Interest in
research about
lesbian health has increased dramatically since the late 1980s and gained national
attention in 1999 when the Institute of Medicine published the landmark report
Lesbian Health: Current Assessment and Directions for the Future. In March 2000, the Department of Health and Human Services and partner organizations presented the Scientific Workshop on
Lesbian Health, during which invited experts on
lesbian health worked with federal representatives to develop action steps to implement recommendation in the Institute of Medicine report.
National priorities were thus established for the emerging field of
lesbian health research. Although
researchers of various sexual orientation and gender identities will contribute to this field,
lesbian researchers have a unique perspective and an main role to play. This commentary focuses on the preparedness of these individuals to respond to challenges set forth by the Institute of Medicine and technical Workshop reports. Despite differences in their academic backgrounds,
lesbian researchers have reported common experiences and needs. Substantial proportions have encountered barriers because they were
lesbians or conducted
lesbian research, and many expressed eagerness to mentor others, to help others to conduct research about
lesbians, or both