A new program from Pink Triangle services is attempting to address health issues pertinent to local lesbian, bisexual, trans-sexual, two-spirit and queer women.
“There is a huge lack of resources in general for women of LBTTQ experiences and identities in Ottawa,” says Katherine Van Meyl, program co-ordinator.
She says the program is trying to address this gap and came about because Pink Triangle Services received calls after Snowblowers, a health event for men, asking why something similar was not available to women.
“We are hoping to address certain gaps in talking about sexuality of queer women, looking at how queer women understand STIs, and what kind of work needs to be done there,” says Claudia Van den Huevel acting executive director of Pink Triangle Services.
The lack of visibility of LBTTQ women, coupled with the overarching use of the term gay to signify an entire community are also issues says Kayla Miller, Pink Triangle Youth, senior co-ordinator.
“We just got a whole bunch of pamphlets sent in from other agencies and the first thing that’s on the covers are pictures of men,” says Miller.
It is the same problem with Capital Xtra, she says, and is a symptom of society’s patriarchal structure that she is eager to see the Women’s Health and Sexuality Program address.
As part of the program, women from PTS will go into the community in order to help them establish better policies. One of the goals is to make doctors offices more accommodating for LBTTQ women says Van den Huevel.
A major issue for the LBTTQ community is the lack of dialogue with health professionals because they do not understand LBTTQ experiences.
Van den Huevel says many struggle with the decision to tell doctors that they are queer. It impacts how doctors are able to serve them because they are not given important information about their sexual history.
Van Meyl says that as part of creating cultural understanding of LBTTQ experiences, they want to set up advocacy seminars for organizations to ensure that they are LBTTQ friendly.
“We’re not trying to create a safe space,” she says.
“We’re not trying to create a queer community. What we’re trying to do is make all spaces safe for women of sexual and gender minorities.”
The Women’s Health and Sexuality Program will also provide women with the opportunity to socialize and claim space.
Van Meyl says it brings mental health into the picture because it is part of a complete package
“It’s important to reduce the isolation in women of LBTTQ experiences and identities,” Van Meyl says.
In the social services world, LBTTQ women experience a lot of homophobia, not necessarily from the workers, but the clients Van den Huevel says.
She helped one woman find a shelter, who said she would not go back because of the homophobia she had faced.
It is going to be a challenge to create change Van del Huevel says, because women’s sexuality has been is stigmatized.
Van den Huevel notes that the LBTTQ community is diverse with diverse needs.
The Women’s Health and Sexuality program committee reflected that mix because, she says, it did not want to lump everyone’s experience under one identity.