Given the fact that I am very liberal regarding social issues, I often find myself agreeing with gay-rights activists when they argue that homosexuals ought to have the same rights and privileges as anyone else. After all, if we are truly able to associate freely in this country, is it anyone's business what two consenting adults do behind closed doors? That being said, many activist movements begin with a just cause, but as they gain ground, their mission tends to creep into areas it was not originally intended to­­—and in many cases, does not belong.

A recent Huffington Post article takes the position that medical schools do not properly teach their students how to deal with lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer patients. To be frank, the article was very disappointing. I had been expecting some sort of 1980s-esque outrage in which certain religious groups refused to acknowledge LGBTQ's patients as anything except "divine retribution" or some similar nonsense. Instead, I was met with what can be described as a complaint simply for its own sake. The article cited several surveys that showed a supposed dearth of training for medical students in order to deal with LGBTQ patients. While I do think that it is very important for doctors to be well aware of the types of patients they may encounter, I'm slightly perplexed as to why it would take a special type of training to prepare a physician to deal with LGBTQ patients.

If, theoretically, half of the LGBTQ population was missing a kidney, I'd agree with the complaint and help encourage medical schools to spend more time teaching their students how to properly care for that. But the simple fact is that there is no medical condition that arises directly as a result a person's sexual orientation. This, of course, means that any time spent discussing anatomy, physiology and diseases to the entire population.

It is important for your physician to know whether or not you are sexually active so they can be properly aware of the sexually transmitted diseases that you are at risk for. This is true for everyone—straight, gay, bisexual, or otherwise. However, it is not necessary for your doctor to know with whom you have been sexually active, as the bacteria and viruses that cause venereal diseases do not know, nor do they particularly care, what your sexual orientation is. The only sexually transmitted disease to ever be closely linked to sexual orientation was HIV, which was wrongly believed by many to be caused by homosexuality. By now, of course, virologists have shown us that this is not the case and that HIV can infect anyone with whom it comes into contact. The way I see it, doctors already spend too little time with patients, and their time would be better spent worrying about what is wrong with their patients' bodies rather than whom they share them with.

That is not to say that future doctors should not be aware of a segment of our population's habits and culture. Just as medical students are taught that certain cultures view eye contact as a sign of disrespect, they should also be told about the LGBTQ community. For example, budding doctors should be well aware that LGBTQ patients are more likely to be depressed and have a drug or alcohol dependency.

They should also be aware that the reasons behind this likely stem from those patients not being accepted by their friends, family and peers. This is all a part of ensuring that young doctors have a reassuring and understanding bedside manner— something that medical schools already teach. According to the article, the average medical school spent 3.43 hours discussing homosexuality; I think that is more than enough time to explain the psychiatric risks within a certain population to intelligent medical students who, in this day and age, are probably quite aware of it anyway.

Doctors are always told to "do no harm." The Huffington Post article expresses concern that homosexual patients will be indirectly harmed because of homophobia in the medical establishment. In fact, they mentioned that homosexual patients are twice as likely to avoid medical care as a result. This cannot be corrected in a medical school classroom, but rather in everyday life. Medical students can be taught to be respectful of their LGBTQ patients and their issues, but every individual needs to learn to be tolerant of those who may be different. Lessons like this start at home with family, or in a conversation among friends—they should not need to be learned in a classroom.