What started as a riot turned into a revolution. The first LGBTQ Pride Parade occurred in 1970 in New York to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the Stonewall Inn uprising. It is now recognized as the catalyst for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and queer+ liberation and visibility in the United States. Now, each June we come together to celebrate Pride Month to honor the enduring legacy of the LGBTQ+ community.
Despite their resilience, sadly many LGBTQ+ individuals are uniquely impacted by Minority Stress: chronic, excessive stress experienced by those of a marginalized group that can lead to negative social and health outcomes (Meyer, 2003). This can include increased rates of depression, anxiety, substance use and suicide ideation, especially for individuals of color (Lehavot 2011; Ramirez 2018).
For nearly 30 years, Kaiser Permanente has been championing efforts to address the impact of Minority Stress for its LGBTQ+ members and reduce preventable differences in health outcomes as a result. Since 2024, MHTP has developed the next generation of LGBTQ+ Affirmative therapists via the Gender Health Competency Training (GHCT). This specialty didactic produces trainees that are competent in the fundamentals of affirming, inclusive and culturally responsive psychotherapy care for transgender and gender-diverse patients. As one GHCT trainee, Doctoral Intern Jade James (she/her) put it, “LGBTQ affirming care is life saving care. Being a gender competent therapist means being a safe space where an underserved population can trust their lived experiences will be honored and respected.” Now wrapping its 2nd year and preparing for an even bigger cohort in its 3rd year, GHCT is proud to develop trainees that utilize evidenced-based, LGBTQ+ Affirmative techniques to promote resilience and wellness for KP patients and beyond.
This Pride month let’s move forward with purpose as we work together to advance health equity, dignity, and inclusive care for all.
Want to learn more? Visit Pride@KP BRG – Home
Contributed by: Adryan Caron, LMFT (she/her), MHTP Clinical Supervisor and Founder, Gender Health Competency Training
