Lesbian Health Issues

Human rights legislation (both provincial and federal) exists to protect lesbians, gay men and bisexuals from discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. While this protection has not been written into the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the section pertaining to Equality Rights has been held to prohibit discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation. However, sexual minorities still encounter both systemic barriers and interpersonal expressions of homophobia in society.

In the health care context some hospitals and care providers are starting to bring policies and practices in line with human rights law. They are doing this by expanding definitions of family beyond biological kin, providing training on diversity and developing specific programs to meet the needs of lesbians, gays and bisexuals.

Why should we work to make the health care system accessible to lesbians? Fundamentally, the system needs to be responsive to, and inclusive of, everyone. There are health problems that may be more prevalent among lesbians or for which risk factors and interventions may be different. Many lesbian health issues could be remedied by improving access to care, by reducing discriminatory behaviors and attitudes in Canadian society and by working towards recognition and equality in the health system.

The result of making care safe for lesbians means:

• Health care providers get accurate information about their patients and use that information to make informed diagnostic and treatment decisions.
• Patients are treated in a holistic manner, and their definitions of family/caregivers are respected.
• Patients' energy that may be spent on staying in the closet gets spent on healing.

Social determinants of health, like systemic discrimination and the recognition of how multiple oppressions (like racism and homophobia) intersect, are acknowledged.

Source: The Lesbian and Bisexual Women's Health Project was funded by Health Canada and Status of Women Canada, and coordinated by the British Columbia Centre of Excellence for Women's Health.

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