State laws prohibiting sodomy were on the books throughout US history until struck down by the US Supreme Court, which argued in Lawrence v Texas (2003) that the state cannot criminalize private sexual conduct.

The call for structural competency encourages medicine to broaden its approach to matters of race and culture so that it might better address both individual-level doctor and patient characteristics and institutional factors.

A Peace Corps physician working in Africa relates the impact of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack on Americans and others in Africa.

A psychology professor stresses the importance of cultural competence and cultural sensitivity physicians in meeting the end-of-life care needs of an increasingly diverse patient population.

Little-known medical trivia.

Diversity. A major buzz word here at the turn of the century.

Introduction of an intervention that reduces the perceived risk of a given behavior may cause a person to increase risky behavior—this is called “risk compensation.”

Biological and cultural differences affect the experience of pain, and misinformation and biases affect its treatment.

All of us are called upon to support candidates who personify respect, compassion, and empathy if we hope to realize a more fair and just future.

An ethical case concerns a 16-year-old girl suffering from systemic scleroderma with a poor prognosis and her father's cultural beliefs, which do not allow for discussions about end-of-life care.