• Equality
  • Community
    • Health
    • Youth
    • Seniors
  • Voices
    • From the CEO
    • Take Five
    • Why I Give
  • About the Center
  • Galleries
  • Calendar
Facebook Twitter Instagram
Trending
  • Slice, Slice Baby!
  • LGBTQ+ Youth, Seniors, and ‘Drag Race’ Queens Celebrate Chosen Family at Inaugural Intergenerational Thanksgiving Dinner
  • Dispensing Culturally Competent Care: The Center’s Patient-Centric Pharmacy Does Much More Than Fill Prescriptions
  • Get to Know the Center’s New Leadership Team
  • The Center Looks Back on 25 Years of Senior Services
  • Center CEO Joe Hollendoner: “Our Work Is Never Done”
  • Trixie Mattel Inspires LGBTQ+ Youth to Be Their Best Selves at Models of Pride: “You Are All the Main Character”
  • From Poetry to Tap Dance, Seniors Flaunt Their Talents at Fall Showcase 
Twitter Facebook Instagram YouTube
LGBT News Now
Learn about career opportunities at the Center
  • Equality
  • Community
    • Health
    • Youth
    • Seniors
  • Voices
    • From the CEO
    • Take Five
    • Why I Give
  • About the Center
  • Galleries
  • Calendar
LGBT News Now
You are at:Home»Equality»Silent No More: Demanding Equity in LBQ Women’s Health Care
LGBT News Now

Silent No More: Demanding Equity in LBQ Women’s Health Care

0
By on March 23, 2019 Equality

By Greg Hernandez

The marginalization, discrimination, and stigma lesbian, bisexual, and queer (LBQ) women face when accessing health care is a public health crisis most women face alone…until now.

More than 60 volunteers gathered on a recent Sunday to help the 2.5 million LBQ women in California get access to culturally appropriate health care without having to face such things as homophobia and biphobia. Currently, there are currently no targeted state funds to address the health needs of LBQ women anywhere in the United States.

“I have a client who is going to have a hysterectomy,” Nurse Practitioner Angie Magaña, manager of the Center’s Audre Lorde Health Program, shared with the group. “She had stopped going to get primary preventative care of any kind because she had so many negative experiences when trying to get care. Now she’s going to have part of her body removed because she has cancer that could have been easily caught with a routine test.”

The volunteers were on hand write letters to California legislators demanding that $17.5 million be budgeted for the creation of the Lesbian, Bisexual and Queer (LBQ) Women’s Health Equity Fund. The Fund would be the first of its kind in the nation.

“LBQ women need a place where they can feel accepted and feel like they can disclose and talk about their health,” Magaña explained. We know that if you disclose who you are in all aspects of your identity, you’re more likely to get good health care because you’re going to be able to talk openly.”

LGQ women have low levels of insurance coverage and a lack of access to mental health services and life-saving preventative services like mammograms and other cancer screenings.

In addition, almost 30% of this population have reported putting off seeing a doctor even if they have insurance and one in three believe discussing their sexual orientation would negatively affect their health outcome.

The Fund would be created within the California Department of Public Health. Most of the money ($15.5 million) is for helping LBQ women access health care providers, health coverage, mental health care, domestic violence programs, and referrals to smoking, alcohol, and substance abuse treatment.

It would also pay for training for healthcare providers to be able to provide culturally appropriate care and community education and outreach efforts. Another $2 million would go to researching LBQ women’s health needs.

The volunteer letter writers are members of the Center’s Resistance Squad, a volunteer-based rapid response team led by the Center’s Policy and Community Building team.

Each wrote letters to both Senator Richard Pan, chair of the California Budget Subcommittee on Health and Human Services, and Assemblymember Joaquin Arambula, chair of the Assembly Budget Subcommittee on Health.

For some volunteers, the issue hits close to home.

“I’m queer and I go to health care providers,” said Katelin Eden Dukes, a Squad member since 2017.  “I’ve had to get to the point with a lot of different doctors saying, ‘No, I don’t need a pregnancy test. I’m super not pregnant’ and ‘No, we don’t have to talk about birth control.’ You have to have the same conversation over and over and over and over again.”

The LBQ women’s health statistics came as a surprise to volunteer Amy Spalding and led to her thinking back to the AIDS crisis of the 1980s and 90s when community stepped up because the federal government would not.

“I’m glad to see so many members of the community here today—not just women—coming together in support,” Spalding said.

Elliot Cottington, a gay man new to Los Angeles, agreed.

“I have a different experience when it comes to health care,” he acknowledged. “But as a member of the LGBT community, I think that we all need to work together. I know that being a gay person, there’s a certain anxiety that goes with going to the doctor. It applies to anyone who identifies as LGBT and that’s what I drove home in my letter. It’s an issue for everyone.”

Volunteer Rachel Davis left the letter-writing session feeling motivated to continue to push for the Fund in the coming months.

“I’m straight and I’ve never had to deal with this type of discrimination, so it’s really jarring to know that close friends of mine go through it all the time,” Davis said. “It’s unfair and I’m glad we are trying to do something about it.”

Before the actual letter writing began, Magaña spoke to the volunteers along with Amy Kane, manager of Clinical Programs at the Center. They shared how they had recently made a trip to Sacramento to personally address lawmakers on a budget subcommittee.

“It’s been a couple of years of uphill battles to get this talked about,” Kane said. “This seemed like new information to the people in Sacramento. As we were telling stories, I could see them reacting like ‘How is this happening?’ They had no idea. It was the first time they were hearing about the disparities for this community.”

The Center has teamed with other LGBTQ organizations, health care providers, government agencies, and activists in the effort to create the state fund.

