Sexual Orientation in Child and Adolescent Health Care

Book excerpt: Sexual Orientation in Child and Adolescent Health Care serves as a resource for child health care professionals including pediatricians, family physicians, nurses, pediatric psychologists, child and adolescent psychiatrists, and social workers. The issues of sexuality and sexual orientation now generate great interest among those who treat children. This volume describes the effects of stigmatization on non-heterosexual physicians, patients, and students, and discusses a variety of clinically relevant topics including the development of sexual orientations, children of gay or lesbian parents, young children with gender atypical behavior, and the healthcare needs of gay and lesbian adolescents. The last two chapters describe methods for improvement in medical education and medical care, and provide extensive resources available to professionals and consumers.