The month of February marks LGBTQ+ History Month, which is an annual celebration to learn about and celebrate the history of the LGBTQ+ community. This year's theme is "Medicine Under the Scope", which focuses on the contribution of LGBTQ+ people to medicine and healthcare. The theme is multi-faceted and can be viewed through a number of perspectives, including:

• historical LGBTQ+ figures and their achievements in healthcare;
• the complicated (and still evolving) relationship between LGBTQ+ people and healthcare stigma; and
• celebrating present-day LGBTQ+ healthcare workers, such as those who played a key role during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The importance of LGBTQ+ History Month

LGBTQ+ History Month has been celebrated every February since 2005. It serves as a powerful reminder of just how recent the acceptance and celebration of LGBTQ+ people has been.

This is also evident when looking at some of the key dates involved in the relationship between the LGBTQ+ community and medicine:

• 1973 – homosexuality is removed from the American Psychiatric Association's list of recognised psychiatric disorders.
• 1981 – the first cases of AIDS are recorded.
• 1988 – the World AIDS Summit takes place. 148 countries attend. It is announced that individuals will be protected from discrimination and stigmatisation in AIDS prevention programmes.
• 1992 – homosexuality is removed from the WHO's list of mental disorders.
• 1996 – the drug HAART is developed, which radically changes the prognosis of HIV/AIDS.
• 2002 – same-sex couples are able to adopt or foster children in England.
• 2018 – the UK Government Equalities Office publishes the National LGBT Survey, which is the largest survey of LGBTQ+ people in the world to date.
• 2019 – the UK government appoints the first National Adviser for LGBTQ+ Health in the NHS.

There is still work to be done. The charity Stonewall reported that, in the last five years, hate crimes on the basis of sexual orientation and the trans community are up by 112% and 186%, respectively. It means that celebrating LGBTQ+ History Month is as important now as ever.

How can employers celebrate?

It is important for employers to celebrate their LGBTQ+ employees all year round and make sure that actions of allyship are implemented daily. More generally, employers should:

• stand up for LGBTQ+ employees. Challenge discriminatory language and be vocal and visible in support of LGBTQ+ colleagues;
• take meaningful steps. It is important that activism has purpose, as opposed to being performative. Supporting LGBTQ+ charities or asking LGBTQ+ employees to share their experiences to improve visibility and understanding for others;
• normalise the LGBTQ+ experience. Bring the community and its varying identities into everyday conversations. This means that the LGBTQ+ community is not just segregated to certain times of the year;
• brush up on key terminology relating to the LGBTQ+ community. Inclusive language is such an important tool for making LGBTQ+ employees feel more comfortable. We have included a helpful glossary to assist with this.

Glossary

Knowing the right terminology to use around LGBTQ+ History Month can be daunting, but it is important to get it right. Please see below a glossary of some terms relating to the LGBTQ+ community to help make sure that LGBTQ+ employees feel respected and understood:

• Ace – an umbrella term to describe the wide group of people who experience a lack of, varying or occasional romantic and/or sexual attraction.
• Bisexuality – an umbrella term used to describe a romantic and/or sexual orientation towards more than one gender.
• Cisgender – someone whose gender identity is the same as the sex they were assigned at birth.
• Deadnaming – calling someone by their birth name after they have changed their name. This is often associated with trans people who have changed their name as part of their transition.
• Gender dysphoria – used to describe when a person experiences discomfort or distress due to a mismatch between their sex assigned at birth and their gender identity.
• LGBTQ+ – the acronym for lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, questioning and ace.
• Non-binary – an umbrella term for people whose gender identity does not sit comfortably with "man" or "woman".
• Pansexual – a person whose romantic and/or sexual attraction towards others is not limited by sex or gender.
• Pronouns – words we use to refer to people's gender in a conversation, such as "he" or "she". Some people prefer gender neutral language, such as "they" or "them".
• Queer – a term used by those wanting to reject specific labels of romantic orientation, sexual orientation and/or gender identity. Although originally a slur, it was reclaimed in the late 1980s by the queer community, who have embraced it. As such, in the correct context, it is acceptable to use.
• Trans – an umbrella term to describe people whose gender is not the same as, or does not sit comfortably with, the sex they were assigned at birth.