Let’s Discuss Breast and Cervical Cancer for the LGBTQIA+ Community
Breast Cancer can affect any body, and there are a few myths in the LGBTQIA+ community around Cervical Cancer. Therefore we have partnered with CoppaFeel! and Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust, to help offer awareness, debunk any of those myths, and help you to feel more confident about either checking your chest/boobs/pecs/breasts, attending your cervical screening, or both.
Breast cancer can affect any body
Everyone has breast tissue and people of all genders can get breast cancer. This Pride Month, Boux Avenue spoke with our partner, CoppaFeel!, about the importance of this and why they are so proud to have partnered with LGBTQIA+ cancer charity, Live Through This, to create genderless checking resources for the trans & non-binary communities.
CoppaFeel!’s message is for everyone, because everyone has breast tissue. Breast cancer can affect anybody no matter your age or gender, so it’s really important to get to know what’s normal for your body especially at times when your chest may experience changes, like around your period for those who menstruate, during pregnancy or during transition.
CoppaFeel!’s resources for trans and non-binary people
To make sure that all young people are empowered with the information they need to get to know their bodies, CoppaFeel! has worked with the amazing cancer support and advocacy charity for the LGBTIQ+ community Live Through This to create resources and advice for trans and non binary people. You can download these here.
Checking your chest- top tips
Together they also established these three handy tips when it comes to getting to know your chest.
- Check regularly- If dysphoria is making this difficult, you could try different methods, positions or settings, like checking without a mirror, beneath loose clothing or on days when you feel less dysphoric.
- Look and feel - Check all parts of your chest, including your armpits, up to your collarbones and your nipples. If you have developed breasts as part of your transition, have implants (or are planning to get them), this will not affect how you need to check yourself. However, it’s still really important to get to know your new normal.
- If in doubt, get checked out- Even if you have had top surgery, some tissue usually remains around the nipple. under the collarbone and in the armpit that needs to be checked – this may be referred to as ‘breast tissue’ by healthcare professionals. When breast cancer is detected early it is more easily treated and the survival rate is higher.
What do you call your chest?
It’s really important that messaging around checking is as inclusive as possible. That’s why CoppaFeel! use lots of terms to describe your chest area. Did you know CoppaFeel!’s digital tool, The Self Checkout, has a special feature where you can choose the terms you would like to use to refer to your chest/boobs/pecs/breasts? Whatever you prefer to call them is good with us, we just want you to get checking them!
CoppaFeel! advocates that there isn’t one specific way to check; you should do so in a way that feels comfortable for you. With this in mind, the charity encourages their amazing community to share #HowICoppaFeel, and you can check out some of that fab content on Instagram.
Still not sure how to get started with checking?
Text BOOBS to 82228 to sign up to CoppaFeel!’s witty text reminders, which will remind you every month to cop a feel!
Cervical Cancer in the LGBTQIA+ Community
Cervical screenings can feel like a daunting experience for anyone, but for the LGBTQIA+ community there can be a few more barriers. Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust offer support for anyone, and have pulled together some tips for when attending your screening, along with debunking a very common myth around HPV.
Lesbian, gay and bisexual women: going for your cervical screening
Going for your cervical screening is one of the best ways to help prevent cervical cancer. But the test isn’t always easy for everyone and some people face barriers and myths about whether they can go for their cervical screening test.
For LGBTQIA+ communities there can be even more barriers to going for their cervical screening.
So, why are lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) women less likely to take up their cervical screening invite? Women and people with a cervix aged 25 to 64 are invited to go for their cervical screening, the smear test. It's not always easy and women and other people with a cervix face barriers such as:
Embarrassment and fear
Getting a convenient appointment
Previous trauma including sexual violence
Being post-menopausal
Have a physical or learning disability
Not understanding what the test is for
But LGB women not only face the common barriers to cervical screening, they also face the myth that they don’t need to go for this life-saving test. This myth is caused by common misunderstandings and lack of knowledge around HPV and how cervical cancer develops.
Research from the LGBT Foundation has shown that 40% of LGB women have been told they don’t need to attend because of their sexual orientation – but this is not true!
Debunking cervical screening myths
A very common myth is that only men pass HPV on, but this is false!
The human papillomavirus (HPV) is a really common virus that 80% of us will get at one point in our lives. It can be passed on between women, even if neither of them has ever had sexual contact with a man. This is because HPV is spread by skin-to-skin contact in the genital area, which can include sexual touching, sharing sex toys, oral sex and penetrative sex.
Anxiety about going for a cervical screening
For some LGB women, going to the doctors can cause anxiety. The doctor may ask a lot of routine questions like, are you sexually active? Do you use birth control? Could you be pregnant?
All of these questions can lead to talking about your sexual orientation which may be unwanted. If this is your experience, please know you do not have to answer these questions. And if your sexual orientation is not something you want to talk about, it can be helpful to pre-plan your answers.
For women who don’t have penetrative sex, smear tests can sometimes feel invasive or painful. If you are worried about this, you can ask for things to make the test more comfortable. Remember that the nurse doing the smear test is there to support you and make the test as comfortable as possible.
More information and support
If you are worried or want to talk through anything mentioned in here, call the Jo’s Helpline on 0808 802 8000. Check our opening hours before ringing: jostrust.org.uk
You could also join our online forum to talk with others going through similar experiences. We have a specific section for the LGBTQIA+ community.