Episode 1: Queer and Bisexual Women to the Front: Addressing Invisibility and Health Inequities Defining Equity

Why aren’t more queer and bisexual women getting pap smears and mammograms? Do we need to change the way we ask questions? These are one of the many topics Tanekwah Hinds, Women’s Health Program Coordinator at Fenway Health, delves into on the first podcast of the Defining Equity series, which focuses on the health of bisexual and queer women, including people of color. Hinds explains how smoking, substance use, high body mass index, and intimate partner violence can increase morbidity , while also disentangling the role of racism, biphobia, stigma, discrimination, and other social determinants in perpetuating these health disparities. Hinds further identifies the unique, systemic barriers to care Black transgender women confront including unemployment, bullying, violence, and homelessness. Our healthcare community is uniquely positioned to address these disparities; Hinds offers us strategies to create affirming environments based on her work.