This February we are shining the spotlight on LGBT+ History Month with an introduction from Alistair Gunn, Chair of the National Ambulance LGBT+ Network, and a quick round up of things the network are doing and events you can get involved with.
Why it’s Time to Join the Dots
“February is LGBT+ History Month and the perfect time to look at some of the issues for LGBT+ people and, importantly, how our services connect with other parts of our communities. In the eight years colleagues and I have been developing the National Ambulance LGBT+ Network, we’ve learnt a lot and hopefully started to make a really difference where it’s needed. At the very least, we have raised the profile.
There is a caution though that we are ready to deal with. Having a set of focused networks can create an idea that things can be dealt with in isolation and, if done badly, could actually create one-size-fits-all solutions. The reality is each of us, and each of our patients, are a rich tapestry of individual facets, some of which connect people and some which can cause division.
What happens, for example, if you identify as LGBT+ and BME?
What happens if you identify as LGBT+ and have a disability?
Whose guidance do you listen to and which is most important?
Hopefully the light bulb pings on here and we realise the whole issue of supporting people and providing exceptional care is very complex. We need all those golden nuggets of information that give us confidence to connect with more people. We also need experience, empathy and intuition to know how to join those golden nuggets so we can deliver 24-carat care.
As the Chair of the National Ambulance LGBT+ Network, after eight years I am no expert in every part of LGBT+. I live the life of ‘G’, I completely get the issues linked to ‘L’ and ‘B’ and I hope I am a strong ally to ‘T’. I’m striving to learn about all the other identities and hopefully all the other areas of diversity too.
In this month’s Spotlight we’re taking a little diversion to explore LGBT+ and hope it helps you understand that racism, and the issues connected with it, are not confined to one group of people. It’s actually about all of us, and I hope you enjoy finding out more about another part of our rich and diverse world.”
Alistair Gunn
Chair, National Ambulance LGBT+ Network
How to get involved:
Tweet a Day
The National Ambulance LGBT+ Network will be releasing a Tweet and a Facebook post each day looking at their history, links to professional development materials and other information on some notable historic figures. Please share the posts to your local networks.
‘Understanding the + in LGBT+’ Pack
The Network’s third professional development resource is now available online.
Learn more about that here.
‘Back to Basics – Icons’ Pack
The Back to LGBT Basics packs are intended to be interactive resources for networks to use as activities and provoking discussions. The Network has released one a year since 2019, and titles so far have been Identity, Trans, Change and Plus. These should prove useful for planning events for your networks.
Holding an Event?
If you are doing anything for LGBT+ History Month, please let everyone know about it and share your resources with the National Ambulance LGBT+ Network and with AACE. It’s always good to see what everyone is doing.
