The health of LGBTI+ people and the COVID-19 pandemic: A call for visibility and health responses in Latin America (original) (raw)
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ACCESS TO HEALTH CARE FOR THE LGBTQ+ POPULATION (Atena Editora)
ACCESS TO HEALTH CARE FOR THE LGBTQ+ POPULATION (Atena Editora), 2023
In accessing health care, discrimination, stigma, invisibility and other barriers related to sexual orientation and gender identity can result in serious damage to the health of the LGBTQ+ population. Health professionals can contribute to these barriers or, on the other hand, to equitable and quality health care. Faced with this problem, we were faced with the need to study the situation of vulnerability of the LGBTQ+ community in terms of access to health care. Through an integrative literature review, we explored the question “What are the factors that influence access to health care for the LGBTQ+ population between 15 and 30 years old?”. The outlined objectives consisted of identifying the factors that influence access to health care for the LGBTQ+ population, identifying the health specificities of the LGBTQ+ population; understand the barriers in accessing health care and their consequences. Nine primary studies of a quantitative and qualitative nature, carried out in different countries whose health system and social environment are similar to Portugal, were selected. As search criteria, we included articles in Portuguese and/or English, and published within a period of 5 years (2018 to 2023), through the EBSCO platform with access to the CINHAL Complete and Medline Complete databases. The analysis and discussion of the documentary corpus revealed that the main barriers center on discrimination and invisibility in health care, the lack of competence of health professionals, health literacy and attitudes of the LGBTQ+ population and the transition phase in which trans individuals meet. A direct relationship was established with the postponement and/or lack of seeking care by this population and discrimination in health contexts. Heterosexuality and cisnormativity and consequent invisibility were another factor related to the eviction of health care. Health professionals often assume the client's sexual orientation/gender identity, resulting in a barrier to providing individualized care that meets the client's needs. These factors are often motivated by the lack of cultural and professional competence of caregivers, not having the necessary training and knowledge to provide quality care to this population. We also verified a wrong perception of the severity of the symptoms by LGBTQ+ individuals, which results in a postponement of the search for health care. Knowing the disparities in health and existing barriers in accessing health care for this population in a context of vulnerability is essential to contribute to equitable health care.
Address Exacerbated Health Disparities and Risks to LGBTQ+ Individuals during COVID-19
Health and human rights, 2020
As of August 12, 2020, there are over 20 million confirmed cases of novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) worldwide with over 744,000 deaths.1 Due to existing disparities in health outcomes, the consequences of this pandemic for LGBTQ+ individuals could be magnified in scope and severity.2 Gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (MSM), particularly those who inhabit multiple minority identities (that is, racial/ethnic minorities, immigrants), are already at greater risk for suicide, HIV, and unemployment, and commonly face systematic, institutional discrimination in the form of criminalization and other human rights violations.3 Vulnerable subgroups, such as unstably housed or informally employed LGBTQ+ individuals, may struggle to practice social distancing and prescribed sanitation measures. The recommendations presented here are data-driven and informed by a cross-sectional survey implemented by the free gay social networking app, Hornet, from April 16 to May 4, 2020. H...
Lgbti People and Health Inequalities
2018
commonly experience a range of health and social inequalities. Such inequalities are unfair, preventable and fundamentally incompatible with public health and human rights principles. This article draws on the European Commission's Health4LGBTI pilot to highlight some of the inequalities faced by LGBTI people in EU Member States, as well as their fundamental causes in relation to health services. In doing so, we propose that mandatory training for health professionals needs to be considered as one of the main interventional avenues towards reducing the health inequalities experienced by LGBTI people.
The Journal of Infectious Diseases, 2021
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has disproportionately impacted lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) communities. Many disparities mirror those of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/AIDS epidemic. These health inequities have repeated throughout history due to the structural oppression of LGBTQ+ people. We aim to demonstrate that the familiar patterns of LGBTQ+ health disparities reflect a perpetuating, deeply rooted cycle of injustice imposed on LGBTQ+ people. Here, we contextualize COVID-19 inequities through the history of the HIV/AIDS crisis, describe manifestations of LGBTQ+ structural oppression exacerbated by the pandemic, and provide recommendations for medical professionals and institutions seeking to reduce health inequities.
