Over Half of LGBTQIA+ Women in India Postponing Healthcare Due to Systemic Discrimination

Mumbai — Fresh research examining the experiences of LGBTQIA+ women and non-binary individuals across multiple nations has uncovered troubling patterns of healthcare avoidance driven by discrimination. The investigation, conducted by Kantar, DIVA Charitable Trust, and The Curve Foundation, surveyed more than 3,200 LGBTQIA+ women and non-binary people across five countries and documents the structural obstacles confronting this demographic.

The findings emerge during Lesbian Visibility Week and paint a stark picture for India specifically. Three-fifths of respondents in the country reported encountering discrimination within healthcare environments, describing encounters where medical providers dismissed their concerns, failed to understand their needs, or minimized their identities. Consequently, 58% of Indian respondents indicated they have postponed or circumvented necessary healthcare—a proportion exceeding that of any other nation surveyed.

The healthcare challenges reflect broader social hostility. Within India, the community faces considerable adversity in multiple settings: 54% have encountered abuse on social media platforms, 40% on public transportation, and 41% in social venues including bars, restaurants, and cafes.

Despite these barriers, respondents demonstrated optimism regarding corporate responsibility. In India, 78% of respondents expressed strong agreement that commercial enterprises bear an obligation to champion diversity and foster inclusive environments.

Mridul Shekhar, India HR Head at Kantar Analytics and Chair of the Inclusion & Diversity Steercom for APAC at Kantar, emphasized the significance of the findings: "LGBTQIA+ women and non-binary communities remain marginalized and sidelined. Their lived realities are defined by fragile safety, constrained access to services, and the burden of navigating systems that were not constructed to accommodate them. Recognizing their experiences is fundamental to constructing a more equitable society. When communities lack representation in data, they disappear from policy and strategy. These results demonstrate the real human consequences. Within healthcare, implementing culturally competent and affirming practices can fundamentally transform people's sense of security and their capacity to obtain necessary medical attention. For organizations, advancing inclusion represents both a sound business strategy and an instrument for reshaping cultural conversations and catalyzing substantive transformation."

Lady Phyll, Executive Director of DIVA Charitable Trust, underscored the human dimensions of the research: "This study narrates an intimate account of the consequences when representation remains conditional and restricted. When approximately one in three individuals are deferring medical care out of concern for discrimination, we transcend discussions of performative diversity—we confront individuals making fundamental life choices to protect their wellbeing. Lesbian Visibility Week exists precisely because LGBTQIA+ women and non-binary individuals remain persistently absent from statistical data, media representation, decision-making roles, and resource allocation. Our mission centers on transforming cultural attitudes, dismantling systemic inequality, and establishing circumstances where our communities achieve not mere visibility, but genuine flourishing."