The Sexual Health
Care of WSW in Minnesota
According to a survey done
by Rainbow Health Initiative on LGBT Minnesotans:
• 22% do not have insurance
(compared with 6.7% statewide according to the Department
of Health)
• 1 in 4 women report discrimination
in a health care setting due to their sexual orientation
or gender identity.
• 4 in 10 LGBT Minnesotans have not disclosed
their sexual orientation or gender identity to
their health care provider.
• Almost half of LGBT Minnesotans would prefer
a LGBT provider but only 1 in 8 women had one.
Sexual Health Care for Teens:
• According to the MN Adolescent Health
Survey, girls 12-19 identifying as lesbian and bisexual
were just as likely to engage in penile-vaginal intercourse
as their heterosexual counterparts (about 30%)
• Lesbian and bisexual girls reported twice
as many pregnancies as their heterosexual counterparts.
Research Done by Midwest:
In October, 2007 MHCW held 3 focus groups and
an online survey of women who have sex with women (WSW).
• All participants voiced a need for
sensitive, respectful and knowledgeable high quality
sexual health care for WSW
• All participants voiced a need for community
education around sexual health issues for WSW,
letting the community know why it is important for WSW to
get annual exams.
• When asked what quality sexual health care would
look like, over 90% indicated “medical professionals’
understanding of my sexuality”
• When asked what gets in the way of receiving the
medical services that they want, the two most popular answers
were “cost” and “the attitudes
of health care professionals about my sexuality”
• When asked if they would prefer to receive health
care at a clinic that specializes in providing sexual health
care to WSW, instead of their current health care provider,
over half said yes
MORE DETAILS OF RESEARCH
PARTICIPANT QUOTES
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