Understanding Lesbian Culture and Lifestyle

*Policy Statement: this policy reflects emerging clinical and scientific advances as of the date issued and is subject to change.The information should not be construed as dictating an exclusive course of treatment or procedure to be followed. Local institutions can dictate amendments to these opinions.They should be well documented if modified at the local level. None of the contents may be reproduced in any form without prior written permission of SOGC. Abstract: there has been significant progress in women’s health care over the past decade, however, there remains a paucity of literature and research about health and the lesbian woman. Lesbian patients are frequently an invisible subset in a physician’s practice. If the sexual practices of an individual are unknown or assumed, medical management may be compromised. The attitudes of physicians affect the care of their patients, especially if they are homophobic or heterosexist. Education on sexuality and sensitivity skills will enable health care providers to obtain bias free histories. For the lesbian patient to receive appropriate care, her sexual orientation and lifestyle must be known and understood by her health care providers. Education is the first step towards improving care for lesbian patients; the final step is the enlightenment of attitudes towards sexuality among health care providers.