It doesn’t matter who you sleep with: If you’re a sexually active person with a cervix, you need regular Pap tests.
In an effort to combat misconceptions that only straight women require Pap tests, The Queer Women’s Health Initiative in Toronto is launching a campaign called “Check It Out: Queer Women Need Paps Too!” As part of the campaign, information will be disseminated to women and health care service providers about the importance of Pap tests.
“Women who have sex with women should follow the same cervical screening regimen as women who have sex with men,” reads the Ontario Cervical Screening Practice Guidelines, a Cancer Care Ontario Document. According to CCO, the human papillomavirus (HPV) spreads mainly through sexual activity and, less frequently, through skin-to-skin contact. A Pap test detects cell changes in your cervix, which may indicate the presence of HPV. HPV is very common among sexually active women, but some forms can cause cervical cancer, so early detection of abnormal cells is important.
Arti Mehta is the Coordinator of Women’s Programming at Planned Parenthood Toronto. Planned Parenthood, the Sherbourne Health Centre, Rainbow Health Ontario and Women’s College Hospital form the Queer Women’s Health Initiative.
S: Why is this campaign important?
A: Lesbian, gay and bisexual women are often told by doctors and nurses that they don’t need Pap tests. That’s not true. LGBQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual and queer) women also have less access to health resources than heterosexual women because of homophobia, and that’s one of the reasons why queer women access Pap tests at a much lower rate than heterosexual women do.
S: Why don’t doctors provide this information?
A: I think that doctors are educated in a heterosexist framework, since heterosexism is pervasive in most institutions. As such, they may not know how to treat queer women. Some service providers are homophobic and do not want to treat clients who are LGBQ, or feel uncomfortable asking questions about what kinds of sexual behaviour their clients participate in.
S: Where should women without a family doctor go for a Pap test?
A: The best place to go would be your local community health centre. Often they have a very long wait list, so we’re looking to start a drop-in Pap clinic for queer women.
The Check It Out campaign begins on November 17 with a free community launch event at the Tranzac in Toronto. The website, www.check-it-out.ca, will go live by the same date.
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