ACCESS INEQUITIES AFFECTING SEXUAL AND GENDER DIVERSE POPULATIONS IN LATIN AMERICA
HIGHLIGHTS FROM SLAMS 2025
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.35919/rbsh.v37.1399Keywords:
Sexual and Gender Minorities, Sexual Health, Health Disparities, Mental Health, Latin AmericaAbstract
Introduction: Public health systems in Latin America rarely collect or analyze data categorized by sexual orientation and gender identity, perpetuating epidemiological invisibility and hindering the development of rights-based policies. Objective: To identify the literature on health inequities affecting sexual and gender diverse populations in Latin America and discuss how legal frameworks, reproductive policies, and health system organization shape these disparities. Methods: Integrative review developed from expert discussions held during the XVIII Congress of the Latin American Society for Sexual Medicine, conducted in São Paulo in 2025, complemented by targeted literature searches. Results: Among men who have sex with men, anxiety, depression, and suicidal behavior are highly prevalent, alongside high rates of substance use, violence, and sexually transmitted infections, including HIV and HPV. Women who have sex with women face persistent myths regarding low risk of sexually transmitted infections, as well as reduced access to preventive methods and lower cervical cancer screening rates. Trans populations present high rates of depression, suicide, HIV, and cardiovascular diseases, in addition to extreme exposure to lethal violence; in Brazil, trans women have a drastically reduced life expectancy. Conclusion: Health inequities affecting this population result from the interaction between structural stigma, legal and policy gaps, and insufficient preparedness of health systems.
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