ResearchPublications

Editorial.

“This paper is a primer in learning the lexicon of LGBTQ+ health equity and supports efforts to promote nurses’ and midwives’ understanding of culturally sensitive and person-centered language. LGBTQ+ people are a growing population with inequitable health outcomes, in part caused by discriminatory, stigmatizing, or outdated language that permeates policies, curricula, research, and clinical practice. Language has immense power to shape our world and lived realities including the power to signal respect, safety, and inclusion—or the opposite. Although the journey of LGBTQ+ language literacy requires humility and continuous engagement, with intentional practice fluency will develop. Moreover, as nurses and midwives, we took an oath to “do no harm.” Thus, each and everyone of us plays a critical role in using language that communicates respect, safety, and inclusion. By doing so, we each take a small step forward in creating an equitable future for all” (p. 627-628).