Health Disparities Facing Sexual Minority Women Presented by: Emily Cohen, MSW

Emily Cohen is the Director of Women’s Services at SunServe, and co-founder of Ignite Women South Florida. She holds an MSW from Florida Atlantic University, where she focused on working with the LGBTQ+ community and substance abuse recovery. She is an avid advocate and activist for the LGBT community.

Learning Objectives At the end of this session, participants should be able to:  Describe health disparities and risk factors among lesbian and bisexual women  List ways to provide patient-centered preventive care to lesbian and bisexual women  Explain strategies to promote positive behavioral change among lesbian and bisexual women

Who Are We Talking About?

Heteronormativity & Visibility “Please, please, don’t assume that I’m straight. If you ask me a question– like “Do you have a boyfriend?”, it makes me feel invisible and I don’t want to talk to you anymore.” “I can’t tell you how many times the only question I’ve been asked about sex is: ‘what are you using for contraception?’ I’m a lesbian, and I don’t need birth control.”

Minority Stress

Health Risks & Disparities Sexual Behavior Exposure to STIs Cervical Cancer Lack of Preventative Screenings Tobacco Use Alcohol & Drug Use Overweight & Obesity Cardiovascular Disease Cancer Mental Health

Putting It Into Practice

Collecting SOGIE Data

Thank You!