
Oftentimes, healthcare can fail to understand and meet the needs of the LGBTQ+ community, especially in rural areas such as Kern County. For many, this means feeling unseen, unvalidated, and facing harmful misconceptions—even in spaces meant to offer care.
Bakersfield College hosted its second annual Advancing Health Equity: Sexuality and Gender Healthcare Symposium on June 19. The symposium aimed to promote education and community involvement in fostering change in healthcare for the 2SLGBTQIA+ community.
In partnership with the Bakersfield American Indian Health Project—a nonprofit program that serves American Indian and Alaska Native people residing in Kern County by providing culturally responsive health services—this event brought conversations about allyship, inclusive terminology, and overcoming health stigmas.
Johnny Nieto, vice chair for BAIHP, explained that overall health education is good for the community and that events like these matter so people can learn how to care for their communities.
“Health overall is just good for education, because the doctors need updated information,” said Nieto. “We like to take care of all our people, including people who identify as two-spirit…we have Native Americans who walk into the clinic that are well serviced by our staff, and by our doctors.”
Protecting dignity, health, and family is important to BAIHP, and they do that by spreading awareness and practicing what they call “Heal the Healer”—meaning the healers themselves are educated so they can best care for their people, no matter who walks through the door.
Education was the theme of the event, and attendees were able to gather insight on STD rates in Kern County, better understand 2SLGBTQIA+ terminology, and learn how to work on removing implicit bias toward queer individuals.
“It’s particularly important to explore these topics at Bakersfield College because our students come from all walks of life, from diverse identities and various backgrounds,” said Wendy Cordova, Director of Campus Engagement and Leadership at Bakersfield College. “We sponsored this program so that all students can be seen and validated in their experience at the college and their current community.”
Cordova gave a presentation on allyship and hosted an activity called the Social Identity Wheel, where participants were able to talk about how their unique identities—such as race, gender, socioeconomic status, religion, and disability—shape their experiences in the world.
“The intention behind it was to create an open space to dialogue about what allyship is, what each and every one can do in their daily lives, and explore content about LGBTQIA issues and get a better understanding of what the term two-spirit means,” said Cordova.
Inclusive healthcare conversations didn’t always exist, and advocates say the industry still has a long way to go. From doctors assuming gender and sexuality to patients being forced to explain terminology and navigate stigma, many continue to face systemic challenges. As a result, for some professionals, it can be difficult to continue doing the work.
A panel discussion concluded the event, featuring Finster Paul III, manager of community health and wellness at Kern Health Systems; Shantell Waldo, public health project specialist in disease control for Kern County Public Health; and Deborah Kawkeka, a Kickapoo tribal member and trainer/facilitator with over 25 years of experience. Community members asked questions about finding inclusive healthcare and what steps can be taken moving forward.
“We have to do the work to find support, but it’s there,” said Finster.
Finster explained that when he first entered the healthcare field, he was able to connect with LGBTQ+ spaces in Kern—such as The Center and local advocates—which helped him build community and remain committed to the work.
“The more your voice is spoken, they can’t help but hear,” said Waldo as she explained that when she first got into public health, due to leadership at the time, it was still oppressive, and there weren’t a ton of people fighting it.
Waldo noted that HIV wasn’t even talked about in connection to AIDS at the time, yet now it’s a main conversational issue in public health due to how much it was once ignored.
With hopes to continue the symposium annually, this event fosters conversations around health equity, allyship, and culturally competent care– one event and story at a time.