Publications

Guest article by Aïda Yancy and Ilaria Todde, Eurocentral Lesbian* Community (EL*C)

It is no secret that disparities exist across the health field, and lesbians experience this firsthand. Gender-based medicine, an approach that addresses how people’s health conditions differ based on sex characteristics, gender, and the connected bias, has shown how modern Western medicine uses the male body as the norm. It acknowledges how social norms, roles, and relationships impact individuals’ health and access to healthcare [1-2]. This leads to health systems failing to address the needs of those who are not male and who do not conform to gender and sexual norms, as is the case for LBQ women and non-binary people.

Invisibility: A Not-So-Great Power to Have

Except for contraception, the health conditions and pathologies of women and people assigned female at birth have historically been overlooked by extensive studies [3]. Moreover, there are very few studies and scientific research that consider the combination of data such as sex assigned at birth, gender identity, and sexual orientation [4]. Research conducted by EL*C in 2020 [5] found that lesbians are underrepresented in medical research, even within sexual and gender minority populations, with less than 10% of research focusing on non-heterosexual women, the vast majority of which originates from North America.

Distrust in the Healthcare System

Beyond the lack of data, the lack of training of medical practitioners in gender-based medicine and sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, and sex characteristics (SOGIESC) issues results in harmful or inadequate treatment. Lesbians are often found to refrain from disclosing their sexual orientation in medical contexts, even when this information would be instrumental in helping them receive holistic healthcare. Many even withdraw from the healthcare system altogether, with distrust being even more pronounced for those exposed to additional intersecting forms of discrimination, such as racialised, migrant, or trans LBQ women. Furthermore, when they do reveal their sexual orientation, they often receive incomplete or incorrect medical information based on stereotypes or misconceptions [6].

So, What Now?

Fortunately, examples of good practice exist. For example, the Dutch government launched HPV self-sampling kits in 2017, which successfully reached people who avoid the healthcare system. However, these practices remain too rare, and it is more essential and urgent than ever to invest in better data collection and sustained funding for community-based initiatives that address healthcare access gaps and specific health disparities affecting LBQ women and non-binary individuals.

The Eurocentralasian Lesbian* Community (EL*C), as a pan-European network representing over 150 LBQ-led and focused organisations, is acutely aware of the importance of improving data and raising awareness. For this reason, since the very beginning of our organisation, we have focused on producing data for policymakers and academics. We are also present at the institutional level with our advocacy to ensure that lesbian needs are visible, heard, and considered when creating policies and laws. In a context that, for many years, has ignored the specific needs of LBQ women [7], allyship with our partners in the healthcare sector, with policymakers at European and national levels, and with researchers is more needed than ever.

Side note: EL*C uses the term “lesbian” as inclusive of cis, trans, and intersex women, and non-binary people who self-identify as lesbian, bisexual, and queer. In this article, the term “lesbian” and the term LBQ women (and non-binary people) will be used interchangeably.

Sources:

[1] L. Schiebinger (2014), Scientific research must take gender into account, in Nature, 7490, 2014, 9 ss. 

[2] See: https://www.who.int/health-topics/gender#tab=tab_1 

[3] M. Evans, F.Whitehead, A.Diderichsen, A,Bhuiya, M.Wirth (2001), Challenging Inequities in Health: from Ethics to Action, New York, 2001, 181 ss. 

[4] K.E. Baker, C.G. Steerd, L. Edurso (2021), Ensuring That LGBTQI+ People Count- Collecting Data on Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, and Intersex Status, in N Engl J Med, 384, 2021, 1184-1186. 

 [5] EL*C (2020), The State of Lesbian Organising and the Lived Realities of Lesbians in the EU and the Accession Countries. 

[6] EL*C (2022), A bitter pill to swallow. Gaps And Discriminations In Healthcare For Lesbians. 

[7] EL*C (2021), Resistance as a way of living, Lesbian Lives through the COVID-19 Pandemic