The majority is the priority: a qualitative, intersectional perspective on LGBTQ+ marginalisation within health and social care service pathways in North East England

While health inequities are primarily driven by economics, there is growing evidence of the impact of social inequities on the health of marginalised population groups. Underpinned by an intersectional, queer, feminist theoretical framework, this article explores the health and social care pathways of LGBTQ+ people who experienced disadvantage and marginalisation in North East England, a region with lower life expectancy and higher health inequity than the rest of the country. Qualitative interview data were collected from 33 care professionals and 39 LGBTQ+ people. Descriptive phenomenological methods were used to identify the essence of interviews – the majority is the priority – which served as an axis for discussion. Three key themes were generated which focused on informing future service provision, describing how structural inequity and normative service provision within current frameworks contributed to LGBTQ+ disadvantage being rendered invisible. This article suggests that an understanding and application of health inequity that is constrained within a framework of economic disadvantage will continue to sideline those on the margins. It calls for greater consideration of social inequity, and recommends a utilitarian position that considers ‘all of us’ rather than ‘us and them’.