Abstract
Minority population groups are often excluded or marginalised within
health systems and in health research and policy. This article argues
that theories of intersectionality can help us to understand these issues
and develops the concept of ‘hidden healthcare populations’ – using
the case of people who identify as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender
Plus (LGBT+) in Nigeria, in sub-Saharan Africa. The findings present
original qualitative data from a seldom heard population group about
instances of abuse, rejection and marginalisation by healthcare
providers working in public and private healthcare facilities, and the
attempts of LGBT+ people to resist and survive in that context. We
extend theoretical understandings of intersectionality in global public
health and explore how the concept relates to the social determinants
of health. The article has significant implications for policy and
healthcare education and responds to a call from the World Health
Organisation to generate context-specific data to guide interventions
targeted at minority population groups. Additionally, our discussion has
wider significance because it highlights the Western-centric nature of
much theory in health policy – and offers analysis and reinterpretation
that incorporates queer, postcolonial, African perspectives.
health systems and in health research and policy. This article argues
that theories of intersectionality can help us to understand these issues
and develops the concept of ‘hidden healthcare populations’ – using
the case of people who identify as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender
Plus (LGBT+) in Nigeria, in sub-Saharan Africa. The findings present
original qualitative data from a seldom heard population group about
instances of abuse, rejection and marginalisation by healthcare
providers working in public and private healthcare facilities, and the
attempts of LGBT+ people to resist and survive in that context. We
extend theoretical understandings of intersectionality in global public
health and explore how the concept relates to the social determinants
of health. The article has significant implications for policy and
healthcare education and responds to a call from the World Health
Organisation to generate context-specific data to guide interventions
targeted at minority population groups. Additionally, our discussion has
wider significance because it highlights the Western-centric nature of
much theory in health policy – and offers analysis and reinterpretation
that incorporates queer, postcolonial, African perspectives.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1-16 |
| Journal | Global Public Health |
| Volume | 2020 |
| Early online date | 8 Dec 2020 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | E-pub ahead of print - 8 Dec 2020 |
Keywords
- HIV/AIDS
- LGBT+
- decentred policy analysis
- health inequalities
- intersectionality
- religion
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
Access to Document
- SekoniAO2020Hidden
This is an Accepted Manuscript version of the following article, accepted for publication in Global Public Health. Adekemi Oluwayemisi Sekoni, Kate Jolly & Nicola Kay Gale (2020) Hidden healthcare populations: using intersectionality to theorise the experiences of LGBT+ people in Nigeria, Africa, Global Public Health, DOI: 10.1080/17441692.2020.1849351. It is deposited under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, and is not altered, transformed, or built upon in any way.