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Tell healthcare providers I'm gay?

Page last modified on: August 29, 2008
Question from Celia: I have not told many people that I'm gay. Should I let my health care providers know that I'm gay?
Answers —Lisa Weissmann, M.D.: Absolutely. It's really important to be as open as possible with your health care provider. The only way I, as a physician, can take care of my patients is to know who they are and what their needs are. It takes a great deal of courage to come out to your health care provider, but finding somebody that you can trust and that you feel safe with is an important part of the physician-patient relationship.
Cheryl Pearson-Fields, M.P.H.: I think that safety is a very good point. It's important to come out to your health care provider so they can treat the entire person, but I also believe that you have to judge each situation individually and come out when you believe it's safe to do that, and sometimes that's difficult to do.

On Wednesday, November 21, 2001, our Ask-the-Expert Online Conference was called Lesbians and Breast Cancer. Lisa Weissmann, M.D., Cheryl Pearson-Fields, M.P.H., and Marisa Weiss, M.D. answered your questions about being gay and having breast cancer.

The materials presented in these conferences do not necessarily reflect the views of breastcancer.org. A qualified healthcare professional should be consulted before using any therapeutic product or regimen discussed. All readers should verify all information and data before employing any therapies described here.

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Meet the Experts

Lisa Weissmann, M.D.Lisa Weissmann, M.D. is an attending physician at Mount Auburn Hospital in Cambridge, Massachusetts, dedicated to breast cancer care, with an appointment at Harvard Medical School.

Cheryl Pearson-Fields, M.P.H. is a director of health education and research with the Mautner Project for Lesbians with Cancer.

Marisa Weiss, M.D. is a radiation oncologist specializing in breast cancer and the founder, president, and guiding force behind Breastcancer.org.

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