Public health leadership development: Lesbian and bisexual women of color and reproductive justice

Lesbian and bisexual women have hold cognitions about reproduction and reproductive health that are at times dissimilar to their heterosexual peers. Lesbian and bisexual women also view their leadership in public health and in their communities in ways that diminish their sense of power to make community change. In a Midwest community, 20 lesbian and bisexual leaders met for one year to address their leadership beliefs and behaviors, discuss their health needs and the health needs of their community, and define more specifically their relationship to reproductive justice. A smaller cohort of lesbian and bisexual women of color met an additional 10 times during the same period, providing each other additional mutual support and working to ameliorate the impact of institutional and societal racism on their interactions with the white women in the project. Project participants organized and implemented three public health projects during the year, collected public health surveys from 400 peers, and prioritized health priorities for subsequent action. 80% of the participants completed the project and committed to a second year of leadership development; they will be recruiting another cohort and assisting in the facilitation of that group's development. Key to the outcomes in the first project year was the understanding of the importance of their roles in the ecology of public health and their potential as community leaders. The goals for this project differed among public health workers, foundation supporters, and program participants.