Holding Open the Door for Others Like Me

This personal narrative recounts the author’s experience as a Black, queer, nonbinary medical student navigating systemic biases during the residency match process for Obstetrics and Gynecology. Despite being a competitive applicant, the author initially failed to match in 2020, raising questions about implicit bias related to their marginalized identities. Drawing parallels to their grandfather’s struggles as Arizona’s first Black board-certified physician in the 1940s, the author highlights persistent barriers for underrepresented minorities in medicine. After reapplying and matching in 2021 to a program supportive of their identity and focus on transgender care, the author calls for systemic reforms to address biases in residency selection and advocates for greater representation to improve health equity for marginalized patient populations.

This personal narrative recounts the author’s experience as a Black, queer, nonbinary medical student navigating systemic biases during the residency match process for Obstetrics and Gynecology. Despite being a competitive applicant, the author initially failed to match in 2020, raising questions about implicit bias related to their marginalized identities. Drawing parallels to their grandfather’s struggles as Arizona’s first Black board-certified physician in the 1940s, the author highlights persistent barriers for underrepresented minorities in medicine. After reapplying and matching in 2021 to a program supportive of their identity and focus on transgender care, the author calls for systemic reforms to address biases in residency selection and advocates for greater representation to improve health equity for marginalized patient populations.