New York, NY, April 20: A significant number of LGBTQIA+ women have delayed or avoided healthcare because of discrimination, new intelligence from Kantar, DIVA Charitable Trust and The Curve Foundation reveals. The study draws on cross market signal intelligence, based on a survey of more than 3,200 LGBTQIA+ women and non-binary people in five countries, and reveals the reality of the systemic barriers the community continues to face.
The research comes as Lesbian Visibility Week gets underway around the world and finds that in the United States 40% of respondents have experienced discrimination in a healthcare setting, reporting feeling dismissed, misunderstood or not taken seriously by a healthcare provider because of their identity. And 36% say that they have delayed or avoided certain healthcare as a result.
This echoes the treatment of the LGBTQIA+ women in wider society, with 61% saying they have been discriminated against in a commercial place. Only a minority of 25% say they feel safe in public places like on public transport, cafes/restaurants, and pubs and nightclubs.
James Brooks, Chief Research Officer, Kantar, said: “LGBTQIA+ women and non-binary people remain underrepresented and overlooked. Their experiences are often shaped by conditional safety, uneven access to care and the need to navigate systems not designed with them in mind. Understanding the experiences of this community is crucial to building a fairer future – when people are invisible in data, they become invisible in decision-making. These findings underline the human cost of this. In healthcare settings, embedding inclusive practices can have a profound impact on how safe people feel and their ability to access the care they need. And for businesses, not only is there a proven business case for inclusion, but companies also have real power to shape social discourse and drive meaningful progress.”
Lady Phyll, Executive Director of DIVA Charitable Trust, said: “This research tells a deeply human story about what happens when visibility is still conditional. When more than one in three people are delaying healthcare because they fear discrimination, we are no longer talking about symbolic inclusion - we are talking about people changing life decisions in order to stay safe. Lesbian Visibility Week exists because LGBTQIA+ women and non-binary people are still too often invisible in data, media, leadership and funding. Our role is to shift culture, challenge inequality and create the conditions for our communities not just to be seen, but to thrive.”
For more details of the study and to read the full report, visit: https://www.kantar.com/campaigns/kantar-diva-report
About Kantar
Kantar is the worlds leading marketing data and analytics business. We deliver the intelligence needed to power brand growth.
We provide the signals that help organizations act quickly and confidently. We empower brands to make effective marketing decisions based on predictive evidence. And we help them craft powerful growth strategies rooted in the connection between consumers, brands and enterprise value.
All this is powered by our uniquely robust human and synthetic data, our unrivalled IP, our AI-native platform and the team of global brand experts that bring this all together.
About DIVA Charitable Trust
DIVA is the UK's only charity focused on LGBTQIA+ women and non-binary people. For over 30 years DIVA has been telling powerful stories by and for LGBTQIA+ women and non-binary people. Our goal is to be a stage for talent, a mirror that reflects our community in all its diversity, and a megaphone, amplifying our movement in its work to create a fairer, more just world for all LGBTQIA+ people. Through this work, we believe we can contribute to shaping a world that is better for everyone.
About The Curve Foundation
Through The Curve Foundation, we bring the Curve archive to life, providing a crucial throughline between past and present conversations. While Curve magazine continues to tell our stories, The Curve Foundation expands that mission through intergenerational programming, community-building, and initiatives that empower the next generation of LGBTQIA+ journalists.
Methodology: Kantar-DIVA-Curve 2026 study, 3,212 LGBTQIA+ women and non-binary people, UK, US, India, South Africa and Germany, February 2026.