Family and LGBT friendly specialties + locations

[BoopityBoop]

Last weekend I was fortunate enough to meet peers in my class for drinks and we (obviously) ended up discussing our future as well as specialty choice(s). By talking to male peers who are in the LGBT community, it dawned on me that choosing a career for them is not as simple as it is for straight males. I mean there are always other personal factors that go into choosing a specialty, regardless of sexual orientation, but some of the additional challenges that they mentioned included: entering a specialty that was LGBT friendly, a specialty/program friendly towards paternity leave, choosing a city & academic institution that is LGBT friendly and more that I can't remember... - I was 3 pints in at this point haha. One of them felt that FM was inevitable for them if they wanted the things listed above.

When they told me this, I realized that in my past experience with male and female residents in different subspecialties, the majority of male residents continued to work even after they and their partner had a child, but many female residents would delay maternity, take the maximum length of maternity leave without being held back in residency, or just accept that their training will be delayed. This definitely made me more conscious of my privilege as a younger, straight male, in the field of medicine who unintentionally presumed that only my future female partner would take the mat leave, and I wouldn't. If I was encouraged or knew staff members that took pat leave, I would love to take pat leave!

Now you may be confused as to what direction this post is going... But let me summarize it in these two questions:

1. I think more and more programs are accepting of female residents taking mat leave, but what are the stigmas amongst different specialties when it comes to new fathers, who are residents/fellows/new staff, taking paternity leave? Are some specialties more encouraging? Are some just tolerant? Are there programs/specialties that shame or make fun of male residents for taking paternity leave?

2. Besides FM (and maybe peds?), what specialties/programs are friendly towards starting a family, taking paternity leave, and physicians of the LGBT community?

Thanks everyone!
 

[shikimate]

If there are only 2-3 residents in your program, covering all the city hospitals, and one resident takes a leave, then the other people may get screwed in terms of call coverage, just saying.

You could consider public health, typical 9-4 type of thing, no call, low pressure, government office type work I heard.

[ellorie]

Psych is good. We have a couple people in my year who have taken paternity leave.