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Health haven for lesbians
Advocate, The, August 30, 2005 by John Caldwell
For many lesbian patients and their caregivers, dealing with cancer can mean dealing with a lack of resources. New York's Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Community Center recently launched the Lesbian Cancer Initiative, a first-of-its-kind program in New York City.
"The New York center is often referred to as Grand Central Station for LGBT people," says Liz Margolies, coordinator for the initiative. "In a similar way we wanted this place to be an Ellis Island for lesbians with cancer."
The initiative provides a variety of non-medical services, including education, support groups, and a patient navigation system. "Because lesbians are at higher risk of developing cancer there is a great need for this," Margolies says.
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Some estimates put the instances of cancer among lesbian, bisexual, and transgender women at two to three times that of their straight counterparts. As a group, they are more likely to smoke, drink alcohol, be overweight, and have children at an older age or not at all. Due to fears of discrimination and lack of health insurance, they are less likely to have routine medical screenings that would pick up cancer at an early stage.
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