LGBTQ+ Sexual Health Care in Los Angeles: Private, Respectful, and Clinically Grounded
Sexual health care should make space for your anatomy, identity, partners, hormones, prevention needs, and lived experience—without asking you to educate the person providing it.
Respect creates the conditions for accurate, useful care.
Affirming care is not a script or a label. It is the practice of asking better questions, understanding the health context, and building a plan around the person in the room.
What LGBTQ+ affirming sexual health care can include
There is no single “LGBTQ+ health plan.” Good care is specific to your body, your relationships, your risks, and what you want from treatment.
Joshua R. Gonzalez, MD is a board-certified, fellowship-trained urologist and sexual medicine specialist who provides discreet, individualized care for people of all genders and sexual orientations. Many of his patients are members of the LGBTQ+ community, and his approach is designed to make complex or sensitive conversations feel direct, informed, and normal.
An affirming visit may address one focused concern or several connected goals:
HIV & STI prevention
Testing based on anatomy and sites of exposure, PrEP monitoring, PEP counseling, vaccination review, and individualized prevention.
Sexual function
Erectile concerns, libido changes, arousal or orgasm difficulties, ejaculation concerns, painful sex, and pelvic pain.
Hormone-related health
Sexual-wellness concerns associated with testosterone, estrogen, menopause, gender-affirming hormones, or medication changes.
Gender-affirming support
Care that considers anatomy, transition goals, hormone use, sexual function, fertility, and coordination with other clinicians.
Urology & reproductive goals
Urinary symptoms, genital health, fertility discussions, contraception or vasectomy counseling, and post-procedure concerns.
Relationship-aware care
Conversations that account for partners and relationship structures without equating identity or non-monogamy with risk.
You should not have to simplify your identity, conceal relevant partners, or teach foundational language before a medical conversation can begin. You can expect questions that are clinically relevant and an explanation of why they matter.
STI testing is not the same for everyone
The most useful screening plan is based on anatomy, sexual practices, sites of contact, symptoms, partners, prevention tools, and recent history—not identity alone.
A routine urine test may miss an infection at another site of exposure. Depending on your history, appropriate testing could include urine, blood work, or swabs from the throat, rectum, vagina, or other relevant sites. Your clinician may also discuss HIV, syphilis, hepatitis, or other screening based on your individual context.
The CDC’s screening recommendations advise at least annual chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis screening for sexually active men who have sex with men, with screening every three to six months for some people at increased risk. CDC guidance also emphasizes adapting care for transgender and gender-diverse people based on anatomy and exposure. These are clinical starting points—not substitutes for an individualized recommendation.
Symptoms always deserve attention, even if your last screening was recent. Many STIs can also be present without symptoms, which is why timing and testing sites should be discussed openly.
The right question is not “Which box do you check?” It is “What information will help us care for you accurately?”
PrEP, PEP, DoxyPEP, and vaccinations
Modern prevention offers more choices than many patients realize. The best combination depends on your health, preferences, timing, and potential exposures. A visit can turn a confusing list of options into a practical plan.
PrEP
Pre-exposure prophylaxis uses antiretroviral medication to prevent HIV. CDC guidance recommends discussing PrEP with sexually active patients and using it as part of comprehensive prevention, with appropriate baseline and follow-up care.
PEP
Post-exposure prophylaxis is time-sensitive. If a potential HIV exposure happened within the last 72 hours, seek urgent medical guidance rather than waiting for a routine visit.
DoxyPEP
Doxycycline post-exposure prophylaxis may be considered for certain patients through shared decision-making. It requires discussion of eligibility, benefits, limitations, medication interactions, follow-up testing, and antimicrobial resistance.
Vaccines
A review may include hepatitis A and B, HPV, and mpox vaccination when indicated, based on age, history, exposure, and current public-health guidance.
The CDC describes PrEP as one part of a broader HIV-prevention plan that can also include adherence support, condoms, STI screening, and other risk-reduction strategies. For DoxyPEP, CDC recommendations are population-specific and center shared decision-making plus ongoing screening; it is not appropriate to self-prescribe or use leftover antibiotics.
Prevention can be proactive without being fear-based. The aim is to give you reliable options, clear monitoring, and a plan that works in real life.
Sexual function, hormones, and gender-affirming goals
LGBTQ+ sexual health is not limited to infection prevention. Pleasure, comfort, function, fertility, and confidence are health concerns, too.
Patients may want help with erections, libido, orgasm, ejaculation, pain, pelvic symptoms, genital or urinary changes, fertility planning, or sexual wellness during hormone therapy. These concerns can involve blood flow, nerve function, tissue health, medications, hormone levels, prior surgery, stress, dysphoria, or relationship context.
For transgender and gender-diverse patients, care can be organized around the anatomy you have, the words you use for your body, and your individual transition goals. A plan may include hormone-related evaluation, preservation of sexual function, fertility conversations, urologic care before or after gender-affirming procedures, or coordination with other members of your care team.
There is no requirement to prioritize one goal at the expense of every other. Medical decisions can make room for gender affirmation, sexual function, preventive care, and future reproductive choices at the same time.
An LGBTQ+ sexual health doctor near West Hollywood
Dr. Gonzalez’s Los Angeles practice is located near Miracle Mile at 5757 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 475, Los Angeles, CA 90036. The office serves patients from West Hollywood, Beverly Grove, Hollywood, Beverly Hills, and across the greater Los Angeles area.
For many patients, choosing a clinician is about more than proximity. It is about knowing that the visit can include specific conversations—about sex, partners, anatomy, hormones, identity, prevention, or function—without discomfort or assumptions getting in the way of medical care.
If you have postponed a concern because a previous visit felt rushed or dismissive, you can begin again. A confidential consultation is an opportunity to name the issue in your own words and decide what evaluation makes sense.
View the office location and contact details or use the secure appointment request.
Common questions
What does LGBTQ+ affirming sexual health care mean?
It means providing respectful, evidence-informed care that accounts for a person’s anatomy, identity, partners, sexual practices, hormone use, prevention needs, symptoms, and goals without relying on assumptions or judgment.
Does Dr. Gonzalez offer HIV and STI prevention?
Yes. Care may include individualized STI testing, HIV testing, PrEP counseling and monitoring, PEP counseling, DoxyPEP discussion when clinically appropriate, vaccination review, and personalized risk-reduction planning.
Can LGBTQ+ patients discuss sexual-function concerns?
Absolutely. Erectile function, arousal, libido, orgasm, ejaculation, painful sex, pelvic pain, hormone-related changes, and sexual wellness after a procedure or health change are all appropriate reasons to schedule a visit.
Is STI screening the same for everyone?
No. The tests, anatomic sites, and frequency should be personalized using symptoms, anatomy, sites of exposure, partners, recent history, PrEP use, and other relevant factors. Your clinician can recommend a schedule for you.
Where is the practice in relation to West Hollywood?
The office is at 5757 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 475, near Miracle Mile and convenient to West Hollywood, Beverly Grove, Hollywood, Beverly Hills, and surrounding Los Angeles neighborhoods.
Clinical references
Bring the question you have been waiting to ask.
Schedule a private consultation with Joshua R. Gonzalez, MD in Los Angeles.