Table 2.

Practical Tips and Resources for Clinics and Clinicians Working with Asian American and Pacific Islander Sexual and Gender Minorities

Domain	Tips and resources for clinics and clinicians
Establishing a safe environment	Terminology and patient intake form
	Ask for “gender” and “sex assigned at birth.”38,39
	Ask for “relationship status” rather than marital status and include options such as “partnered.”38,39
	Ask for “preferred pronoun” and “preferred name.”38,39
	Use the terms that people use to describe themselves and their partners.38,39
	Apologize for mistakes in terminology.39
	Disclosure of sexual orientation and gender identity
	Indicate a nonjudgmental approach to SGM identities.38,39
	Elicit sexual orientation and gender identity information in a culturally competent manner.35,40
	Avoid assuming an opposite sex partner or spouse. For example, instead of: “Do you have a boyfriend or husband?” Ask: “Are you in a relationship?”38,39
	Assure AAPI SGM patients of their confidentiality.38,39
	Language and communication
	Provide SGM materials and services in AAPI languages, dialects, and texts (e.g., traditional written Chinese differs dramatically from simplified written Chinese).25
	Ensure access to medical interpreters.
	Physical environment
	Display visual cues that depict AAPI SGM to demonstrate awareness and a welcoming approach.39
	Designate gender-neutral bathrooms.38,39
Understanding patients' AAPI SGM identities	Understanding patient background in history taking
	Allow patients to self-identify in terms of their race, ethnicity, gender, and sexual orientation. Ask patients how being AAPI and SGM have affected them and their interaction with healthcare providers and clinic staff.40
	Recognize that disclosure of sexual orientation and gender identity may be particularly difficult for AAPI patients.22,39
	AAPI SGM vary widely by English proficiency, socioeconomic status, and generational status.22,25,26
	Health deteriorates with longer residence in the United States and over generational status among AAPIs, although the behavioral mechanisms underlying this relationship remain unclear.23,24,42
	AAPI SGM may have mixed-race or multiracial identities.
	Ensure the availability of language translation services.
	Inquire about the possible use of complementary and alternative medicine.
	Stereotypes
	Continually examine your own automatic biases about AAPI.25
	Be aware of stereotypes about accents, language, body size, model minority status, and/or sexual exoticization and how they can deleteriously impact care.34,43
	Understand the basic history of discrimination against AAPI and SGM in the United States.44–46