Happy LBT+ women’s health week!
Here at the Nest Southwest we strive to be inclusive and take seriously the need for positive allies when supporting lesbian, bisexual and trans women’s health. This week is LBT+ women’s health week and this blog post is to provide clarity on our position to create a safe and welcoming community.
Research shows that there are higher rates of mental health issues for LGBT+ people than cis or straight people due to repeated discrimination, and intersectional issues can sadly cause more suffering. While it is unlawful under the Equality Act (Sexual Orientation) Regulations 2007 for anyone to be discriminated against in the provision of any good, facility or service because of their actual or perceived sexual orientation, we’ve heard stories of some lesbian / bisexual mums-to-be that struggle with the standard form filling when there is not a box that represents, their situation and find themselves crossing out the box that says dad and adding a second mum. As a small organisation The Nest has the ability to be very responsive to our community needs. We are here to listen to what women want, and find out how we can support them, including signposting and sharing resources. For example, this fantastic resource provides information for lesbians who are interested in becoming parents, and can help service providers better understand the needs of lesbians.
The Nest’s mission is to inform, support & empower women and girls through menstruation, childbirth and menopause. We proudly welcome LBT+ and BAME women to join our Nest community and strive to create a space where they can feel welcome. We have clear policy of inclusivity and welcome positive feedback on how we can improve our services to be more LBT+ and BAME friendly.
We pledge to treat all our service users with the dignity and respect they deserve. We will not tolerate transphobia, biphobia or any kind of systemic discrimination.
Our Pregnancy Well-being Zoom group is open to all people who are pregnant, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identify. Our monthly Red Tent event is for all people who identify as women. Our menstrual Well-being workshops are aimed at people of all genders. And as we add more events we engage with our local community to become inclusive, fun and supportive.
We say NO to transphobia, biphobia, racism, sexism and violence.
We say YES to kindness, peace, equality and love.
If you are a LBT+ and / or BAME woman and would like to get involved in our strategy and policy development please get in touch.
#LBTWomensHealth21 #thenestsw #womensrights
