Clinical Track
Knowledge and Skills Building Workshops
Kim Powell, FNP-C, M.S.
Family Nurse Practitioner, HIV and LGBTQ+ Provider, Gender Affirming Primary Care
Denver Health and Hospital Authority
Nothing to disclose
Joseph Longo, PhD
Integrated Beahvioral Health and HIV Primary Care Staff Psychologist
Denver Health
This poster was designed as an interactive
workshop to improve comfort in taking inclusive
sexual health histories in primary care, from the
perspective of clinicians focused on LGBTQ+ care.
Kim Powell and Joseph Longo were instrumental
in creating and sustaining change within Denver
Health (DH) and the journey to become an
LGBTQ+ Center, and growing regional authority in
providing trans and non-binary+ (TNB) affirming
care.
Phrases commonly used in sexual history taking
have been constructed from a
cis/het¹paternalistic, fear-based lens. Using non-inclusive
language in asking about genders of
sexual partners, such as “men women or both”
and the well-intentioned, but awkward 5 P’s by
the CDC² , perpetuates stigma and further
reduces access to care for TNB patients. As many
TNB patients continue to experience
discrimination and refusal of care³, clinicians must
acknowledge the role of language and fear-based
tactics in maintaining systems of inequity and
thereby promulgating health disparitiesᶧ.