Introduction
In the United States, people from marginalized populations are at high risk of disability, health, and premature death. These health disparities are understood as adverse health outcomes for such communities. Although the National Institutes of Health have tried to reduce the disparities, heterosexist bias still exists in the healthcare institutions. The lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people have been identified in the U.S as the at-risk population regarding health priorities. The LGBT people have been considered to be underserved and health disparate because there is lack of attention to gender and sexual identity which act as critical gaps to eliminate the health disparities (Hubbard & Hegarty, 2014) . This paper will, therefore, provide solutions to the health disparities, and it will provide my opinion regarding the proposed solutions.
Historical and contemporary aspects
Historically, heterosexist in the U.S was largely invisible, because it was linked to sickness, shame, and deviancy. In the 1960s, the same-sex sexual relationship was regarded as a criminal offense. In 1973, the sexual behavior was removed from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, and it was treated as a sociopathic personality disorder. Stigma and prejudice most often result in cases of mental problem issues among the LGBT populations, which reflects the historical aspects of criminalizing and pathologizing LGBT individuals (Hubbard & Hegarty, 2014) .
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However, the underground communities that were accessible to the LGBT individuals started to form metropolitan areas before and after the World War. The police in 1969 did a routine raid on a nightclub owned by LGBT individuals in New York City, which led to the eruption of Stonewall Riots as a form of resistance; this led to the development of the modern gay rights movement. In the 80s and 90, religious and conservative elements in the society claimed that same-sex behavior increased the spread of HIV/AIDS and so it should be considered a sin punishable by execution. The LGBT activists actively resisted this, and they received support from the grassroots political organizations.
Most recently, the debate about marriage equality has changed dramatically after the federal prohibition of heterosexual marriage by the Defense of Marriage Act. People of the same sex can now legally marry in up to 30 states. Lawsuits concerning marriage equality are pending in the remaining states. Consequently, there is still discrimination in health, housing, employment and public accommodations among the LGBT people because the federal law does not prohibit the discrimination. In the contemporary society, LGBT people are still being stigmatized through discrimination especially in the health sector. Many LGBT individuals internalize the discriminations they go through in various institutions. Minority prejudice associated with low self-esteem will lead to destructive behaviors like suicide, risky sexual behavior, and substance abuse (Hubbard & Hegarty, 2014) . Therefore, there should be policies that will ensure that heterosexist bias is prohibited to reduce its effects on the delivery of healthcare.
Public policy against heterosexist bias
The social and behavioral sciences can reduce heterosexist bias in the society. They can achieve this by educating the public concerning gay men, lesbians, and bisexual people. According to Falco (2013), homosexual behavior is common in the U.S including other cultures, but it is not related to psychopathology. All psychologists need to be encouraged to research and learn more about gay men, lesbians, and bisexual individuals. The self-education should not be limited to consultations with colleagues and library research, but also it needs to include discussing research procedures and ideas with bisexual and gay men and women and obtain more information from media and community periodicals. The psychologists should then educate the public about the LGBT individuals to change their perceptions about them, thus elimination discrimination especially in healthcare facilities (Falco, 2013) .
In addition, policies should be developed to ensure that journal editors recognize the legitimacy of studies concerning sexual orientation. The journal editors should evaluate the research just like the way they evaluate other research topics and should not dismiss the research as frivolous or overly specialized. The American Psychological Association (APA) journal editors have employed reviewers of their journals from minority populations such as bisexual and gay people. Journal editors need to do the same to provide the public with more information concerning sexual orientation, thus changing their perceptions (Fallin-Bennett, 2015) .
Textbook editors and authors should avoid explanations and statements that will promote heterosexism and portray LGBT individuals in a contrary manner especially in the healthcare facilities. The authors and editors should ensure that discussions concerning same-gender populations should not focus so much on psychopathology and they should also not be concerned with putting more emphasis on causes of sexual orientation. The readers of these textbooks should be made to understand that the decisions of gay male, lesbian, and bisexual individuals are affected by their unique concerns and experiences. In addition, the authors should ensure they explicitly mention the LGBT perspectives, and they include them in various psychological topics such as health, human development, interpersonal attractions tree, and attitudes. Consequently, professors and teachers should use textbooks that present an understanding of LGBT individuals to make their students understand and accept the LGBT people.
Research concerning sexual orientation should be facilitated by universities and colleges to sensitize their faculty and students to the discrimination of LGBT populations specifically in healthcare facilities. In their promotion procedures and hiring, learning institutions should encourage their students to conduct research related to gay male lesbian populations. The candidates should be evaluated on the quality of their research, and they should not be discounted because of their subject matter. Despite their sexual orientation, students need to be encouraged to conduct studies about LGBT populations and recognize the issues provides by other researchers (Scarce, 2013) . It is, therefore, the responsibility of all psychologists to educate themselves and the public concerning the issues of same-sex marriage.
Finally, the healthcare institutions should come up with policies and strategies that will ensure that there is fairness when it comes to the treatment of patients. Also, the institutions should train their employees on how to avoid heterosexist bias and ensure that all patients are provided fair treatment. Finally, the healthcare institutions should employ people from minority groups such as gays and lesbians to encourage interactions with other employees, thus changing their perceptions concerning LGBT people (Scarce, 2013) .
Personal Opinion
The above suggestions are relevant because they will help in changing the perception of health professionals concerning LGBT populations, thus improving health and reducing stress among them. If the psychologists shift their focus to learning about gay men, lesbians, and bisexual people they will obtain information that will be important in changing the perception of the public concerning the LGBT people. If the healthcare students are encouraged to conduct research related to gay male lesbian, and populations to make them understand the reasons for sex orientations; this will make the students understand and accept these people even in the workplace. Also, ensuring that the policies are set in the healthcare institutions to provide equal treatment to all their patients will discourage discrimination against LGBT individuals. Finally, the solutions will help reduce stigma and prejudice which result in cases of mental problem and destructive behaviors like suicide, risky sexual behavior, and substance use.
References
Falco, K. L. (2013). Psychotherapy with lesbian clients: Theory into practice. New York: Routledge.
Fallin-Bennett, K. (2015). Implicit bias against sexual minorities in medicine: cycles of professional influence and the role of the hidden curriculum. Academic Medicine, 90(5) , 549-552.
Hubbard, K., & Hegarty, P. (2014). Why is the history of heterosexuality essential? Beliefs about the history of sexuality and their relationship to sexual prejudice. Journal of Homosexuality, 61(4) , 471-490.
Scarce, M. (2013). Smearing the queer: Medical Bias in the healthcare of gay men. New York: Routledge.
