Heteronormativity and the health of bisexual women and lesbians in university

Abstract

Objective: to know the perception of lesbians and bisexual and women in university about heteronormativity and its influence on health. Methods: descriptive, quali-quantitative study, carried out in the first quarter of 2020, with undergraduate and/or graduate academic lesbians and bisexual women through an online questionnaire. Data were treated by Content Analysis and descriptive statistics. Results: 163 women participated, of which 110 declared themselves to be bisexual and 53 lesbians, of which 140 were undergraduate students, aged between 18 and 29 years (93.87%), 57% reported their sexual orientation in health care, and 28.83% did not inform it. On the perceptions of 73.62% of participants, heteronormativity influences health. Two categories were constructed: “The perception of heteronormativity and the cultural, social and political implications for health” and “Heteronormativity and the personal implications for health”. By heteronormativity, we have: damage to health, mental or physical; invisible sexual orientation; lack of advertising campaigns and insufficient knowledge of health professionals, including about sexually transmitted diseases. Conclusion: acting more on the health of lesbians and bisexual women is important both in terms of public policies and in a better preparation of the professionals involved.