The results have been released from research gathered by researcher Jude Comfort and her team in 2010 – and it’s not looking good.
Information collected from 900 different lesbians and bisexuals nationwide, reveals that we’re not only unhealthier than the general public; we’re less likely to get pap smears, and more likely to take illicit drugs.
Researcher Comfort believes that the reason behind our community not taking pap smears can be attributed to common misconceptions – ‘I think there is a real myth out there by members of the community, that if you’re not having heterosexual sex you don’t need to have a pap smear’, she said.
Struggles with coming out and discrimination could potentially be turning us to drug use, with research showing that 36% had used cannabis, 18% ecstasy and 16% speed. All of these statistics are higher than the broader community.
Apparently we don’t like to admit it, but we are also over twice as likely to smoke (33%), compared to our heterosexual friends (15%).
Although research is revealing concerning facts, Comfort is looking forward – ‘We hope that this study will provide important guidance to future public health programs targeting the lesbian and bisexual women’s population, and provide a starting point for further in-depth research’, she said.
