Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Pride Month

June is Pride Month, which celebrates the history, diversity, and contributions of LGBTQ+ people in the United States.

This Pride Month, we stand strong with our LGBTQ+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and more) colleagues, patients and community. It was in June of 1969 when police raided a Greenwich Village gay bar galvanizing the patrons and community to stand up against oppression and discrimination. As the protest spilled into the neighborhood, lesbian and transgender people confined to the Women’s House of Detention shouted through the jail’s bars encouraging the protestors on the streets below. Since then, Pride Month has commemorated the Stonewall Uprising and sought to expand inclusivity and increase visibility, activism and legislative progress. 

Despite the many gains, we have more recently witnessed a significant increase in anti-LGBTQ+ legislation. According to the Human Rights Campaign and the American Civil Liberties Union, over 500 hostile and discriminatory bills were introduced in state legislatures over the past year. These bills primarily target the rights of transgender individuals and seek to restrict access to gender-affirming care and enforce binary definitions of gender. 

In Washington state, we are pleased that legislation has been enacted to protect the rights of LGBTQ+ individuals, including access to gender-affirming care, access to HIV post-exposure therapies, and insurance coverage protection for infertility treatments. 

At UW Medicine, we continue to be at the forefront of healthcare for LGBTQ+ patients, from our LGBTQ+ Heath Equity Pathway program, one of many Health Equity Pathway programs that better prepare medical students to provide culturally responsive care, to the creation of the Center for 2SLGBTQ+ Health, which will serve as a hub for research, education and advocacy for the healthcare needs of the community. Meanwhile, our Transgender and Gender Non-Binary Health Program (TGNB) provides gender-affirming healthcare access that is integrated throughout primary, surgical, specialty, and mental health services. With our country’s increased legislative restrictions, particularly for minors, and the limited number of surgery providers, the waitlist continues to grow for both consultations and surgical procedures. We have increased TGNB resources to support patients and reduce wait times, and we know that more resources are needed. 

We are honored that the Human Rights Campaign has, once again, awarded UW Medicine hospitals the Healthcare Equality Leader designation. We are committed to improving health equity for all our patients and to creating an environment that lets people be their authentic selves. 

LGBTQ+ acronym expansion and inclusion

The acronym LGBTQ+ is a commonly used and widely understood term. There are many variations that people in the community use like LGBTQIA2S+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer or Questioning, Intersex, Asexual and Two Spirit). The acronyms are used to identify different sexual orientations and gender identities. Learn more about these terms and identities.

Pride Month resources

• UW Medicine employees share: What Pride Means to Me and How We Define Pride.
• Browse books about and by the LGBTQ+ community at the UW Q Center’s library.
• Learn about UW Medicine programs including QMed, a program building community for LGBTQ+ medical students; the LGBTQ+ pathway for medical students; and the Transgender and Gender Non-Binary Health Program; plus, for UW employees, transgender resources.
• Names and pronouns matter. Learn about UW Medicine initiatives fostering belonging in gender diverse people.
• Get advice for building resilience as a queer person.
• For allies: Learn what and what not to say when someone comes out to you and how to be a good ally.
• Get tips for how to support transgender and gender non-binary youth.
• Get information about Washington state’s LGBTQ Commission.
• Read a timeline of milestones in the LGBTQ+ liberation movement.
• Educate yourself about the diversity within the LGBTQ+ community with guides from the Human Rights Campaign.

 

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Diversity Visiting Student Clerkship Program

The UW Department of Ophthalmology is excited to participate in the Diversity Visiting Student Clerkship Program, a funded program designed to give 4th-year medical students from backgrounds historically underrepresented in medicine the opportunity to experience the exceptional education in ophthalmology offered by the University of Washington. Learn more here.

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Our DEI Mission

Provide equitable eye care to all through an inclusive and diverse team of faculty, residents, and staff

Our DEI Vision

Become a leader in:

• Inclusive and respectful patient care

• Diverse environment and equitable career opportunities for physicians and trainees

Our Values

• Committed and accountable

• Inclusive and respectful

• Open to new ideas and perspectives

Our Initiatives

• Faculty Task Force on Healthcare Equity (4 West)

• UW Office of Healthcare Equity training

• DEI movie night for trainees and faculty: Black Men in White Coats

• Importance of diversifying the medical workforce