Work

Advancing equity: the urgent need to include trans and gender diverse people in cervical cancer prevention in Australia

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Advancing equity: the urgent need to include trans and gender diverse people in cervical cancer prevention in Australia T he right to safe, equitable, and timely health care is recognised as a fundamental human right. 1 Despite this, trans and gender diverse people face significant barriers to accessing safe, appropriate, and inclusive health care tailored to their specific needs, including cancer prevention and follow-up services.2,3 The federal government's 2023 National strategy for the elimination of cervical cancer in Australia recognises the disparities faced by trans and gender diverse people, and identifies cervical cancer as a preventable disease of inequity.4 The strategy further recognises trans and gender diverse people as a population at risk of being left behind in the government's aim to "achieve equitable elimination of cervical cancer as a public health problem by 2035", and a priority population requiring a targeted approach.We position ourselves as a diverse team of researchers, clinicians, and people who use health care committed to equitable health.In this work, we bring a range of perspectives, which includes trans and gender diverse, LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and other diverse sexualities and genders), Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander, racial minority, and neurodivergent researchers.Our team has decades of relevant expertise, as reflected in our research, clinical practice, and importantly, our lived experience.We draw from our individual and collective expertise to highlight current issues and challenges, and advocate for improved access to cervical cancer prevention for trans and gender diverse people to work toward equitable elimination of cervical cancer.

Source: The Medical Journal of Australia

DOI: 10.5694/mja2.70041