Intersectionality in Healthcare

Seeing the Whole Person at Allies for Health + Wellbeing

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A person’s individuality has many facets, including race, gender and sexual orientation, and these facets can overlap in many ways that create unique experiences and challenges.

This is the basis of intersectionality – a term first used in 1989 by Kimberlé Crenshaw, a civil rights advocate and law professor at UCLA and Columbia University, to describe the oppression of Black women. An article from the Trevor Project notes that “intersectionality is about more than just your different identities, but how those identities relate to systems of power which are rooted in social constructs of race and gender.”

Intersectionality is a hugely complex topic, and scholars like Crenshaw have dedicated their careers to identifying its effects and ways it can be addressed and mitigated through policies, research and everyday practice.

At Allies for Health + Wellbeing, intersectionality plays a crucial role in the organization’s mission to provide inclusive, holistic healthcare.

“We do that by addressing each person’s individual humanity first and as an individual – to see that person foremost as the person in front of you,” said Anitra Branch, Director of Outreach and Education at Allies. “I want to see you as a person and listen to your truth, but also not deny reality. If you are a person of color standing in front of me, that probably says something about your care. Your gender identity – that probably informs your care.”

As an HIV service organization, Allies staff know that certain populations are more likely than others to be affected by HIV. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2022, gay and bisexual men and men who have sex with men accounted for 70 percent of new HIV diagnoses. Additionally, Black/African American and Hispanic/Latino people are disproportionately diagnosed with HIV. The CDC reports that though Black/African American people make up 12 percent of the population of the United States, they accounted for 37 percent of new HIV cases in 2022.

“Unfortunately, sometimes when there are associations, we attach causation,” Branch said. “If people hear that HIV is more common under this community, well, what is it about this community that leads to this infection?”

Branch said that this is the wrong approach. “It’s less about the community and more about the behavior,” she said.

The LGBTQIA+ community and people of color have long struggled with inequality in healthcare access and experiences with healthcare. At the height of the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s and ‘90s, people with AIDS had to fight for their care and their dignity in the face of enormous stigma and discrimination. And there is an ugly history of the medical mistreatment of people of color, ranging from harmful and persistent stereotypes to experimentation and treatment without consent.

“Stigma and discrimination of any type affect whether people choose to access healthcare or not,” said Dr. Sarah McBeth, Medical Director at Allies for Health + Wellbeing. “That may result in them putting off seeing someone for something they should have been seen for a long time ago. Things can go unaddressed that should have been addressed earlier, and that’s dangerous for that person.”

The staff at Allies for Health + Wellbeing do everything they can to make sure a person visiting the organization feels – and is – seen and heard.

“I think broad questions and allowing the patient to fully answer them is helpful,” McBeth said. “Letting people speak to their own experiences is helpful.”

“It’s having people acknowledge that you don’t know what anyone is bringing,” Branch added. “We shouldn’t make assumptions about what they’ve been through when they come to us.”

Allies for Health + Wellbeing offers inclusive and holistic healthcare – including HIV specialty care, STI testing and treatment, gender-affirming care, gynecological care and primary care – to anyone, regardless of their background or experiences. If you’re interested in learning more about Allies and its approach to care, visit our website at AlliesPGH.org, or call 412-345-7456 to make an appointment.


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