Promoting equality in nursing practice: learning from the care of LGBTQ+ people
To enhance your awareness of the disparities in healthcare experienced by lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer or questioning plus (LGBTQ+) people
To recognise how nurses can apply learning from the care of LGBTQ+ people to their broader practice
To understand what a ‘queer ethics of care’ might entail and its potential benefits in practice
This article explores how nursing ethics can be informed by the experiences and perspectives of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer or questioning plus (LGBTQ+) people. It discusses research on cancer disparities for LGBTQ+ patients, demonstrating the need for culturally tailored interventions. Research in this area often has a narrow focus on improving care for marginalised groups, rather than considering what dominant healthcare approaches could learn from these groups. Through examining queer theory and areas such as human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) activism, the author advocates for a ‘queer ethics of care’ that challenges the way traditional healthcare hierarchies manage events such as the recent mpox (formerly known as monkeypox) outbreak.
