Nursing Education and Inclusion of LGBTQ Topics

D espite increasing social toleranceof sexualminorities in the United States, the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) community continues to experience discrimination and homophobia in the health care system. Empirical evidence suggests that discrimination and social stigma increase a person's risk for a number health-related issues including psychiatric disorders, sexually transmitted infections, and substance abuse. Stigma in the health care setting can range from overt discrimination, such as refusal of a health care provider to deliver care to an LGBTQ patient, to inadvertent forms of bias including use of nonaffirming language and a lack of knowledge regarding LGBTQ health. This knowledge gap may force LGBTQ patients to take on the role of “educator” and inform providers about the unique health needs of the LGBTQ community. As with any minority population, efforts to improve LGBTQ health begin with identifying the issues that contribute to thedisparities.Whilemanycomplex factors contribute to this issue, research has consistently shown that LGBTQindividualsoftenavoidseekinghealthcarebecause of the stigma, discrimination, andmistreatment experienced in the health care setting. The nursing workforce constitutes the largest subset of health care professionals; as such, nurses possess the ability to significantly impact health outcomes and the quality of care LGBTQ patients receive.