“The Light at the End of the Tunnel”: Experiences of LGBTQ+ Adults in Portuguese Healthcare

Abstract

This work analyses experiences of LGBTQ+ people accessing healthcare in Portugal. A total of 32 semi-structured interviews were conducted with queer adults (18–59 years old). The thematic analysis and thematic networks brought to light how structural cis-heteronorms are compliant with the maintenance of invisibility regarding sexual and gender diversity. As a consequence, experiences of direct and indirect discrimination show us how crucial it is to have well prepared healthcare providers, capable of embracing diversity and creating safe spaces that allow us to shorten the path between Portugal’s progressive legal frame and the people lived experiences.

Citizenship, Care and Choice: LGBTQ+ Intimacies in Southern Europe—An Introduction

“…Nevertheless, against the backdrop of heteronormative law and social policy (Carabine, 2004), there is a range of care practices which are particularly crucial in a context of economic crisis, when the welfare state fails to provide adequate support. A significant example, yet understudied in the context of southern European countries despite relevant and recent exceptions (Pieri, 2020;Pieri & Brilhante, 2022;Santos, 2020), is the role of friends as well as non-standard families and informal networks in providing care when formal provision reveals to be insufficient or inadequate.…”

Retos de la nutrición y la dietética en la diversidad sexual y de género

“…Para reducir el estigma y la discriminación basado en la diversidad sexual y de género en los servicios de salud y así evitar su poca utilización, que afecta la prevención y atención de la enfermedad 2,14 , es necesario que los proveedores de servicios sanitarios, entre los que se encuentra el colectivo de dietistas y nutricionistas (D-N), estén sensibilizados ante la realidad de la población. Además es importante que reconozcan la diversidad, cómo nombrarlos y el uso adecuado del lenguaje que permita una mejor comunicación en salud.…”

“…Construcción de espacios sensibles al género y la diversidad sexual. Además de las consideraciones comentadas en los retos previos, la sensibilización, for-mación en atención a la salud de la diversidad sexual y de género, así como las adecuaciones en el PAN se verán potencializadas con la creación de espacios seguros, sensibles e inclusivos para la diversidad sexual y de género, espacios libres de estigma y discriminación que permitan la correcta exposición de las necesidades de salud para una adecuada atención 14,19 .…”

Stigma Consciousness Questionnaire (SCQ-PT): Validation in a Portuguese Sample of Sexual Minorities

“…In Portugal, although legal advances have been made in terms of sexual and gender equality since the 1990s, prejudice and stigma against sexual minority individuals are still a deep and transversal reality (European Union for Fundamental Rights, 2021; Moleiro et al, 2016). Studies in different contexts confirm both the presence of stigma episodes and the lack of inclusive polices: schools (Gato et al, 2020), workplaces (Beatriz & Pereira, 2022), and health (Pieri & Brilhante, 2022). Additionally, in the last election, an extreme right-wing political party assumed as third political force and one study that assessed the sexual stigma among Portuguese political sample found overall moderate levels of sexual stigma, namely, in people from right-wing (Ferros & Pereira, 2021).…”