The Importance of Disclosure for Sexual Minorities in Oncofertility Cases

Abstract

The lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual/transgender, and queer/questioning (LGBTQ) population is an understudied and underserved population often referred to as sexual minorities [1]. The labels “lesbian, gay, and bisexual” refer to sexual orientation [2, 3]. The terms “transsexual” and “transgender” refer to gender identities where an individual does not identify with the sex assigned to him or her at birth (i.e., biological sex) [2, 3]. The labels “queer” and “questioning” may be used to refer to either sexual orientation or gender identity [4, 5]. There are several other terms associated with this community (e.g., “gender fluid, genderqueer, two-spirit”) as well as nomenclature used within these groups that is typically not acceptable to be used by nonmembers (e.g., dyke) [6, 7]. It is estimated that 3-12 % of the United States population identifies as gay, lesbian, or bisexual and 1-3 % are transgender [8].