“The more passion that we show, the more it shows lawmakers that Californians are advocating for lesbian, bi, and queer women’s health,” Center Policy team member Danny Gonalez told volunteers. “What keeps motivating legislators is an emotional connection. It’s our duty to foster that emotional connection and to say, ‘Hear us. Help us.’”

To join upcoming actions in support of LBQ women, visit lalgbtcenter.org/helpqueerwomen.

Share this:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)

Related Posts

Vote in the 2022 Midterm Elections!

Los Angeles LGBT Center Congratulates the Honorable Ketanji Brown Jackson for Making History as the First Black Woman to Be Confirmed to the United States Supreme Court

Celebrating VAWA Reauthorization Act: “It Feels Incredible to be a Part of Such a Historic Achievement”

Comments are closed.

Upcoming Events

Feb 4
5:00 pm - 10:00 pm

The Future is Black 2023: Renaissance

Feb 9
February 9 - March 4

Cock

Mar 16
March 16 - April 16

Menstruation: A Period Piece

Apr 29
April 29 - June 24

A New Brain

May 13
May 13 - June 12

The Bottoming Process

View Calendar
About Us

LGBT News Now

LGBT News Now is a publication of the Los Angeles LGBT Center. Celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2019, the Center is the largest LGBT organization in the world, dedicated to building a world where LGBT thrive as healthy, equal, and complete members of society. Learn more at lalgbtcenter.org.

Follow Us on Instagram

lalgbtcenter

The Los Angeles LGBT Center is building a world where LGBT people thrive as healthy, equal, and complete members of society.

Los Angeles LGBT Center
This is not a drill: There are active legislative This is not a drill: There are active legislative threats against our freedoms going up for vote across the country. We know most of these fights are not happening in California—but that’s precisely why our Center community can be of help. Join the Resistance Squad today by texting ‘RESIST’ to 33339 to help win this fight, and swipe through the slides to understand what’s happening. —>
Did you know that the Center hosts a Senior Prom f Did you know that the Center hosts a Senior Prom for our #LGBTQ+ #elders each year? A few years ago, we were visited by filmmakers who wanted to document the event in all its glory—and now their film is airing tonight on @PBS at 10PM PT. Please tune in to celebrate the amazing work of our Senior Services team and our real heroes, our incredible clients! And stay tuned later this year for more from our next installment of the Prom.
Our community at the Los Angeles LGBT Center exten Our community at the Los Angeles LGBT Center extends our deepest condolences to the loved ones of those we lost in the tragic mass shooting in #MontereyPark, and our well wishes to the survivors who are recovering. We remain committed to our hope for a peaceful and prosperous Los Angeles—without guns and hate.
We’re honored to join the @academymuseum as a Co We’re honored to join the @academymuseum as a Community Partner for the upcoming screening of Pat Rocco's Signs of Queer Life on January 26 at 7:30pm.

The trailblazing LA-based filmmaker and gay rights advocate, #PatRocco, captured seminal moments of LGBTQ history, joy and upsets. Check out a preview of his film #WeWereThere. Use discount code LGBTQ+ to get $2 off tickets to the screening! Link in our bio. 
 
#AcademyMuseum #LGBTQstories
The Center is proud to announce our inaugural thea The Center is proud to announce our inaugural theatre season! This year, we are partnering with local theatre companies to present nearly 100 showings of four remarkable plays to lift the depth and diversity of LGBTQ+ narratives. The line-up includes world premieres, an award-winning comedy, and a radically reimagined musical. Performances begin Feb. 9—Get your tickets now at lalgbtcenter.org/theatre, or at the link in our bio! 🎭 🎟️
SHE DID NOT COME TO PLAY! The one and only @bigfre SHE DID NOT COME TO PLAY! The one and only @bigfreedia, Queen of Bounce, is coming to the Los Angeles LGBT Center for #TheFutureIsBlack — our #BlackHistoryMonth event — and tickets are FREE to the public at the #linkinbio. Hear from Freedia and a dynamic roster of other Black talent, then dance the night away in our Renaissance-themed afterparty. Mark your calendars for Saturday, February 4th and get on that list at the link in bio before it closes.
Today we commemorate one of our nation’s most pr Today we commemorate one of our nation’s most preeminent civil rights leaders— the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.— who left us a transformative legacy rooted in service and community. His noble actions blueprinted monuments of unity across the country, and especially, here at home in Los Angeles. On this #MLKDayofService, we are reminded of our ability to champion equity and justice for all.
 
#DrKing #MLKDay
We at the Los Angeles LGBT Center are deeply distu We at the Los Angeles LGBT Center are deeply disturbed by the videos depicting the tragic deaths of three Angelenos, and join the Mayor in calling for urgent police reform and accountability. Swipe through for our full statement.

#TakarSmith #KeenanAnderson #OscarSanchez
Get ready, LA! Join us in community as we ring in Get ready, LA! Join us in community as we ring in Center South’s 3rd Anniversary Celebration on January 21st from 12-4PM! The joyous afternoon event will offer self-guided tours, dynamic performances, food, prizes, health services, and more. Register for free at lalgbtcenter.org/centersouth3year or with the link in bio! We can’t wait to see you there 🏳️‍🌈☀️
 
PS: Did you know Center South is located in the heart of #SouthLosAngeles, just steps away from historic #LeimertPark? The site offers free (or low cost) year-round health services and STI testing for all #Angelenos. 

#LosAngeles #LGBTQ
Load More... Follow on Instagram
Stay Connected
Subscribe
Copyright © 2022 Los Angeles LGBT Center
  • Terms of Service
  • Privacy
  • Contact Us

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.