Lesbian health: care experiences of primary care nurses

Lesbians face many barriers in health services, and experience prejudice, stigmatiza-tion and the invisibility of their health demands. This article aimed at understanding the meanings attributed by primary care nurses to health care practices directed at lesbians. This is a qualitative research carried out with 15 nurses who worked in primary care in Teresina, Piaui. The analysis was based on Pierre Bourdieu's theoretical frame-work of habitus, field and symbolic violence. It was observed that the practices of nurses in the field of primary care follow heteronormative pro-tocols. Therefore, it is essential that these nurses develop other habitus, aiming to guarantee differ-ent types of identities within the health services.