Mumbai : A significant number of LGBTQIA+ women have delayed or avoided healthcare because of discrimination, new intelligence from Kantar, DIVA Charitable Trust and The Curve Foundation reveals. The study draws on cross market signal intelligence, based on a survey of more than 3,200 LGBTQIA+ women and non-binary people in five countries, and reveals the reality of the systemic barriers the community continues to face.
The research comes close on the heels of Lesbian Visibility Week , and finds that in India 60% of respondents have experienced discrimination in a healthcare setting, reporting feeling dismissed, misunderstood or not taken seriously by a healthcare provider because of their identity. And 58% say that they have delayed or avoided certain healthcare as a result – the highest rate among all the countries included in the research.
This echoes the treatment of the LGBTQIA+ women in wider society, with many of them having witnessed or experienced verbal or physical abuse in public places like on social media (54%), public transport (40%) and in bars, pubs, nightclubs, cafes and restaurants (41%).
Respondents’ perspectives further underscore the capacity of brands to influence social discourse. In India, 78% strongly agree that brands should actively advance diversity and inclusion.
Mridul Shekhar, India HR Head – Kantar Analytics & Chair, Inclusion & Diversity Steercom – APAC, Kantar, said: “LGBTQIA+ women and non-binary people remain underrepresented and overlooked. Their experiences are often shaped by conditional safety, uneven access to care and the need to navigate systems not designed with them in mind. Understanding the experiences of this community is crucial to building a fairer future – when people are invisible in data, they become invisible in decision-making. These findings underline the human cost of this. In healthcare settings, embedding inclusive practices can have a profound impact on how safe people feel and their ability to access the care they need. And for businesses, not only is there a proven business case for inclusion, but companies also have real power to shape social discourse and drive meaningful progress.”
Lady Phyll, Executive Director of DIVA Charitable Trust, said: “This research tells a deeply human story about what happens when visibility is still conditional. When more than one in three people are delaying healthcare because they fear discrimination, we are no longer talking about symbolic inclusion – we are talking about people changing life decisions in order to stay safe. Lesbian Visibility Week exists because LGBTQIA+ women and non-binary people are still too often invisible in data, media, leadership and funding. Our role is to shift culture, challenge inequality and create the conditions for our communities not just to be seen, but to thrive.”
