By Hannah Brashers, October 31, 2019
I decided to talk to Kecia Gaither, MD, MPH, FACOG about my experiences. I’d recently read an article that featured Dr. Gaither in which she discussed how hard accessing quality healthcare can be for LGBTQ people. As Director of Maternal Fetal Medicine/Perinatal Services at Lincoln Medical and Mental Health Center, NYC Health + Hospitals, in the Bronx, I knew Dr. Gaither would be LGBTQ-affirming and a knowledgeable source.
Right off the bat, Dr. Gaither told me that my doctor was wrong. “To say that because you are a lesbian [you] can’t catch HPV, that is erroneous,” Dr. Gaither said. “HPV can be transmitted if the person has HPV and you’re engaging in closeness in the genital region. You can catch it by using infected HPV toys. You certainly can catch it if you have oral intercourse with someone who is infected with the virus. You need to go and have a pap smear.”
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