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In June 2001, the American Journal of Public Health (AJPH) published its first issue devoted to lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (LGBT) health issues. In that issue, Emilia Lombardi presented a powerful case for greater understanding, greatly increased research, and appropriate services for the transgender population. Lombardi began by disentangling the meaning of "transgender" and how its elusive, and sometimes confusing, meaning has evolved. She then identified a range and variety of transgender health issues and raised important questions about access to care, as well as the cultural relevancy of transgender research, policies, and materials, culminating with seven proposals for improving the health of transgender people. These far-reaching proposals include acknowledging "the authenticity of transgender individuals' identities," promoting "increased and better access to health care resources," and advocating for "more and better promotion of transgender related research and for more innovation within transgender health practices."
In his editorial introduction to that first LGBT health issue, "Why Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Public Health?," Ilan Meyer wrote that "Transgender individuals are stigmatized, discriminated against, and ridiculed in encounters with even those entrusted with their care."1(p856) But, he added,
These perils are not inescapable. . . . [T]he promise of focusing on LGBT health is clear: It can bring much-needed resources, improved research...