Lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) individuals face significant healthcare disparities, yet research remains concentrated in Western, anglophone nations with established LGBTQ+ rights frameworks. The Caribbean is critically underrepresented in this literature, and St. Lucia, a small island nation shaped by Kwéyòl cultural heritage, Catholic-majority religiosity, and incomplete legal protections, has received limited empirical attention. This qualitative study examined how LGB individuals navigate the healthcare system in St. Lucia. Fourteen semi-structured interviews were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis, guided by the Health Stigma and Discrimination Framework, Minority Stress Theory, and Queer Theory. Four themes were identified: persistent pathologization of same-sex attraction; systemic discrimination ranging from outright care refusal to pervasive clinical coldness; a hidden geography of affirming care existing only through covert informal networks; and strategic concealment of sexual identity, a protective strategy that was psychologically costly and sometimes directly compromised care quality. Findings illuminate how legal, religious, cultural, and structural forces converge in this small, post-colonial, collectivist context to make healthcare a site of risk as much as care.
Naipaul et al. (2026) studied this question.