Episode 02: Pride In Practice: The Future of Queer-Affirming Care
In a powerful conversation on the Queerest Podcast, Dr. Varuna Srinivasan shared invaluable insights on revolutionizing healthcare for LGBTQ+ communities and women. As a physician, public health expert, and CEO of Fluid Health, Dr. Srinivasan is tackling crucial gaps in queer-affirming care, particularly around chronic pelvic pain and sexual health.
The discussion began by addressing how society treats marginalized bodies as primarily utilitarian - existing to please others sexually, reproduce, or perform labor without receiving much in return. Dr. Srinivasan eloquently articulated how healthcare systems perpetuate this problem by being designed primarily for cisgender, heterosexual white men. Research studies, diagnostic criteria, and treatment protocols often fail to account for diverse bodies and experiences, leading to harmful healthcare interactions and misdiagnoses for women and LGBTQ+ individuals.
Dr. Srinivasan's personal journey with bisexuality formed a significant portion of the conversation. They candidly discussed navigating their identity as a bisexual, non-binary individual in a heterosexual marriage, addressing the complexities of both privilege and erasure. Despite making up the largest demographic within the LGBTQ+ community, bisexual individuals often face unique challenges, including higher rates of depression, anxiety, and domestic violence. Particularly concerning is how biphobia directly impacts healthcare outcomes - bisexual women are less likely to seek preventative care like pap smears and consequently face higher rates of certain cancers.
The creation of Fluid Health emerged from Dr. Srinivasan's recognition of systemic gaps in sexual healthcare. After interviewing over 200 individuals and receiving overwhelming responses to articles on conditions like vaginismus, they identified a critical need for specialized care for chronic pelvic pain - an issue that disproportionately affects lesbian and bisexual women. Fluid Health connects patients with sex therapists and provides emotional support, acknowledging that the mind-body connection is particularly strong for women and queer individuals yet often overlooked in traditional healthcare settings.
The conversation also explored how compulsory heterosexuality affects sexual health exploration, with Dr. Srinivasan noting that many societies discourage women from exploring their sexuality, instead preparing them primarily for roles as wives and mothers. This societal conditioning contributes to difficulties in accessing appropriate healthcare, especially for those with diverse gender identities and sexualities.
Throughout the discussion, Dr. Srinivasan emphasized the importance of intersectionality in healthcare, advocating for systems built first for those at multiple intersections of marginalization rather than as an afterthought. They suggested that if healthcare can effectively serve those with multiple marginalized identities, it can serve everyone - a model that reverses the current approach of designing systems primarily for privileged populations.
The episode concluded with a hopeful vision for the future of queer-affirming healthcare, with Dr. Srinivasan sharing their hopes for Fluid Health's evolution into either a comprehensive care navigation platform or a dedicated clinic. Their work stands as a powerful example of how lived experience, medical expertise, and advocacy can combine to create healthcare spaces that affirm rather than traumatize marginalized bodies.
