Thanks for a great article. As a gay man, I have sought out therapy to deal with what turned out to be diagnosed as PTSD from my early religious upbringing. I’ve also sought therapy to deal with consequences of my pretty-well-masked autism.

I’ve learned from a lot of years of experience that therapists, even really good ones with all the best intentions, are often not well suited to provide therapy to gay men. (or other queer people.) It really is a specialist field demanding a particular knowledge base or skill set.

Incidentally, when I saw your title, I thought you might be writing about another issue, about how gay men can feel less than welcome in other practices, even general medicine. Now that I’m getting older and live in a rural area that’s pretty conservative on sexual matters, I can feel less than forthcoming with my doctor, especially about bringing up matters that are important for my health as a gay man.

A lot of gay men report this reticence, and some physicians are working on ways to advertise their sensitivity so they can provide better medical care. A topic well worth exploring!