Deciding who to see: Lesbians discuss their preferences in health and mental health care providers

Few researchers have studied how lesbians choose health and mental health care providers. Using a series of studies, the Lesbian Health Care Project of Western New York gathered region-specific information concerning lesbians' preferences and decision making. This article reports on community focus groups in which 33 working class, middle class, African American, young, and older lesbians, as well as lesbians who frequent bars, reported that decision making was based on their past experiences and their hopes for high quality care. They encountered a continuum of provider reactions that helped shape their decisions. The continuum and consisted of five categories: homophobia, heterosexism, tolerance, lesbian sensitivity, and lesbian affirmation. Each category is discussed and examples are provided.