Going Flat: Challenging Gender, Stigma, and Cure through Lesbian Breast Cancer Experience

Author

Beth Gaines, University of South Florida

Graduation Year

2022

Document Type

Thesis

Degree

M.A.

Degree Name

Master of Arts (M.A.)

Degree Granting Department

Womens Studies

Major Professor

Diane Price-Herndl, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Michelle Hughes Miller, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Sara Green, Ph.D.

Keywords

aesthetic flat closure, LGBTQ+, mastectomy, reconstruction, sexuality

Abstract

This paper explores the decision-making process of reconstruction surgery among lesbian breast cancer patients to better understand how identity impacts healthcare decisions. Breast cancer patients experience the disease in unique ways due to gender, sexuality, race, and class, impacting their individual decisions regarding treatment plans. Many breast cancer patients face mastectomy surgery as the first plan of treatment after diagnosis. By exploring the impact of gender, sexuality, stigma, and ideas of cure, this research aims to advance research about breast cancer by recognizing why some lesbian breast cancer patients forego reconstruction surgery and instead choose to “go flat.

Scholar Commons Citation

Gaines, Beth, "Going Flat: Challenging Gender, Stigma, and Cure through Lesbian Breast Cancer Experience" (2022). USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations.
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/etd/9775