The purposes of this study were to measure the prevalence of, and identify factors associated with, cervical cancer screening among a sample of lesbian, bisexual, and queer women and transgender men.

Past research has found that lesbian, bisexual and queer women underutilize cervical screening service. Because deficient screening remains the most significant risk factor for cervical cancer, it is essential to understand the differences between routine and non-routine screeners.

A convergent-parallel mixed methods design.

A convenience sample of 21-65 year old lesbian and bisexual women and transgender men were recruited in the United States from August to December 2014. Quantitative data were collected via a 48-item Internet questionnaire (N = 226), and qualitative data were collected through in-depth telephone interviews (N = 20) and open-ended questions on the Internet questionnaire.

Seventy-three percent of the sample were routine cervical screeners. The results showed that a constellation of factors influence the use of cervical cancer screening among lesbian, bisexual, and queer women. Some of those factors overlap with the general female population, whereas others are specific to the lesbian, bisexual, or queer identity. Routine screeners reported feeling more welcome in the health care setting, while non-routine screeners reported more discrimination related to their sexual orientation and gender expression. Routine screeners were also more likely to "out" to their provider. The quantitative and qualitative factors were also compared and contrasted.

Many of the factors identified in this study to influence cervical cancer screening relate to the health care environment and to interactions between This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.