The five most commonly reported physical conditions were arthritis, hypertension, diabetes, asthma and chronic fatigue syndrome. Using a (predominantly) qualitative online survey, the perspectives of 190 LGB people with 52 different chronic illnesses from eight countries were collected. In this article we contribute to the expansion of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) health psychology beyond the confines of sexual health by examining the experiences of lesbian, gay and bisexual people living with non-HIV related chronic illness. The Government at the time of writing has also taken steps to ensure greater equality for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender People in terms of legislation (Government Equalities Office, 2010) This includes: new core training standards for sexual orientation training developed by the Department of Health (DOH, 2006) for the NHS making it an essential part of diversity training for staff as a part of the knowledge and skills framework the Public Health White Paper ‘Choosing Health’ (DOH, 2004) and the Sexual Health Strategy recommendations (DOH, 2001) identify training and workforce capacity issues as integral to the sexual health agenda guidance for GPs, other clinicians and health professionals on the care of gender variant people (DOH, 2008) and guidance on clear sexual boundaries between health care professionals and patients: responsibilities of health care professionals in order to safeguard patients (CHRE, 2008). The guidelines reflect where psychologists and society in the UK have reached in terms of legislation and advances in insight into the clinical issues faced by sexual and gender minority clients.
They also aspire to engender better understanding of clients who may have suffered social exclusion and stigmatisation in order to reduce the possibility of this in the clinical arena. These guidelines have been developed in recognition of the importance of guiding and supporting applied psychologists around their work with sexual and gender minority clients in order to enable their inclusion in clinical practice at a high standard.
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