The conversation at the heart of Lesbian Visibility Week is simple but urgent: health and wellbeing begin with being seen. Across clinics, workplaces and public spaces, many women — including lesbian, bisexual, trans, non-binary and intersex people who identify as women — describe a persistent sense of invisibility that undermines trust in services. Trust, in turn, is a foundation for seeking care, following treatment and remaining engaged with community supports. In this piece we unpack how lack of recognition becomes a direct barrier to healthcare access, cite new evidence on avoidance of services, and outline practical steps to create safer systems that nurture wellbeing for everyone.
Real-life encounters illustrate the problem. In one study from Finland, patients who said they were dating women were dismissed by clinicians who assumed heterosexual relationships, and were not offered relevant sexual health advice. Moments like that prompt many to conceal their identities, change the language they use, or skip appointments entirely. Those coping choices are responses to real threats: stigma, mistreatment, and a fear of invasive questions. The coping strategy of silence may protect someone in the short term, but it also increases the risk of delayed diagnoses and untreated conditions. Addressing these harms begins with recognition and culturally competent care that asks the right questions without assumptions — an example of inclusive practice.
Why invisibility undermines health
When populations are unseen in data, policy and practice, services are rarely designed to meet their needs. ILGA World’s recent commentary — authored by Angelica Polmonari, Obioma Chukwuike and Alejandra Collette Spinetti Nuñez — stresses that the United Nations Independent Expert on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity will soon publish a report highlighting violence and discrimination against lesbian, bisexual and queer women. That forthcoming analysis echoes a wider truth: without explicit recognition, systems create gaps that lead to misdiagnosis, inappropriate treatment and reluctance to return for care. Health inequities are not accidental; they are produced when institutions fail to recognise diverse paths to womanhood. The remedy starts with respectful identification in clinical settings and with policies that affirm rather than police identities, because trust grows from recognition.
Evidence and lived experience
Statistical findings that map risk
New research produced by Kantar in partnership with DIVA Charitable Trust and The Curve Foundation surveyed 3,212 LGBTQIA+ women and non-binary people across the UK, US, India, South Africa and Germany (February 2026) and revealed worrying patterns. In the United States, 40% of respondents reported experiencing discrimination in healthcare settings and 36% said they had delayed or avoided care for that reason. The study also found that 61% had faced discrimination in commercial spaces, and only 25% felt safe in everyday public places such as transport or cafés. These figures show how broadly conditional safety operates: exclusion in one arena spills over into others, shaping life choices and health outcomes. Embedding inclusive practices in services can materially change how safe people feel, and whether they seek help.
How discrimination shows up in everyday life
Discrimination is often subtle: clinicians assume heterosexuality, front-line staff use incorrect pronouns, or services are designed around narrow family models. It can also be structural and public, as illustrated by recent policies such as the International Olympic Committee’s approach to sex testing that applies invasive screening and blanket bans to trans and intersex women athletes. Policies that treat bodies as suspicious rather than varied undermine participation in sport, damage mental health, and push people away from community spaces that promote wellbeing. When institutions police bodies, the consequences are both physical and psychological, and they reinforce the message that some women are more legitimate than others.
A practical agenda for change
Visibility must be paired with clear protections and changes in practice. Clinics and services should adopt simple, concrete measures: inclusive intake forms, staff training on sexual orientation and gender diversity, visible nondiscrimination statements, and referral pathways for specialist care. Employers and sports bodies can do the same by consulting affected communities, removing blanket exclusions and replacing suspicion-based rules with evidence-driven policies. Businesses also have power: inclusive workplaces reduce fear and improve uptake of occupational health services. Civil society organisations such as DIVA Charitable Trust, ILGA World and The Curve Foundation play a crucial role in holding systems accountable and building models of good practice. These interventions translate visibility into meaningful access.
Looking ahead
Lesbian Visibility Week and allied campaigns aim to shift culture so that being seen becomes a source of safety instead of risk. Progress requires a combination of public recognition, policy change and practical service redesign so that every woman’s health needs are acknowledged and addressed. When communities are included in data and decision-making, systems become fairer and outcomes improve. The healthiest future is one where diversity of womanhood is understood as an ordinary fact of life and where trust, built on proper recognition, becomes the norm rather than the exception.