Dr. Monique Lyons: Creating Safe Spaces in the World of Chiropractic

Dr. Monique Lyons is an alumnus of Texas Chiropractic College. She visited campus to share her story of being a part of the T.R.U.T.H. project in Houston, TX. T.R.U.T.H is an acronym for Telling Real Unapologetic Through Healing; It is a nonprofit organization that seeks to educate and mobilize LGBTQ+ communities of color and their allies. They do this through social arts that promote mental, emotional, and sexual health.

As a member of the LGBTQ+ community herself, Dr. Lyons shares the importance of creating safe spaces for them in the world of chiropractic and otherwise.

 

What is your main motivator for being a part of T.R.U.T.H.?

What they’re doing in the community was a big thing that drew me to the organization, a lot of people weren’t really speaking about mental health and how not being able to tell your truth causes a lot of anxiety. Now that people are paying attention to mental health, it makes me still want to be a part of it.

How does this work impact your work as a chiropractor?

When I was going through chiropractic school, no one else was really out. So, while everyone else was able to comfortably talk about what they were doing on the weekends and who they were going to be with, it was strictly business for me. I didn’t feel comfortable enough.

As a chiropractor, being part of the LGBTQ+ Community – Many patients (particularly older ones) aren’t okay with it. Especially if you have a child practice. Because of that, it is very important for me to be who I am and know that I’m still going to deliver great quality care.

What are some resources that you would recommend to our students?

The Montrose Center in Houston is a great resource to reach out to; From there, they can put people in line where they should go. They offer things like counseling sessions and job placements for people of any age. That’s the main hub.

Who can be a part of this organization, and what is a good next step?

Anybody! The next step would be to visit the T.R.U.T.H. website and reach out to Kevin Anderson. He is the C.E.O. and founder of the project. It’s a working board, so we are always looking for people to come and help out.

Is there anything else you want people to know regarding this topic?

Just continue to be who you are and tell your truth. How you decide to live your life should not affect who you are as a clinician. We don’t really treat a lot of people in the LGBTQ+ community because they don’t really feel comfortable enough. So, make sure to reach out to the LGBTQ+ community as a clinician to help them get the help they need.

What would be your hope for this topic as it pertains to chiropractic/ medical care and chiropractic campuses. 

It would be cool to see more of those clubs being developed on campuses! To have more things like G.L.M.A. (Health Professionals Advancing L.G.T.B.Q. Equality) in chiropractic would be great.

–-–-–-

About the writer:

Jordan Matranga is the Communications Coordinator at Texas Chiropractic College. She attended the University of Houston, majoring in Interpersonal Communications and minoring in Human Development and Family Studies. Jordan is passionate about storytelling through writing and social media. Through her job at TCC, she is continuously learning how to incorporate these things into the realms of chiropractic care and higher education.

Would you like to be a guest writer for TCC’s Blog?

Email communications@txchiro.edu with your idea or submission.

(There is no guarantee that your blog will be posted as all guest blogs must go through an approval process).