LGBT+ literacy in radiography

How increasing LGBT+ literacy among NHS staff can improve patient care

Published on December 1, 2021

Five per cent of the UK population identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (LGBT), accounting for approximately 3.6 million people1. The proportion of people identifying as either homosexual or bisexual (LGB) increased by 0.8% from 2014 to 2018, with the highest proportion of LGB individuals falling within the 16-to-24 age range2.

It is important to distinguish between sexual orientation and gender identity: sexual orientation (SO) is a person’s sexual attraction to another gender(s) whereas gender identity (GI) refers to one’s intrinsic sense or lack of maleness and/or femaleness3.

While the term ‘LGBT+’ is adequate in demonstrating which community is being referred to, it does not encompass the entire spectrum of sexuality and gender4. This may be expanded to LGBTQIA (adding questioning/queer, intersex and asexual) and variations thereupon5and a glossary of terminology can be found...

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