This November, we had the privilege of delivering the fifth annual LGBTIQ+ Cancer Conference. Tickets were sold out, and the house was packed with patient advocates, healthcare professionals, and community organisations, all coming together to rally behind LGBTIQ+ patients, and set out a path to truly equitable care for all. Our theme this year was ‘Better Together: Improving cancer care through co-production’, and the day was a testimony to what can be achieved when people with lived-experience are given a meaningful voice alongside professionals and decision makers.
The day opened with talks from three incredible patient advocates, Lisa Blackman, Nancy Kelley, and Daniel Edwards (aka DJ Dallyn). All took us on a journey through their own experiences of cancer diagnosis and treatment, and shone a light on the unique experiences of LGBTIQ+ people through testimonials, documentaries, music, and more.
We then broke for lunch, where attendees could grab a bite to eat while listening to a live DJ set from the fabulous DJ Dallyn. In the community area, our friends from Spectra, Trans Learning Partnership, Astrazeneca, Life After Cancer, had stalls set up, and invited people to come and learn more about their work and resources.
After lunch, we split into workshops again, with sessions hosted by Trans Learning Partnership, Youth Cancer Europe, and marketing agency Mobas. Each explored how they use co-production in their policy advocacy, campaigning, and research to push for meaningful change for LGBTIQ+ communities. Attendees then came together again for another round of speakers. Our friends from Queering Cancer travelled all the way from Canada to join us, and took us through the work they are doing across the pond to advance equity in cancer care. Ariel Breaux-Torres of Macmillan then gave a thought provoking session on abolitionist approaches to healthcare equity in order to transform cancer care for our community.
We then moved onto our final set of workshops from African Queer and Creative, Dr Alison May Berner, and the Queer Death Network. Each took us through practical examples of coproduction in their work, and the ways they work directly with underserved groups to produce resources and research that truly reflects community needs. Following our final talk from Cheeky Charity (cheekily titled ‘No Butt’s Left Behind: Co-creating in LGBTQ+ and oncology communities to fill the holes in colorectal and anal cancer advocacy’) we moved onto closing remarks and our much anticipated raffle!
As the day came to a close, one thing was clear: this year’s conference reaffirmed how vital it is to create spaces where queer cancer experiences are seen, heard, and valued. We brought together stories, strategies, research, and community power, and left with renewed energy to push for equitable cancer care. Thank you to all the speakers, volunteers, sponsors, attendees who made it all possible – we can’t wait to do it all again next year!