All of our forums on the Online Community are here as places for you to find support. We have forums for different cancer types, such as breast cancer, prostate cancer, lung cancer and bowel cancer.
If you are supporting a loved one with cancer, you may find our Carers forum or our Family and friends forum helpful to join.
To help you to find other people who identify as LGBTQIA+, we have a LGBTQIA+ forum.
You can join a forum by clicking “Join” under “Options.” You can then post in a forum when you’re ready by clicking “+new” or “+” next to the forum title. You can also scroll through other people’s posts and click “reply” to get involved.
The Online Community is a moderated platform which is looked after by the Community team, who are professionals at Macmillan. It is very important to us that the Online Community is a safe place to find support.
The Online Community has Community guidelines in place which all members must agree to when they sign up. Discrimination of any kind is not tolerated. We also have a moderation filter in place to prevent content which uses particular words, offensive terms or insults from becoming public. If you would like to find out more about how we moderate, please look at our Community guidelines. You can also email the Community team to find out more. You can email us at community@macmillan.org.uk.
All our forums have a visible reminder to be respectful to everyone on the Online Community. This is with the aim to support all members to be mindful of not making assumptions. This reads:
People of any background, gender identity or sexual orientation etc can be diagnosed with cancer. Please be welcoming and supportive when talking to others.
We keep this a safe space for everyone. To find out more, take a look at our Community Guidelines.
Here on Community News, we have stories from members of the LGBTQIA+ community.
“I was diagnosed at 24” - Sophie’s story – Sophie identifies as queer and pansexual. She talks about her experience finding out she has the BRCA2 gene mutation at 24. Sophie has also written another blog about how having a double mastectomy changed how she felt about her body, for the better.
Cancer, pleasure and intimacy: Sarah-Jane’s story – Sarah-Jane identifies as a gay woman. She shares her experience of gynaecological cancer treatment and the impact on her mental health, sexuality and experience of intimacy. Sarah-Jane shared her story to raise awareness of the importance of talking about and supporting people around intimacy as part of conversations around treatment and surgery.
My cancer, my sexuality, me. – David talks about his experiences as a gay man and how having cancer impacted how he felt about himself, his life and the future.
A day in the life of an LGBTQ+ Network Lead – Anna works for Macmillan and volunteered as the lead of the LGBTQ+ staff network at Macmillan. Anna wrote a blog about her experiences. She shares what she has done to make Macmillan a more inclusive and supportive place to work.
If you would like to read more outside Macmillan and Community News, you may find it helpful to take a look at the Lesbian, gay, bisexual and queer experiences of cancer care project online. This project collates interviews and cancer experiences from members of the LGBTQIA+ community.
Macmillan has lots of online support for LGBTQ+ people affected by cancer.
There are dedicated webpages to help you to find the information you need:
These webpages acknowledge that sometimes LGBTQ+ people may face extra challenges in getting the right help. These webpages have support on cancer screenings, talking to your healthcare team about your gender identity and sexuality. You can find out more about how you can get support if you face discrimination. You can also read about symptoms, sex and fertility, finding LGBTQIA+ support groups and more.
If you need further support, have questions or just want to talk, please remember you can contact Macmillan’s Support Line. Our Support Line is confidential and offers practical and emotional support, alongside clinical information from our team of nurse specialists. Our support team are available 7 days a week, 8am-8pm on freephone 0808 808 00 00, email or live webchat.
Live Through This is a dedicated cancer support and advocacy service for the LGBTIQ+ community. Live Through This host online peer support meetings alongside providing lots of information, educational resources and support on their website.
The LGBT Foundation is a national charity delivering advice, support and information services to lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans (LGBT) communities. They have a helpline on 0345 3 30 30 30 which is open 9am - 9pm Monday to Friday, 10am - 6pm Saturday and Sunday.
Tranzwiki have a list of groups that offer support for trans and non-binary people. This includes national organisations and local support groups. You can search by your area to find out what’s available.
TransActual have lots of information and guidance on their website, including information around healthcare for trans people.
There are lots of ways that you can learn more about supporting a loved one who identifies as LGBTQIA+.
Stonewall, a charity which supports lesbian, gay, bi, trans, queer, questioning and ace (LGBTQ+) people, has a list of LGBTQ+ terms and what they mean.
Mind, a charity which specialises in mental wellbeing, has a webpage on supporting someone who is LGBTQIA+ around mental health.
You can also learn more about supporting other members on the Online Community who identify as LGBTQIA+.
Our blog Respecting everyone on the Online Community talks about why it’s important not to make assumptions when talking to others online. When you don’t know how someone identifies themselves, try using “partner” instead of “husband” or “wife”, and “they” instead of “he” or “she.” This blog explains more around how this can help our Community to be a welcoming space for everyone.
We hope that you find the Online Community to be a safe and welcoming place to find support. If you need any further help finding support or if you have any questions, please remember you can reach out to the Online Community team over email to community@macmillan.org.uk.
Read more from and about the LGBTQIA+ community on Community News:
