The National Institutes of Health ( NIH ), in October, added sexual and gender minorities as a health disparity population, a change that will likely pave the way for increased funds for LGBT health research.
The new classification acknowledges that the LGBT community fares worse in disease and mortality than the general population, and allows researchers studying LGBT health to apply for funding from various institutes within NIH.
It's a change that was a long time coming, according to researcher Dr. Scout of LGBT HealthLink, who has advocated for the change for many years.
"Think of this as 'cultural competency' for funding announcements," he said. "When you go to a doctor's office and unless you see a sign says that LGBTs are welcome, or a rainbow flag, we don't know for sure that it's safe. The same way with funding announcement, if we don't see 'SGM' [Sexual & Gender Minority] or something like that, we don't know that it's safe."
Phoenix Matthews, associate professor and clinical psychologist at the University of Illinois at Chicago, said, "It was not that long ago when it was extremely difficult to get any research work funded on LGBT-health, especially if it was outside the realm of HIV/AIDS. Then during the Bush administrations, you actually had to hideif you were doing an LGBT-specific application, you had to make sure that wasn't clear in the title or the abstract, because the administration was on a scientific witch hunt. One of my previously funded studies got caught up in that."
Matthews noted the switch, beyond leading to additional dollar allocations, could lead to additional trainings for researchers and service providers in dealing with LGBT issues and a breakdown of the perception that the community is too "sensitive" an issue to focus on.
"The fact that NIH has come out with this very strong and positive statement really goes a long way," they said, adding that NIH would also likely put out calls for LGBT-focused research and might be pressured to diversify its proposal reviewers.
Matthews was recently elected chair of the Health Disparity and Equity Promotion Section, which reviews research-funding applications for NIH. "That sees a lot of applications focusing on health disparities across a number of demographic groups," they said, adding that about a third of the reviewers there are either LGBT or have experience in LGBT-focused research. "The applications there, I'm very proud to say, are given a very fair and appropriate evaluation."
Dr. Scout said that the impact would surely extend past NIH and into other parts of the Department of Health and Human Services as well. "We are going to be talking about about a lot more than research with this," he said.