LGBTIQ+ and COVID-19: Exacerbated Risk but Resilient Communities
This literature review shows that LGBTIQ+ people were already vulnerable for isolation, stress, depression and health risks, while at the same time not being treated equally or sensitively when accessing services. The negative experiences with by service providers over a long period of time, create a hesitance among LGBTIQ+ people to trust service providers, which reduces their access to services even further. Even before the COVID-19 epidemic, it was clear that the LGBTIQ+ “group” is not really one group. The different subgroups are affected by marginalization and discrimination in different ways. Both the way in which they are treated and the seriousness of maltreatment differs widely. A general trend is that gender nonconforming people are treated worse than others. Therefore any strategy to improve services needs to be sensitive to these differences. Research before COVID-19 also showed that within LGBTIQ+ groups there are numerous intersections with other backgrounds and identities which tends to increase risk and reduced access to services. It is clear that black and bicultural LGBTIQ + people face more challenges than white LGBTIQ people, and that young people, disabled people, and elderly people are also affected in more serious and different ways. Poverty is a key factor in these intersectional challenges, but also the psychological burden of having to navigate between “identities” that may seem at odds with each other (for example the presumption one cannot be black and lesbian at the same time). There is now ample evidence that all these challenges are exacerbated by the COVID-19 epidemic, both in the sense of risk for infection, risk of isolation and deprivation during lockdowns, and in some countries, increased social and political violence. It must be noted that State policies mediate all these risks to high extent. In countries where the State already before COVID-19 implemented supportive and protective policies related to sexual orientation, gender identity and sexual characteristics, the risks of the COVID-19 epidemic were less than in States where the situation for LGBTIQ+ people was bad before the epidemic. In those cases, the epidemic and related measures seriously increased LGBTIQ+ challenges. One of the main issues is whether countries provide financial support during lockdowns and protect people against unemployment. When such general measures are in place, they are also very beneficial for LGBTIQ+ people. But when measures like that are not in place, and the epidemic is partly blamed on minorities like LGBTIQ+, the situation for minorities quickly deteriorates seriously.
2017
This report is a state-of-the-art review study carried out in the context of the European Union (EU) funded pilot project Health4LGBTI (SANTE/2015/C4/035). The review study focused on the health inequalities faced by LGBTI people (especially those in vulnerable situations) and the potential barriers faced by health professionals when providing their care. It brings together scientific research and grey literature in a way that leads to new insights and recommendations supported by evidence.
2020
Objective: to analyze the difficulties of access to health services by LGBT people. Method: this is a descriptive bibliographic study of the integrative literature review type. The search was performed in January 2019 in the databases: MEDLINE, Web of Science and SCOPUS. We searched for articles with timeless delimitation. The articles were evaluated according to the AHRQ criteria and their eligibility by CASP. Data was analyzed in the IRAMUTEQ software from the Descending Hierarchical Classification. Results: it is noteworthy that the final sample consisted of ten articles, among them, 70% were available at SCOPUS; 10% on Web of Science and 20% on MEDLINE. Regarding the nationality of the studies, 10% were from Germany; 10% from Brazil; 10% from Argentina; 20% from Canada; 20% from South Africa and 30% from the United States of America. It was found that the years of publication of the studies were between 2013 and 2018. Conclusion: it is evident that access to health services by t...
Introduction to Special Issue: Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on LGBTQ+ Health and Well-Being
Journal of Homosexuality, 2021
This special issue on the impacts of COVID-19 on LGBTQ+ health and well-being reports findings from nine articles with varied study designs, including data from multiple countries and all segments of LGBTQ+ communities. Key findings included the observation that pre-COVID mental health disparities predispose LGBTQ+ people to poorer outcomes; that technological communication aids are essential in maintaining some sense of community; and that substance use is perceived by sexual minority women as a means of coping with fears, stress, loneliness, and boredom. Studies in this special issue also document that community support is still a critical need, particularly among those who are sheltering at home with families of origin. Findings underscore the importance of addressing structural inequities, including advocating for rights; providing financial support for LGBTQ+ community organizations and networks; ensuring access to competent and affirming healthcare; and including vulnerable communities in disaster response and planning.
LGBTQ+ Individuals, Health Inequities, and Policy Implications
2019
When the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (“ODPHP”) released its Healthy People 2020 goals and objectives, it recognized the public health needs of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (“LGBT”) community for the first time.1 The stated goal of Healthy People 2020 is to “improve the health, safety, and wellbeing of [LGBT] individuals.”2 One barrier to obtaining the needed information for achieving this goal is a lack of necessary data collection, particularly as it regards the LGBTQ+ community. This paper will provide a basic overview of health inequities experienced by the LGBTQ+ community and introduce interventions of interest to the legal and public health communities.