A great piece of writing. It's sad that Dr's were like that, there's still some like that in the profession. 

I've been very lucky with the NHS, never having major issues.

4 hours ago, chris191070 said:

A great piece of writing. It's sad that Dr's were like that, there's still some like that in the profession. 

I've been very lucky with the NHS, never having major issues.

I'm so glad you haven't had any problems, that's so good to hear.

The beginning of this blog was an act of revenge, I had to expose their homophobia when Freddie Mercury died. They were cruel and deeply homophobic, and they were training to be nurses. I was shocked, during my training, at how homophobic some of my colleagues were, but it was the 1990s. I am glad to say, the student nurses I mentor now, are very different and I don't see the same homophobia now.

47 minutes ago, Drew Payne said:

I'm so glad you haven't had any problems, that's so good to hear.

The beginning of this blog was an act of revenge, I had to expose their homophobia when Freddie Mercury died. They were cruel and deeply homophobic, and they were training to be nurses. I was shocked, during my training, at how homophobic some of my colleagues were, but it was the 1990s. I am glad to say, the student nurses I mentor now, are very different and I don't see the same homophobia now.

Yeah, the whole industry no seems alot more tolerable, very little homophobia. But there are probably alot more out nurses/Dr's  than there were in the 90's.

There was alot of ignorance about HIV/ Aids back in the 90's. Treatment for HIV has come along way since then, which I think helped rid the profession of homophobia.

To quote @Drew Payne 'We have come a long way, but we still have a long way to go. We can’t sit back and say the job is done. Yes, we have marriage equality and gay characters on our soap operas, but the NHS still isn’t a safe place for all people, and how can we rest until it is?'

I have to agree with Drew's final comment in this blog, there is still some way to go before the homophobia in the NHS is completely eradicated. Until last year I was in a voluntary position where I was in frequent contact with some of our younger homeless people local to where I live, some of whom are gay and HIV positive. Most had very positive experiences of their treatment in the NHS, unfortunately there were a few who originated from a town in Lancashire where they had been treated abysmally by some of the medical professionals in what was their local hospital. They told me that their treatment in the HIV clinic had been excellent, but their experiences when being treated for unrelated medical needs left a lot to be desired in terms of attitude and lack of compassion from some of the staff.

While the majority of NHS staff are accepting and treat every one equally, there are still some who need to either change their attitude or find another career.

1 hour ago, Mancunian said:

To quote @Drew Payne 'We have come a long way, but we still have a long way to go. We can’t sit back and say the job is done. Yes, we have marriage equality and gay characters on our soap operas, but the NHS still isn’t a safe place for all people, and how can we rest until it is?'

I have to agree with Drew's final comment in this blog, there is still some way to go before the homophobia in the NHS is completely eradicated. Until last year I was in a voluntary position where I was in frequent contact with some of our younger homeless people local to where I live, some of whom are gay and HIV positive. Most had very positive experiences of their treatment in the NHS, unfortunately there were a few who originated from a town in Lancashire where they had been treated abysmally by some of the medical professionals in what was their local hospital. They told me that their treatment in the HIV clinic had been excellent, but their experiences when being treated for unrelated medical needs left a lot to be desired in terms of attitude and lack of compassion from some of the staff.

While the majority of NHS staff are accepting and treat every one equally, there are still some who need to either change their attitude or find another career.

Completely agree with that. Ive never had a problem with my HIV clinic. 

8 hours ago, chris191070 said:

Yeah, the whole industry no seems alot more tolerable, very little homophobia. But there are probably alot more out nurses/Dr's  than there were in the 90's.

There was alot of ignorance about HIV/ Aids back in the 90's. Treatment for HIV has come along way since then, which I think helped rid the profession of homophobia.

Healthcare is not what it was back in the 1990s, so much has changed and for the better. When I did my nurse training, I was the only out student nurse in my intake and ignorance around HIV was breath-taking.

Now there are so many out LGBT people in the NHS, my own employer has an LGBT staff network. There were always LGBT people working in the NHS but its only in the last twenty years or so has it been a place where people can come out, especially lesbians and trans women. I'm so glad for that change.

5 hours ago, Mancunian said:

To quote @Drew Payne 'We have come a long way, but we still have a long way to go. We can’t sit back and say the job is done. Yes, we have marriage equality and gay characters on our soap operas, but the NHS still isn’t a safe place for all people, and how can we rest until it is?'

I have to agree with Drew's final comment in this blog, there is still some way to go before the homophobia in the NHS is completely eradicated. Until last year I was in a voluntary position where I was in frequent contact with some of our younger homeless people local to where I live, some of whom are gay and HIV positive. Most had very positive experiences of their treatment in the NHS, unfortunately there were a few who originated from a town in Lancashire where they had been treated abysmally by some of the medical professionals in what was their local hospital. They told me that their treatment in the HIV clinic had been excellent, but their experiences when being treated for unrelated medical needs left a lot to be desired in terms of attitude and lack of compassion from some of the staff.

While the majority of NHS staff are accepting and treat every one equally, there are still some who need to either change their attitude or find another career.

There are three more blogs in this series, the next two both came from a place of anger, the next was a very angry reaction, but the last came from a place of joy and change. Collecting them all together I wanted to show how things have changed, because that was the impression I got when I reread them all (They were written at the time they were dated).

I have decided, since I started to post these, to write a sixth one, this time reflecting on this year's London Pride because something strange and amazing happened there.

I have worked my whole nursing career in London and that is a very different place, but we do have the Metropolitan-effect in this country. Our big cities are liberal while outside of them is still very socially conservative, and people who don't fit in move (run) to the big cities. Unfortunately, it is still taking time attitudes outside of cities. I am so sorry about the treatment those kids receive, there's a few healthcare professionals I'd like to give some severe "clinical feedback" to.

But change is happening. My brother is a Scout Leader in a Lancashire market town. He thrown one of the kids out of his Scout troop for being prejudiced. He told the kid, "My wife is Jewish, my boy is gay and I work with black people. You don't talk like that here. Get out!"

4 hours ago, chris191070 said:

Completely agree with that. Ive never had a problem with my HIV clinic. 

So many HIV services are run by LGBT staff. So many lesbians made those places what they are. My first nursing job, after I qualified, was on a HIV ward and there was one straight woman on the nursing team (no straight men).