Why is inclusive Childbirth and Early Parenting Education important for LGBTQIA+ families?

When I started my midwifery training, I was in a very different space. At the time, I hadn't even realised I was queer. Growing up, I was in an environment which viewed queerness as something to be fixed, sadly not an uncommon experience for many in the LGBTQIA+ community. During my training and my early career, I watched love unfold in forms I’d never been shown before, and for the first time, I saw queerness not as something broken but as something beautiful, sacred, and deeply human.

I am forever grateful to women, birthing people, parents, co-parents, and support circles who allowed me to witness them in the vulnerability of pregnancy, birth and parenthood. They, unknowingly to them, have made me a better person. I am also grateful to my queer and ally colleagues and friends who demonstrated self-acceptance and authenticity.

Alongside my personal realisations were professional ones, that we need inclusive spaces for LGBTQIA+ families, and that was something I could help develop.

I believe that the vast majority of us who support people through birth and parenting come to work with the intention of doing no harm. However, like I hadn't when I first started my midwifery training, many of us haven't yet done the work to understand the potential harm of cisnormativity and heteronormativity in how we provide care & support.

Childbirth and Early Parenting education so often is exclusionary, from the language we use, the assumptions facilitators make, the materials provided, and images displayed. Being misgendered, being excluded from representations of family, or sitting through materials that don’t reflect your reality can reinforce a deep sense of invisibility. It can also deter people from engaging fully with care, which compounds existing health disparities for the LGBTQIA+ community.

Health disparities for the LGBTQIA+ community

LGBTQIA+ families are significantly more likely to be concerned about social acceptance for their children, have experienced familial rejection or exclusion and experience and experience disproportionately higher poor mental health outcomes [1-2].

Studies indicate that queer and trans people experience higher rates of adverse pregnancy outcomes, including preterm birth, low birth weight infants, and pregnancy loss [3-4]. These disparities are often linked to systemic barriers such as discrimination, stigma, and limited access to culturally competent healthcare [5]. For example, transgender men who give birth report facing provider bias and a lack of affirming care, which contributes to elevated stress levels that can negatively impact pregnancy [6]. Additionally, lesbian and bisexual women may encounter challenges in accessing fertility treatments and reproductive services, further complicating pregnancy experiences [7]. Addressing these disparities requires healthcare systems and childbirth education programs to adopt inclusive, affirming practices that recognise and support the unique needs of LGBTQIA+ parents.

How does inclusive Childbirth and Early Parenting Education do things differently?

Inclusive education has the potential to provide a space which affirms families, provides safety and fosters belonging (hence our name Birthing Belonging).

In our Rainbow Kin sessions (Childbirth and Early Parenting Education) we:

• Use gender neutral, affirming, inclusive language such as Birthing person/parent, Parents, Co-parents, Partner/s, Support circle, which better reflects our diverse families.

• Include representation of diverse families in the images, stories and resources we use.

• Acknowledge the different journeys to parenthood our families have sometimes navigating loss, financial challenges, and other significant barriers along the way.

• Provide time and space to connect with others in their parenting journey to foster connection with other LGBTQIA+/Rainbow Families.

• Utilise forms and documentation which allow people to describe their identities and families accurately while ensuring all personal information is handled with care, kept confidential, and protected. Safety, dignity, and trust are our highest priorities.

• Host our sessions in inclusive, community-based spaces outside of hospitals which may feel safer for those who have experienced discrimination in health settings.

• Ensure all education is trauma-informed, acknowledging that some participants may carry past experiences of harm; create a space rooted in empathy, consent, and emotional safety.

• Connect with other LGBTQ+ organisations who support Rainbow Families to work together to improve support for our community. We also sign post families to places for ongoing support such as Switchboard's Rainbow Family Program.

• Are run by, and for, the LGBTQIA+, with myself, a queer midwife facilitating the sessions.

• Encourage ongoing listening and feedback from LGBTQIA+ participants to continuously improve inclusivity.

  
  

Ultimately, inclusive childbirth education not only affirms identities but also equips all families with the knowledge and support they need to thrive.

What's next?

If you are an LGBTQIA+/Rainbow Family we would love to connect with you through our Rainbow Kin Sessions (click on the "Book Online" tab to see our upcoming sessions).

You are also more than welcome to reach out to us if you have any questions via our "Contact us" tab or through @BirthingBelonging on Instagram.

If you are health professional or birth worker, and interested in how you could improve inclusivity for the LGBTQIA+/Rainbow families we'd love to hear from you too. I offer consultation support, mentoring and am always up for a chat!

-Becky the Midwife

References

[1] VICTORIAN GOVERNMENT (2023). Pride in our future: Victoria’s LGBTIQA+ strategy 2022–32. [online] Available at: https://www.vic.gov.au/pride-our-future victorias-lgbtiqa-strategy-2022-32 [Accessed 6 July 2025].

[2] Logan, M.T., Heberle, A. & Goldberg, A.E. (2024). ‘I want to support her but also want to protect her’: The gendered parenting practices of LGBTQ+ parents. Children and Youth Services Review, 169, p.108046. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2024.108046.

[3] Flanders, W. D., Lee, P., Collin, D. & Ogdie, A. (2019). Pregnancy outcomes in sexual minority women: a systematic review and meta-analysis. American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 221(6), pp.573-582.

[4] Gonzales, G. & Henning-Smith, C. (2017). Barriers to care among transgender and gender nonconforming adults. Social Work in Public Health, 32(6), pp.430-439.

[5] Bradford, J., Reisner, S. L., Honnold, J. A. & Xavier, J. (2013). Experiences of transgender-related discrimination and implications for health: results from the Virginia transgender health initiative study. American Journal of Public Health, 103(10), pp.1820-1829.

[6] Light, A. D., Obedin-Maliver, J., Sevelius, J. M. & Kerns, J. L. (2014). Transgender men who experienced pregnancy after female-to-male gender transitioning. Obstetrics & Gynecology, 124(6), pp.1120-1127.

[7] Everett, B. G., McCabe, S. E., Hughes, T. L. & Austin, S. B. (2017). Sexual orientation disparities in adolescent cigarette smoking: Intersections with sex, race/ethnicity, and socioeconomic status. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 46(2), pp.343-360.

inclusive childbirth education for LGBTQIA+ families