Paper short abstract:

This study examined the health needs of 29 lesbian and bisexual women recruited from a lesbian-oriented outreach organized by WHER initiative in Abuja, Nigeria in July 2011. It reveals huge unmet health and rights needs confronting this marginalized group of women and points to the need for targeted interventions to address them.

Paper long abstract:

This study examined the lifestyle, sexual, emotional and mental health needs of lesbian and bisexual women in Abuja, Nigeria. Respondents were recruited from a lesbian-oriented outreach organized by WHER initiative in Abuja in July 2011 with 36 women in attendance, but only 29 participated in the study. Questionnaires were utilized for data collection and analyzed descriptively using SPSS. About 58.6% of respondents identified to be lesbians while the remaining identified as bisexuals. All respondents were unmarried with mean age of 25.8 years. A large proportion (84%) reported engaging in unprotected oral sex; nearly two-thirds reported not using gloves and condoms when sharing sex toys, and similar proportion had sex with both men and women 1 year before the study. About half of them had unprotected sex with men and 41.7% reported transactional sex with men. Some reported being physically abused in their childhood (20.7%), and almost one-third reported ever been raped by a man. Slightly more than half (55.2%) have ever used marijuana and 10.3% injected drugs. 65.5% reported experiencing depression often, 55.2% have ever thought about committing suicide; and 10.3% have ever attempted suicide. The study revealed the existence of huge, unmet health needs; it also highlights the importance of rights-based approach to public health interventions for these women. Empowerment programs are needed to alleviate the dependency of some lesbians on risky sex with men. Lesbian-oriented counseling service is greatly needed. Access to dental dams, finger cots and other products and services can help protect their sexual health.