ABSTRACT
Gender identities and sexual orientation have an impact on the lives of homeless people, and are an important reason for breaking the family bond and ending up in the streets, in the case of Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals, Transvestites and Transsexuals (LGBT). LGBT homeless people have their relationship with the health service compromised and have the worst health indicators when compared to heterosexuals. The aim of this study was to understand the implications of gender identities in social relations and health of the LGBT homeless population in Florianópolis (SC). It is a qualitative research carried out between November 2017 and February 2018, with LGBT homeless people in the city center of Florianópolis (SC). Individual semi-structured interviews were conducted for data collection. The main reasons for going to the street were family conflicts and personal choice. The street was presented as a space of intense violence and discrimination against LGBT population with intersectional aspects related to race, enlivened by some strategies of ‘shifting of focus’. Due to discriminatory experiences with health professionals, health care is carried out by the very people in homeless situation.
KEYWORDS
Homeless person; Sexual and gender minorities; Comprehensive health care; Social discrimination