Gynaecologist Diagnoses Lesbian Woman with 'Homosexual Illness'
A 19-year-old lesbian's family is seeking an apology after a gynecologist visit gone wrong.
As reported by The Guardian, the woman went to an appointment at the Reina Sofía hospital in Murcia, Spain, when she was given a paper that read "current illness: homosexual" after her examination. She went to the gynaecologist over a menstrual condition.
"The woman's mother told the online paper elDiario.es that the gynaecologist had asked her daughter whether he could include her sexual orientation in his report, and that she had consented — despite her surprise — as she thought at the time it might be relevant," the Guardian reported.
Recounting what happened, the woman said, "At first, I thought it was funny, but it just isn't."
Outraged, the woman's family turned to the local LGBT collective, Galactyco, for help and filed a formal complaint with Murcia's regional government, the regional health ministry, and the country's regional health service.
In 1990, the World Health Organization removed homosexuality from its list of mental illnesses. "And yet, 31 years on, there are still some professionals in Murcia's health service who view sexual orientation as an illness," Galactyco said in a statement.
Together, the collective and the woman's family are seeking an apology and an explanation from the doctor. The collective also pointed out that this case was not just an isolated incident.
"Our association has received countless reports of degrading treatment because of sexual or gender orientation," said Galactyco in a statement. "We find it alarming, unacceptable and intolerable that there are professionals today who are responsible for our health, but who ignore the realities of LGBTI people."
A spokesperson for the regional health service told elDiario.es that the organization was aware of the incident and that "all necessary measures would be taken to properly establish the facts and to proceed accordingly."
"In any case, they said, the hospital would be offering an apology to the patient," The Guardian reported.