June News You Can Use Editorial

Pride in Practice: Creating a Welcoming and Inclusive Dermatology Office for LGBTQIA+ Patients and Staff

 By: Molly Stout, MD

June is Pride Month! It’s a time to celebrate the resilience, diversity, and contributions of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and asexual (LGBTQIA+) people. As dermatologists and colleagues, we can also use this as an opportunity to reflect on whether our practices truly serve all people with the dignity and respect they deserve. While this topic is undoubtedly important to every aspect of a dermatology practice, herein are some tips for ensuring a welcoming environment this Pride month and beyond.

 

The Waiting Room Is Where Inclusion Begins

We are all aware that care does not start in the exam room — it starts the moment a patient visits a practice website, calls to schedule, or walks through the door. Evidence consistently shows that visual cues such as a pride flag, nondiscrimination signage, and diverse imagery in waiting areas signal safety before a single word is spoken. When I worked as a medical student fellow with the dermatology department at Mass General, my mentor, Shadi Kourosh, always affixed a rainbow sticker on her hospital badge. These are not merely decorative gestures; research demonstrates that such environmental signals reduce the emotional burden of disclosure and help patients feel validated and engaged.

Intake forms deserve particular scrutiny. Forms should include open-ended fields for gender identity, sex assigned at birth, sexual orientation, and preferred name and pronouns. Our EHR allows patients to add this data prior to their appointment, and we often make use of the “preferred name” function in the chart so that patients feel comfortable when they are called from the waiting room. 

 

Language as Medicine

The words we use carry weight. Asking all patients — not just those who appear gender-nonconforming — what pronouns they use normalizes the practice and avoids singling anyone out. Front desk staff, medical assistants, nurses, and billing personnel should all receive training on inclusive language, because a single dismissive interaction can undo the trust a clinician works to build.

When mistakes happen, a brief, sincere apology and immediate correction is far more effective than an elaborate explanation. Modeling this behavior as a practice leader sets the tone for the entire team.

 

Concrete Steps for Your Practice

Consider the following evidence-based actions to make your dermatology office more inclusive:

- Audit your environment. Walk through your office as if seeing it for the first time. Do the images on your walls, brochures, and website reflect the diversity of your patient population?.

- Redesign intake forms. Include fields for preferred name, pronouns, gender identity, and sex assigned at birth. Avoid assumptions about relationship status or sexual behavior.

- Train your entire team. Cultural competency training should extend to every staff member — from the person answering the phone to the doctor in the exam room. Evidence shows that even brief training sessions produce significant improvements in knowledge, attitudes, and affirming behaviors.

- Review your EHR. Ensure that automated messages, appointment reminders, and chart templates do not contain gender assumptions. A patient's chosen name and pronouns should be visible and used consistently.

- Provide a gender-neutral restroom. This is a simple, low-cost change that communicates respect. Single occupancy really is just better for everyone!

- Build referral networks. When referring patients for mental health support, primary care, or surgical consultation, ensure those providers are also knowledgeable with experience in LGBTQIA+ care.

 

Inclusion Is Also for Your Team

A truly inclusive practice extends its values inward. LGBTQIA+ staff members deserve the same respect and affirmation as patients. Nondiscrimination policies should be clearly communicated during hiring and onboarding. Creating space for staff to share pronouns — without mandating disclosure — fosters a culture of psychological safety. When team members feel safe bringing their whole selves to work, patient care benefits.

 

Beyond Pride Month

A rainbow flag in June is just a start! The most meaningful commitment a dermatology practice can make is to embed inclusion into its daily operations — in its forms, its language, its training, its referral patterns, and its hiring practices — so that every patient and every staff member experiences dignity year-round.

Dermatology sits at a unique intersection of medicine and identity. Skin is deeply personal. It is what the world sees first. For LGBTQIA+ patients who may already carry the weight of societal judgment, a dermatology office that sees them — truly sees them — can be a place of healing in every sense of the word.