Huge gap found in fertility providers' care for LGBTQ+ people

Welcome to the weekly QueerAF Explainer from me, Jamie Wareham.

Every Tuesday, we publish a succinct, easy-to-read article on one of the week's biggest LGBTQIA+ stories first published in our award-winning newsletter.

You'll leave with a valuable analysis to help you understand what it could mean for your work, business, and career - right here on LinkedIn.

Let's get into this week's edition.

TL;DR: A new trans-led study into the UK's fertility clinics has found vast gaps in clinical knowledge about the needs of queer people, affecting our access to help, mental health needs and the support we deserve.

A new study has found vast gaps in clinical knowledge relating to LGBTQ+ patients in fertility providers across the UK.

The research was carried out by a trans-led team, who published the first UK-wide audit on LGBTQ+ inclusion in fertility care in the scientific journal Reproduction this week. It has exposed significant gaps in clinical knowledge and inclusion practices for queer and especially Trans+ patients.

In particular, it found that only half of doctors meet minimal standards of clinical knowledge for LGBTQ+ patients - and even fewer are knowledgeable about care for transgender and gender-diverse patients.

The research also notes that while many clinics project inclusivity in their marketing materials, this isn’t backed up in practice.

Chloe He, one of the researchers, told QueerAF that clinics should be held accountable for delivering LGBTQ+ inclusion, especially if they claim to be inclusive in marketing:

"Our audit identified a disconnect between clinics that claim to be LGBTQ+ inclusive online and their actual practices. While the specific reasons aren’t entirely clear, the dissonance may result from inadequate communication between marketing departments and the clinicians delivering care on the ground"

What else did the study expose?

While most clinics included in the study had pathways for same-sex couples, fewer had pathways for transgender and gender-diverse patients. This was another dissonance with many marketing materials, which use the LGBTQIA+ initialisation as a homogenous catch-all term without having practices which understand the nuanced differing needs of those in the community.

It also found there was a "crisis" level lack of mental health support for LGBTQ+ patients, and that few clinics were aware of queer-inclusive mental health care providers.

What should care providers do now?

Chloe He told QueerAF that clinics should now ensure staff are adequately trained to meet the unique clinical needs of LGBTQIA+ patients in a "culturally sensitive way, proactively bridging the gaps in knowledge left by the medical education system."

That would look like developing specific care pathways, making sure paperwork and facilities are inclusive of gender-diverse people, and ensuring marketing is backed up by practice.

"In the longer term,” He went on, “clinics may want to consider increasing LGBTQ+ representation in their workforce, allowing care standards to be shaped by the people they affect."

Analysis: Fertility care is a top priority in the UK's queer sector

This research is timely, as reproductive rights are high on the agenda globally and birth rates are rapidly declining in the UK.

It's also an area where inequality for LGBTQIA+ people has long existed - something which has made the issue a top priority for many LGBTQIA+ sector groups.

Last year an unfair burden long-placed on LGBTQIA+ families and single women was dropped. Meanwhile, QueerAF founding members Whitney and Megan Bacon-Evans were one of the multiple couples who brought legal challenges against the inequality in the system. They later won their case.

Research like this exposes a wider issue in UK healthcare. It shows the wider inequity our community faces when trying to access the healthcare we deserve - simply because of who we are.

What does this mean for your work, career of business?

This week is National Fertility Awareness Week, and the ask is to keep 'fertility in mind.'

And as the organisation behind the week sets out many LGBTQIA+ people will access fertility treatment to have their family. But that access to funding is not equal, and many LGBTQIA+ people will therefore have to fund their treatment themselves.

This is an excellent moment to question and consider your workplace's policies on maternity, fertility, and families. Do they consider the differing and nuanced needs of queer families, single parents, and structures other than what is regarded as the 'norm'?

#FertilityinMind

Understand the LGBTQIA+ news

We've just reached the end of Black History Month in the UK. And what a month.

We worked with Human Rights Defender Jason Jones as QueerAF's UK Black History Month guest editor to curate articles from four Black, queer creatives as part of the Queer Gaze - our landmark writing scheme. The last one is here for you this week.

Meanwhile, we've published an investigation which exposed that hundreds of transgender patients are being refused gender-affirming care by GPs, even though many have been through the arduous medicalised pathway to get prescribed.

We reported on the Mermaids investigation, which began amid horrific lies about the charity spread in the media. It ultimately concluded that the charity hadn't stepped over the line but had struggled to operate in a hostile environment.

We know all too well how terrible so many of the mainstream media titles have been to our community. And while they lean into anti-LGBTQIA+ rhetoric to chase clicks and rage bait, some of the gay news sector has been left with little choice but to go against its natural instincts due to market forces.

But worryingly, we're hearing more and more in our meetings with activists, community groups, and journalists about the shift you’re noticing away from original news and investigations.

Despite dedicated LGBTQIA+ journalists working hard across the sector to prioritise our news, editors and titles are telling them it's celebs, gossip and clickbait first, news, investigations and investing in the community last.

That's not what we're up to at QueerAF. We're investing in series like our Black History Month articles. We're committed to publishing investigations like those we've done that expose widespread transphobia in the NHS.

This article has exclusive quotes for you and is a story none of the other queer media covered.

But I'll level with you. This work takes incredible resources. Against the background of an Autumn budget that was not kind to small businesses like us, we need your help.

So rather than a 'Black Friday' sale this month we're running a special membership drive: All funds we bring in will be dedicated to running a bigger and better UK Black History Month series next year.

I know you probably have subscription overload - who doesn't? But QueerAF is more than a subscription. It’s a movement.

To repeat what we did for UK Black History Month this year in 2025 we need just ten members to sign up this month - though imagine how much more we could do if we topped that?

I know that's totally doable, especially when memberships start at just ￡3.59 a month, and we have such an incredibly loyal audience.

We first ran a flash sale like this to help fund my recovery from a complication with my multiple organ transplant - and it was really popular. So we've kept the same prices - you can grab perks and support us while locking in these discounts forever.

The more perks you choose, the better the discount you can grab:

• 10% off 'Supporter': Monthly / Annual
• 15% off '100% QueerAF': Monthly / Annual
• 20% off 'Editor': Monthly / Annual

At QueerAF, we're obsessed with journalism and storytelling that puts lived experience in the driving seat.

And in working with the Black, Queer creatives’ lived experience and expertise, we've been able to bring you something very special this month. That’s exactly what we’ll do again if you join the membership drive - plus we’ll keep investing in more investigative journalism and lobbying the media to serve us all.?

So please, if you value QueerAF in your inbox each week, help us dedicate even more time to working with these creatives so we can create even more enriched journalism - and show the media that the change we all want to see is possible.

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