When Dalena SpiritSong goes in for her annual health checkup, she needs something most women do not: a prostate exam. As a transgender woman who began taking hormones in 2001 to make the transition from male to female, the 67-year-old Corvallis resident still needs the exam recommended for men that age. Her transition forces her to navigate a healthcare world still learning how to serve transgender patients, as well as those who are gay, lesbian, bisexual, questioning or intersex. Shifting public health perspectives acknowledge the unique needs and concerns, both physical and mental, of the LGBT community.
