**1. Introduction**

Community represents an essential component to a life of well-being. Various attempts are being made to include members of excluded groups in cities, policies, laws, in workplaces, higher education institutions, teams, recreational spaces, sacraments, or religious practices [1]. Inclusion has been suggested as the key solution to the injustices caused by exclusion [1]. In fact, inclusion has advanced issues like allowing gays to openly serve in the military, women in armed combat and ex-offenders to vote. But what if inclusion hurts us as well?

This article provides a framework for understanding community and inclusion among women who sleep with women (WSW). The authors were intentional in

selecting the term "WSW" (the frequently used public health term for lesbians), as it is often utilized for those who engage in same-sex sexual behavior, irrespective of their sexual identity [2]. This means that someone who might identify a pan-sexual, where the choice of partner is not dependent on gender, also may participate in a sexual relationship with women but not attach themselves to the identity of lesbian. The authors do agree that researchers should not erase the individuality of the identity of "lesbian" [3], however, they specifically chose to utilize the term of WSW as it is more inclusive of a group which has largely been unseen or unheard when it comes to experiences within typical health care systems and policies [4]. Furthermore, it is significant to understand that the authors of this study use several terms to refer to the LGBTQ community including LGBTI, LGBTQ, and various other familiar LGBT+ acronyms. This was a careful choice to give voice and respect to the true population referenced in the supportive studies, as often times research examines this population as one unit, as if, L, G, B and T is an acronym insinuating a homogeneous group. Yet each letter represents an overabundance of different races, ethnicities, ages, lived experience, barriers, socioeconomic status and identities.

With the acceptance and equal treatment of all, comes the disappearing of spaces and places of community. Instead of having an identified "gay" bar or restaurant or community space, LGBTQ+ community are now more included in most mainstream places and welcomed fully pending on their location and proximity to progressive areas.

The connection between health and place is of significant interest to public health professionals [5], yet, WSW have reported disappointment in the quality of community available [6, 7]. A lack of population, the overlapping of gay male scenes, and successful integration into social and cultural spheres were most frequently identified [6]. In the case of happiness, just 18% of LGBT adults describe themselves as "very happy," compared with 30% of adults in the general public who say the same [8].

Inclusion may not always produce positive effects on those that still remain isolated. It is apparent that the LGBTQIA+ community has become more widely recognized in the public spotlight, however, the results of some of those victories and their effect on creating community and diminishing community within the population of WSW has yet to be thoroughly evaluated. As such, this article looks at the impact of inclusion on community as both a physical space and virtual social network among WSW. Moreover, the balance between maintaining a distinct LGBT community versus becoming a more blended part of the American mainstream and its effects on emotional well-being is explored.

The terminology WSW is commonly used in research to describe those who engage in same-sex sexual behavior, regardless of identity [2]. This article examines psychosocial variables in the WSW culture to understand how perceptions, experiences and values impact community.
