By: Jhanavi Ravi
Photo by Reproductive Health Supplies Coalition on Unsplash
The LQBTQ community continues to face innumerable discriminatory hardships, and one of the most prominent barriers they face in the pursuit of equality is the denial of their reproductive healthcare.
Shedding Light on Transgenders
The National Center for Transgender Equality reports that one in three transgender people and 48% of transgender men delay or avoid preventive healthcare procedures such as pelvic exams or STI screening out of fear of the discrimination they receive. However, transgender people, especially women, have a higher risk of HIV and sexually transmitted infections, which makes it imperative to acknowledge the lack of education on reproductive healthcare for transgenders among healthcare providers and workers. A recent survey revealed that medical students received only five hours of LGBTQ health training. In a third of medical schools, no LGBT training is provided. Consequently, many transgenders have to guide their providers in order to receive the proper care needed.
A Deprivation Beginning From Adolescence
Moreover, members of the LGBTQ community are not knowledgeable of their reproductive health; they are not given the proper education that should be required. In the United States, only twelve states mandate a discussion about sexual orientation in sexual education courses, and three of these twelve states require only negative instruction about non-heterosexual sexual orientations. This is another factor that leads to the LGBTQ community's struggle with their reproductive health. The stigma that revolves around the LGBTQ community continues to grow as more and more people view homosexuality as a crime and not another sexual orientation.
Fertility Struggles
LGBTQ people are routinely denied access to reproductive technologies. Infertility treatment centers also discriminate against LGBTQ couples. Insurance companies deny lesbians' access to fertility services even when their plan covers such services.
Can Our World Change?
Thankfully, there is still some hope. The Reproductive Justice movement is a movement created in the United States that aims at protecting the reproductive rights of every individual by incorporating a core commitment to human rights and addressing medical, social, economic, and racial and ethnic injustices that limit many U.S. women’s reproductive choices. They highlight the struggles of women who come from oppressed groups, like the LGBTQ community, and fight to ensure that they do not have to face these barriers.
Members of the LGBTQ community find it extremely difficult to openly express themselves and their identities because of numerous laws and consequences that present themselves. An alarmingly large percentage of the world population still encourages homophobic thoughts and actions. Our generation is the power to try to make a difference - to help others realize that the LGBTQ community is no less than a heterosexual person. If we can help people understand this, then this community can be treated with the same respect that is given to the privileged groups. This way, members of this community can at least access the basic facilities they need to live, such as reproductive healthcare, without any discrimination or prejudice.
Citations
Beahr, Nina. “The Reproductive Justice Movement: A Model for a More Inclusive Movement to Improve End-of-Life Options.” National Women's Health Network, www.nwhn.org/the-reproductive-justice-movement-a-model-for-a-more-inclusive-movement-to-improve-end-of-life-options-2/.
“If You Really Care about LGBT Rights, You Should Care about Reproductive Justice!” Berkley Law, National Women's Law Center, Oct. 2011, www.law.berkeley.edu/php-programs/centers/crrj/zotero/loadfile.php?entity_key=XIJ4JTW
“Recognizing the Needs of LGBT Women.” Womenshealth.gov, Office on Women’s Health in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 1 Apr. 2019, www.womenshealth.gov/30-achievements/29.
“Transgender Sexual and Reproductive Health: Unmet Needs and Barriers to Care.” National Center for Transgender Equality, National Center for Transgender Equality, 1 Apr. 2012, transequality.org/issues/resources/transgender-sexual-and-reproductive-health-unmet-needs-and-barriers-to-care.