affirming care, close to home

How N.J.'s LGBTQ+ clinics are changing lives

- BY MANUEL IGREJAS

For many in New Jersey's LGBTQ+ community, finding informed and compassionate health care has long been a challenge. Gay and transgender individuals often encountered uninformed doctors, frosty receptionists, and wary technicians. The HIV/AIDS epidemic only intensified the stigma, further raising barriers to care.

As a result, many LGBTQ+ residents traveled to New York City or Philadelphia in search of providers — especially those who were LGBTQ+ themselves — who could offer competent and affirming care. This was a troubling reality in a state with an estimated LGBTQ+ population of 500,000, according to Garden State Equality, New Jersey's largest LGBTQ+ advocacy group.

While infectious disease specialists stepped in to address some gaps, they often weren't members of the LGBTQ+ community and were limited in their scope of care. A major turning point came in 2012 with the introduction of PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis), a once-daily pill that dramatically reduced the risk of contracting HIV and reshaped preventive care for gay men and others at risk.

In 2015, New Jersey Monthly profiled two openly gay doctors in the state who specialized in LGBTQ+ health care, including the vibrant Dr. Thomas Ziering of Morristown. While a welcome breakthrough, these providers were few and far between, and most of the state remained underserved. That began to change in 2017, when dedicated LGBTQ+ health care centers began to emerge across New Jersey.

Pioneering Progress: The Babs Siperstein PROUD Center

Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RWJUH) in Somerset opened its PROUD Center in 2017 - an acronym for Promoting Respect, Outreach, Understanding and Dignity. In 2019, it was renamed the Babs Siperstein PROUD Center, in honor of the late transgender rights activist and the first openly transgender member of the Democratic National Committee.