The wide and existing misconception that LBQ Women do not face significant HIV-related health threats is misleading. Lesbians, Bisexuals and Queer women are overlooked in HIV research and prevention strategies and programs because of the failure to recognise and appreciate that women’s social and behavioural complexities are not epidemiologically the same. Individual risks are shaped by many factors beyond one's sexual orientation and practices — including family history, homophobia-based sexual Assault commonly known as Corrective Rape, Sex Work and Age.

This misconception has led to irrational hatred, intolerance, and fear of LBQ Women living with HIV by LBQ women not living with HIV. It is believed that for a lesbian woman to be living with HIV she must have been sleeping around with men secretly, invalidating one's identity and sexual orientation as "faking queerness" or "straight woman in denial." This very reason has made LBQ women living with HIV have a difficult time navigating relationships or even sustaining any romantic relationship(s) within the LGBTIQ Community and Society at large. With the double stigma and discrimination from within the LBQ Community and the society as a whole, loneliness, isolation, and rejection start to take a toll on someone. The influence of rejection, social isolation, and loneliness are associated with negative health outcomes among LBQ Women living with HIV. LBQ Women, when compared to Cisgender women, show significantly higher rejection, lower social support, higher loneliness, higher depression, and lower protective measures related to suicidal behavior, and are less certain in avoiding sexual risk behaviors such as different sexual encounters with an aim to get a sense of belonging.

"With the double stigma and discrimination from within the LBQ Community and the society as a whole, loneliness, isolation, and rejection start to take a toll on someone."

In 2011, I lost a friend to suicide after a long battle with acceptance, adherence to ART and the constant rejection from peers because of their health status. At the time, I was not well informed about anything regarding mental health, Health in general and how it impacts on one's social life. All I knew was that Don was an awesome person and that they were ill and kept to themselves most of the time. They would constantly cry and beat themselves up over their health status and how people kept rejecting them for living with HIV. Don was masculine presenting and their preference of women to date were femmes. Every time they would approach someone, within a few weeks of knowing each other the person would leave. Their leaving was mostly because of fear of Don infecting them with HIV. Often times some of these suitors would disclose Don's health status without their Consent to other people in the LGBTIQ community as a way of warning the rest against associating with Don as they were a 'danger' to society. Eventually, Don resolved into using drugs as a way of coping and ultimately gave up on their medication leading to their health deteriorating. Seven months down the line they took their life. Losing a friend to suicide because of rejection, stigma and discrimination tore through my heart. It still does every time I open my Facebook account to find a masculine presenting woman being bullied for living with HIV. A lesbian woman has been battered by her significant other for allegedly wanting to infect them with HIV. It pains me even more 10 years later that there still aren't any LBQ Specific interventions put in place.

"Losing a friend to suicide because of rejection, stigma and discrimination tore through my heart."

The concomitant effect of cultural stigma, stereotypes and prejudice that contribute to making LBQ Women living with HIV invisible is that the experiences of LBQ Women living with HIV fall off the radar of the wider HIV positive community and this is because of the lack of recognition of the existence of the LGBTQ Community. This is a sad reality that has a very huge impact on the social lives of LBQ women living with HIV.