BreastScreen Victoria held its first 'Rainbow Session' in Bendigo

Rainbow Sessions are breast screenings specifically for the LGBTI+ Trans and Gender Diverse (TGD) community.

"Rainbow sessions are a chance for people to attend for screening in what they know is a safe space and amongst other LGBTI+ clients," Bendigo BreastScreen Program Manager Eliza Alford said.

"Research has identified barriers to screening for LGBTI+ community members including previous experiences of discrimination in healthcare, lack of representation in promotional materials, and fear that they may have to reveal personal details as part of the process."

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Ms Alford said the Rainbow Sessions were created to address these concerns and increase the rate of screening within groups of the community that are known to have potential barriers for screening.

The program manager said breast/chest screening is important because it can detect cancers early, before they are able to be felt, meaning that treatment has a greater chance of success.

"Early detection saves lives," Ms Alford said.

"One in seven women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime, regardless of their sexual orientation.

"For trans and gender diverse people, there are various factors that might change their level of risk, such as the use of hormones and whether or not they have had chest surgery."

Ms Alford said there is some understandable confusion around who needs breast/chest screening and whether they are eligible for screening through BreastScreen Victoria, and the information on their website answers all these queries.

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She said having breast implants or binding your chest do not increase your risk of breast cancer, which is one of the myths out there.

Breast screening can be performed with breast implants; all clients are asked whether they have implants when they make a booking, as the appointment may take longer.

Breastscreen Victoria encourages those in the 50-74 age bracket to get screened.

The appointments take 10 minutes, are free, conducted by a female radiographer, and do not need GP referrals or a Medicare card.

People who are not from the LGBTI+ or TGD community are also welcome to attend at any regular time slot and can be assured that staff will be welcoming and inclusive to all.

"All staff have completed diversity training and have an understanding of issues such as the importance of using a person's correct pronouns and their preferred name. For the Rainbow clinics, we collect a client's preferred name and pronouns at the booking, in addition to legal name," Ms Alford said.

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"Our Bendigo clinic has been visited by representatives of the LGBTI+ community who gave advice on how to make the facilities and process more inclusive; we did not have to make many changes but have been able to implement some such as more visible Pride flags, and ensuring we have gender neutral toilet facilities.

"It is important to note that we do not ask any questions about a person's gender identity. We do however ask all clients whether they have had breast or chest surgery and whether they are taking hormone therapy, as these factors might change the appearance of their screening images."

BreastScreen Victoria's Coordination Unit and Mobile Screening Service achieved a Rainbow Tick accreditation in 2019 for their commitment to providing a safe, inclusive, and welcoming practise for LGBTI+ people - a first for a breast screening service in Australia.

For more information, or to see the full schedule for Rainbow Sessions and register, visit this website.

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