Birth Control for Lesbian Teens | Issue Letters

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Issue 1008
May 20, 2008

Birth Control for Lesbian Teens

I have to say I am disappointed by Todd Henneman's perspective on a LBGT health center's Title X award. I think it is fantastic that youth will have access to family planning services; I don't know any sexually active youth who couldn't benefit from having condoms readily available to them. While I am not familiar with the breadth of services offered at the Callen-Lorde Community Health Center, I am well aware of the benefits of regular Well Woman Exams, STD and HIV screenings. Too, let us not forget the "Q" in LGBT. As a queer identified woman who spent my adolescence questioning (and later lesbian), I believe teen women deserve access to the birth control method of their choice, regardless of their sexual orientation. Perhaps they begin a contraceptive method to prevent pregnancy, perhaps they use birth control to regulate their menstrual cycles. Regardless, I am pleased the younger LBGT community at least has access to these services. Kudos to this health center for expanding their services to foster healthier LGBT youth.

Mary Duffy
Baton Rouge, La.

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