Comments on: 5 Reasons Health Care for Lesbians in Lebanon is at Stake

By: cowgirl

cowgirl — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 15:14:59 +0000

lesbians should get health care no matter what!

By: Liban : “Nous sommes ici, nous sommes homos, nous sommes en ligne” | ReadWriteWeb France

Tue, 29 Dec 2009 09:27:08 +0000

[...] article récent sur Bekhsoos était titré : “5 raisons pour lesquelles la santé des homosexuel(le)s est compromise au Liban”[en anglais] : Les femmes lesbiennes ou bisexuelles sont privées du système de santé au Liban. [...]

By: Sahar

Sahar — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 21:07:01 +0000

Dear “really” (as in the person who wrote the first comment) if you are “really” educated about this subject you would have known that lesbians too have health issues…and yes diseases are transmitted amongst lesbians due to sexual relations…we should all be aware of that…

I would also like to add that “really” and “hummusqueen” ( i don’t feel like eating hummus ever again in my whole life lol ) shouldn’t be so sensitive about the subject,Dr.Hasan never said that lesbian health is different from straight women health,he was just pointing out that Lesbians just like straight women catch deadly diseases from sexual relations.Being gay doesn’t prevent anyone from catching diseases…therefore a regular check-up is recommended ( and it has nothing to do with food and how Lesbians should eat and behave or these things you blamed Hasan for,though it’s the complete opposite of what he believes in and what he fights for with all of us LGBT women and men,knowing Dr.Hasan personally)

At last i would like to thank Dr.Hasan for putting the spotlight on this big issue which not everyone is aware of,not talking about the subject doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist…we should have more to come on this kind awareness….

By: Lebanon: “We’re Here, We’re Queer, We’re Online” | Pastoon

Lebanon: “We’re Here, We’re Queer, We’re Online” | Pastoon — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 15:01:38 +0000

[...] recent Bekhsoos article was called “5 Reasons Health Care for Lesbians in Lebanon is at Stake”: Lesbians and bisexual women are alienated from the health care system in Lebanon. Barriers to [...]

By: Global Voices Online » Lebanon: “We’re Here, We’re Queer, We’re Online”

Wed, 16 Sep 2009 14:49:20 +0000

By: Hasan Abdessamad

Hasan Abdessamad — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 23:56:09 +0000

Thank you for the feedback.

There is no doubt that homosexual women share the same intrinsic (biological) causes of disease as heterosexual women. However, homosexual women have an extra burden caused by social stigma, homophobia, coming out, and many other unique experiences that put them at an increased risk for many health problems. (I Would be happy to dwell on this further if you wish to contact me at hasan.abdessamad@gmail.com)

I do understand that to some women discussing sexuality with ones doctor might appear as an insignificant detail of their medical history, to many, however, it is the reason they avoid going to a Gynecologist in the first place. Avoiding routine care compromises ones health. Research have proven a strong association between coming out to your physician and a better health profile. (The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists)

Here is one example: A colleague of mine spent a 30 minutes discussing different kinds of birth control and trying to convince his lesbian patient to be compliant with using them. The time could have been spent wisely on different issues had the patient felt comfortable disclosing her sexual orientation and had my colleague been less heterocentrist.

I will take the suggestion of dwelling more on what is meant by “Lesbian Health Issues”. My next contribution might make this point clearer.

By: hummusqueen

hummusqueen — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 16:14:44 +0000

A little less aggressively, what are “lesbian health issues” and how do they differ from women’s health issues generally? Obviously there’s coming out to your gyno (which still doesn’t seem to be a complete necessity, it just makes your life easier – but I may just not know enough about this), but coming out as sexually active in itself is a huge deal for many women. Maybe the doctor could write an article for the next issue on what he means by lesbian health and what its specificities are?

By: Really

Really — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 13:32:15 +0000

Baloney! Finding a problem where there is none.

In most cases you do not need to discuss sexual orientation with your doctor.

But if you do, find one you are comfortable with and who is trustworthy. They exist.

If you’re gay, you don’t need, special food and special health care and special movies… enough with this stupidity, you have bigger problems in mideast to deal with.