Levon’s story recalls to provide the health care queer people need

“Do you know how and especially why you are homosexual?” asked the doctor of Forest resident Levon. “I was shaking as if I had just been physically assaulted.”

The story took place last week in Forest. Levon, a student of entertainment and film history, was not feeling well. “I was tired, a little weak, not in good shape, so I went to see a doctor.” Recently living in Forest, the young man did not know where to turn, so he made an appointment with a doctor near his home he found on Google. “It had an average of three stars in the reviews, which wasn’t great, but it’s still okay.”

Very quickly, during the auscultation, Levon felt a discomfort between him and the healthcare professional. “He was patronizing me about my vegetarianism, told me about my tattoos for two minutes. And then he asked me where I was coming from.” Levon’s mother is Ethiopian. When the doctor finds out, he says, “Ah, Ethiopians women are hot.” Stunned, Levon asks him to rephrase, which the doctor did. The young man tells him that he doesn’t know, that he does not care, that he is gay.

This is when the consultation takes a new bad turn. “He made allusions to AIDS, when it had no place in the conversation. I told him that I was protecting myself, but I thought that was the last remark of the kind, otherwise I would go. ” Sitting at the table, the doctor then asks the fateful question: “Do you know how and especially why you are homosexual?”

When asked if it is important for him to share his testimony to be able to improve the health issue around the queer community, Levon says : “I doubted the legitimacy of my story being shared, as much worse things happen to the LGBTQIA+ community everyday, everywhere, but if it can bring awareness to the micro-aggressions we face daily, then of course it’s important.”

As Levon says, discriminations against queer people happen all the time. This story recalls what happened to a 19-year-old gay woman who visited a gynaecologist in a hospital in Murcia, Spain over a menstrual condition two weeks ago. As reported in “The Guardian”, after being examined she was given a piece of paper that included the line: “Current illness: homosexual.”

Last May, during Pride month, a human chain had been organized in front of the Brussels parliament by several LGBTQIA+ organizations such as Ex Aequo, Rainbowhouse, Genres Pluriels, Telsquels and Go To Gyneco to support queer people health system and demand a rainbow health center.

Do not forget that Ex Aequo has a “Très Très Bon Médecin” list of gay friendly and sero friendly doctors, you just have to send your request by email to ttbm@exaequo.be.

For all gynecological consultations and lesbian-friendly health professionals you can contact Go To Gyneco.

For trans-friendly health professionals, you can contact Genres Pluriels.