In 1969, family medicine became the 20th medical specialty recognized by the American Board of Medical Specialties. Its creation wasn’t a random milestone—it was a direct response to the increasing fragmentation and reductionism in healthcare. At the time, medicine was losing touch with the human aspect of healing. General practitioners, who once cared for entire communities without standardized training or certification, were being replaced by narrowly focused specialists. Family medicine stepped in to reclaim comprehensive, community-based care.
This ethos—the idea of walking alongside patients through every stage of life—is what first drew me to the specialty. And oddly enough, it was solidified by a television show: Hart of Dixie. A small-town story of a young doctor learning to care for a rural community, the show beautifully portrayed the heart of what family medicine can be: building lasting relationships, earning trust, and working together for the betterment of all.
Drawing Parallels: General Practitioners & Queer Trailblazers
In reflecting on family medicine’s founding, I can’t help but draw a parallel to another deeply rooted community—the transgender, gender-fluid, and queer trailblazers who laid the foundation for today’s LGBTQ+ pride movement.
Just as early general practitioners worked broadly and quietly--often outside institutional support--to care for their communities, these individuals have been the unsung backbone of progress and resistance from the early days of Stonewall to today's grassroots advocacy. While the broader LGBTQ+ acronym includes many identities, it’s important to recognize that trans and gender-expansive individuals have historically borne the brunt of stigma, violence, and erasure, even while fighting for the collective liberation of others.
Despite being disproportionately scapegoated, these communities have modeled resilience, leadership, and love—qualities that align perfectly with the values of family medicine.
A Call to Action for Family Medicine
As we honor both the LGBTQ+ community and our own specialty’s roots, I want to uplift and celebrate the "general practitioners" of the LGBTQ+ movement—the individuals who do it all, often without recognition, and often without rest. And I want to challenge my fellow family medicine providers and trainees:
How can we ensure our queer and trans youth make it to adulthood with joy, safety, and support?
How can we uplift our LGBTQ+ elders—those who survived the HIV/AIDS epidemic and who continue to face marginalization today?
What are we doing in our own practices, clinics, and communities to create spaces that affirm, protect, and celebrate our LGBTQ+ patients—not just during Pride Month, but every day?
Family medicine is uniquely positioned to answer this call. We aren’t bound to one organ or disease. Our specialty was built on connection and continuity, and we can use that foundation to build safer, more inclusive futures for queer and trans individuals—especially in today’s fraught political climate.
/wang.jpg?sfvrsn=d1d9e2d0_1 "Wang")
