratives will touch the hearts and minds of readers and exemplify the reality for so many LGBTQ people and their experiences with healthcare systems.
September 30, 2021
I love the broad perspectives that are collected in “Bodies and Barriers!” It has deeply shaped my thinking about equity and the multitude of queer-related health topics as I work towards becoming a physician. I highly suggest this excellent text to anyone in the medical field or who has an interest in how our medical system could serve LGBTQ individuals more effectively.
June 3, 2022
Ringing in Pride Month with Bodies and Barriers: Queer Activists on Health edited by Adrian Shanker. The essays touch on queer health issues at all life stages and why it's important for practitioners, policymakers, and advocates to focus on equity.
I thought this was fantastic! I'm a student of public health and have worked in the field for a couple years, and this is a book I'd definitely want to reread down the line. I was taking notes on programming and policy ideas and resources, and I was reminded of the unique needs of each age group. I think this is a super important read for anyone working in health.
I thought this was fantastic! I'm a student of public health and have worked in the field for a couple years, and this is a book I'd definitely want to reread down the line. I was taking notes on programming and policy ideas and resources, and I was reminded of the unique needs of each age group. I think this is a super important read for anyone working in health.
November 1, 2021
A vital book for the queer community. So much about healthcare is written about us but not BY us and I loved the way this book gave voice to all kinds of LGBT health inequities.
April 11, 2021
Very informative with a very good variety and accounts from different memebers of the LGBT community. Would recommend definitely for any health care professional
March 28, 2022
Good read overall. I like how the book is laid out by age range and the essays range from storytelling to calls to action. I hadn't previously thought about some of the healthcare issues that queer folk experience but this collection has helped me put it into perspective.
January 16, 2020
A needed book of essays for queer people and the people who are tasked with saving us, helping us take control of our bodies, wellness, and lives. As a queer health activist, I realized I have so much to learn from so many of these authors who move from pediatric care to hospice support and the needs of elders. We all need these stories.
January 23, 2020
This book is a must for healthcare professionals, policy makers, and anyone interested in learning more about culturally competent care for the LGBTQ community. It provides a heartfelt and effective approach to facing the ongoing challenges that surround LGBTQ wellness; encompassing compelling stories from real people of all ages.
May 2, 2020
A great resource for healthcare providers and for LGBTQ healthcare consumers.
The book is composed of a series of essays that cover topics corresponding with concerns across the human lifespan - from childhood to old age. Each addresses the unique concerns of LGBTQ people. The writers have different perspectives that help to shape their essays. Many include additional resources to delve into the topic more deeply.
Most healthcare providers do not have any training or education regarding issues that impact the queer community, which often puts us at a disadvantage when accessing care and drives the disparate outcomes we experience. This book would be a good starting point for physicians, nurses, and other healthcare providers.
The book has one minor failing in that the majority of its reference points are centered around central/eastern Pennsylvania, making it challenging to apply and relate to other areas of the US and abroad.
Overall, highly recommended. It's an easy, non-technical read on an important topic that is not being written about elsewhere.
The book is composed of a series of essays that cover topics corresponding with concerns across the human lifespan - from childhood to old age. Each addresses the unique concerns of LGBTQ people. The writers have different perspectives that help to shape their essays. Many include additional resources to delve into the topic more deeply.
Most healthcare providers do not have any training or education regarding issues that impact the queer community, which often puts us at a disadvantage when accessing care and drives the disparate outcomes we experience. This book would be a good starting point for physicians, nurses, and other healthcare providers.
The book has one minor failing in that the majority of its reference points are centered around central/eastern Pennsylvania, making it challenging to apply and relate to other areas of the US and abroad.
Overall, highly recommended. It's an easy, non-technical read on an important topic that is not being written about elsewhere.
May 11, 2020
Released in the midst of a pandemic that has seen the easing - but not removal - of restrictions regarding gay and bisexual men's ability to donate blood, this book highlights the continued inequity of LGBTQIA+ healthcare in America. I had the privilege of attending one of the book signing events just before the national shutdown which has further hampered access to hormone replacement therapy and gender confirmation surgeries for transgender individuals along with mental health therapy access for an entire population in desperate need of such.
This is an absolute must read for LGBTQIA+ individuals, parents of such, allies, and every medical professional who already serves or is considering expanding services for the community.
This is an absolute must read for LGBTQIA+ individuals, parents of such, allies, and every medical professional who already serves or is considering expanding services for the community.
March 31, 2020
This is a truly informative book that contains manageable chapters packed with information drawn from each of the authors' lived experiences. There are lessons for everyone to be found, but especially for health professionals, individuals who work with seniors, parents of LGBT kids, teachers and frankly, anyone who interacts with a broad range of people in their life or at work. The book is divided into sections that focus on concerns for youth, young adults, middle-aged adults and older adults, tracing how issues change over time. It's particularly moving hearing from the older activists with the years of experiences they draw from.
May 28, 2020
Our household is comprised of numerous queer folks who are at different phases of life. This was a beautiful book for us to enjoy together. Sometimes we read took turns reading chapters out loud. It led to many wonderful discussions and it has a permanent place on our shelf.
February 9, 2021
Anyone and everyone going into healthcare should be required to read this book. The essays included covered a broad range of topics that I had never even considered as being relevant to healthcare, but after reading felt much more informed.
March 25, 2020
"'...Wellness is about surviving in a world that was not created for you.'”
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