On Saturday 17th May we joined the Whittington Health NHS Trust’s LGBTQ+ Pride in Health event at Queer Britain. The day brought together LGBTIQ+ people affected by cancer, their loved ones and support networks, professionals, and others. 

There were lots of different talks and workshops throughout the day, including a live theatre piece from Wake the Beast and a session on speaking up for yourself in cancer care with OUTpatients’ trustee Dr Alison Berner. 

Lee, our Education and Policy Manager, led a workshop on sexual wellness with and beyond cancer because we know that many people find this hard to discuss. We talked about how cancer can impact sexual wellbeing and body image, how our communication preferences can influence conversations, and top tips on how to seek help for challenges related to sex and intimacy. We hope that people left feeling empowered and more able to approach this topic.

The workshop was based on our Body Talk project, which is all about facilitating better conversations about sex, body image, and relationships with and beyond cancer. This project is ongoing and we will be updating our Sex and Cancer Info Hub with new information and activities to support you to discuss and get support around sexual wellness. 

If you are an LGBTIQ+ person living with or beyond cancer and feel like you would like some more support around this issue, we would love to see you at our peer support sessions. We are also passionate about working with healthcare professionals across the country to improve their knowledge and confidence in discussing sexual well being with LGBTIQ+ people affected by cancer through our education sessions.