• Nursing

Understandings of sexuality and gender diversity are ever-developing, and the visibility of their lives and the needs of communities of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex and Asexual (LGBTQIA) people are more in focus than ever before.

While terminology evolves, what is most important is for nurses to acknowledge that there is a diversity of identities and experiences beyond heterosexual and cisgender and that these can have an impact on health outcomes and healthcare experiences. Rather than list out the various terms associated with sexual and gender minority identities, it might be useful for the reader to review a glossary such as that produced by UK LGBTQ+ charity Stonewall.1

Embracing and respecting sexuality and gender diversity is a fundamental process in ensuring that the care given by nurses is both person-centred and respectful of the innate human dignity acknowledged in the codes of numerous international and national nursing bodies.2–4 As a fundamental aspect of human …