Doctor No Way

I had a close call today picking a new primary health physician. I wanted to find a gay-friendly doctor, but my health care provider, which shall remain nameless (rhymes with geyser spermanente), doesn’t provide any guidance. I searched the online directory and was about to choose one of the few doctors available nearby, but a little red flag went up when I read in his bio that he is associated with a “faith-based” clinic.

A Google search revealed that this doctor pays annual dues to associate himself with an organization called the Christian Medical Association, 17,000 doctors strong. Their mission statement says they exist “to glorify God by influencing their families, colleagues, and patients toward a right relationship with Jesus Christ.” And when these folks talk about a “mission,” they know of what they speak.

Might I humbly suggest that you go to their search engine to determine whether your physician has chosen to associate with this group?

If a doctor whose ulterior motive is to get you saved isn’t enough, check out their stunningly sanctimonious issue statements.

I am not going to turn my head and cough for someone who believes that “homosexual behavior is destructive to the structures necessary for healthy marriages, families and society.”

This isn’t just Evangelical boilerplate language. They’ve really spent a lot of time developing these intolerant positions. To justify their statements of belief, they even have compiled an annotated reference list, with a list of Bible verses and the usual list of bogus science that attempts to make the case that homosexuality can and should be suppressed. Call me crazy, but if I want to ask my doctor if Cialis is right for me, I prefer that he look to the Physician's Desk Reference, not the New Testament, for guidance.

What this stuff has to do with providing sound medical care is beyond me. Why do these Christian doctors find it necessary to pronounce that “Christians should oppose legislative attempts to grant special rights based on sexual behavior or to equate homosexual relationships with heterosexual marriages."

Why does it matter if my doctor shares a pew with the Dobson and Robertson crowd? It’s important because I need to be able to trust that my doctor isn’t going to vomit during a discussion of sexual history.

These doctors thumb their noses at the American Medical Association, which believes that “the physician's nonjudgmental recognition of sexual orientation and behavior enhances the ability to render optimal patient care in health as well as in illness.”

Instead, the CMA “opposes the practice of homosexual acts on biblical, medical, and social grounds.” With doctors like these, it’s no wonder one-third of gays and lesbians do not disclose their sexual orientation. The Gay and Lesbian Medical Association is finding that this impacts patient health outcomes in a variety of ways.

So until my provider offers a directory of gay-affirming doctors I can choose from, I guess I’ll just go with the German guy who likes hiking and travel to exotic places.