Promoting Cervical Pap Tests for LGBT Community Members in Pennsylvania through Public Library Outreach

Gynecologic cancers do not discriminate based on sexual orientation or gender identity, but the social conditions in which LGBT people experience healthcare in the United States do: LGBT community members who were assigned female at birth are significantly less likely to be up to date with cervical Pap tests, as compared to the national average 2018 Pennsylvania LGBT Health Needs Assessment. While there are a variety of unique challenges for LGBT people that may cause this health disparity, Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center identifies a few major obstacles: 57% of LGBT people report fear of a negative reaction from their 126s regarding their identity, and 34% find their clinicians slightly or not at all knowledgeable about crucial LGBT-specific health issues. This lack of inclusivity and knowledge is amplified among individuals assigned female at birth who do not engage in sex with men, as they are often misinformed, even by their own clinicians, about their necessity for cervical Pap tests. Through a previous grant from a different funding source, Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center developed a leading-edge cervical Pap test promotion campaign; however, that funding for our ongoing outreach has been exhausted. Our campaign, If Youve Got It, Pap It! is a transgender-inclusive campaign to promote cervical Pap tests to community members who need them. Through this project with NNLM MAR, Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center will be able to reengage our community on this important issue through direct outreach and education at public libraries in eastern Pennsylvania.