This paper reports on the findings of part of an interview study of lesbian and gay men's experiences of nursing care which was conducted to develop nursing guidance for members of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN). The RCN recognises that discrimination and prejudice against lesbians and gay patients occurs in nursing and it is committed to developing and promoting good practice for this group of patients (RCN, 1994). One area where such discrimination and prejudice exists is in the ways that nurses approach lesbian patients when questioning them about their sexual or reproductive health. Nurses and other healthcare professionals often ask about sexual and reproductive health, and respond in a way that implies a lack of respect for individuals, heterosexism and homophobia. Guidance on the nursing and health needs of lesbian women is being produced (RCN, 2000). A more detailed discussion of the research findings used to develop the guidance is presented here.
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