LGBTQIA+

LGBTQI-Rectangle

Sexual orientation is one of the areas where people in our inclusion and diversity survey thought more support was needed for the profession.

Supporting pharmacists to achieve their potential is part of our ambition to create a culture of belonging. Our survey told us one in ten of you felt that the profession wasn’t welcoming to all individuals, irrespective of their background, beliefs, gender and sexuality – and a further one in four weren’t sure.

What we're doing

We want to learn, challenge and create positive change to ensure how we work is fair and to create a culture of belonging in the profession.

Identifying the problems

We need more visible and authentic leadership at all levels in pharmacy so that everyone feels welcome and they can be their authentic selves at work.

More than a third of LGBT staff have hidden or disguised that they are LGBT at work in the last year because they were afraid of discrimination.

Being able to show your whole identity is central to your leadership style - find out why visible leadership matters.

One in five LGBT people aren’t out to any healthcare professional about their sexual orientation when seeking general medical care, and one in seven have avoided treatment for fear of discrimination because they're LGBT. Find out more

Tackling the problems

We have:

Worked with the Pharmacy Schools Council to promote and strengthen diversity in schools of pharmacy, so that from the start students can be inspired by someone who reflects their lived experience
Worked with the Pride in Practice programme from the LBGT Foundation to develop a toolkit for pharmacists in primary care to ensure LGBTQIA+ pharmacists have access to inclusive healthcare
Worked collaboratively with NHS England and partners to develop and embed inclusive pharmacy professional practice at all levels of leadership and into everyday care for patients and members of the public
Called on the Government to expand provision of pre-exposure prophylaxis to community pharmacies and GP practices as part of the Government’s HIV Action Plan
Reviewed our processes for recruitment, national Board elections, awarding Fellowships and are committed to Equality Impact Assessments on all areas of our work
Collected Equality, Diversity and Inclusion data for of our membership on a yearly basis to understand more about our members and ensure our services are inclusive
Worked to achieve real and lasting change for pharmacy through challenge, advocacy with our profession, partners and contributors within and outside of pharmacy.

What you can do

Together, we can tackle discrimination against LGBTQIA+ people in our pharmacy workplaces.

As a pharmacist, here are some actions you can take, and some resources to help you understand the issues they face.

Microaggressions

Microaggressions are the everyday, subtle, intentional — but often unintentional — interactions or behaviours that communicate bias against LGBTQIA+ people.

Tackling microaggressions can make a real difference to workplace culture. We’ve worked with our ABCD LGBTQIA+ group and the PDA’s LGBTQIA+ network to develop resources on microaggressions.

Find out more about LGBTQIA+ microaggressions, how to challenge them if you experience them and how positive micro-affirmations can make all the difference to workplace culture. Download our posters on microaggressions for your workplace.

Julie Morgan photo 250pixel

Breaking barriers

Fire your imagination with the achievements and experiences of others!

"I’ve always known I was trans. I was raised as a girl, but even before I started primary school, I knew I was a boy," says Ross, a community and locum pharmacist, speaking about becoming a trans man.
Dipesh Raghwani shares how his pharmacy was the first to be accredited by the LGBT Foundation’s Pride in Practice programme, and explains how his team supports the LGBTQIA+ community in his area
Chris Cutts tells us why visible LGBT leadership is important
Find out how you can provide transgender patients with the best quality care whatever setting you practice in
Watch our livestream events where fantastic pharmacy leaders explore how pharmacy can be more LGBTQIA+ inclusive.
Take a look at these useful resources about LGBTQIA+ issues

Testimonials

“It’s great to see some of the work the RPS is now doing around equality, inclusion and diversity issues, to celebrate the diversity of the pharmacy profession and to help promote the principles and practice of inclusion.”
- Julie Morgan

Pledge for Inclusion and Wellbeing

Sign our Pledge to demonstrate your support for a profession that's inclusive, celebrates diversity, creates a culture of belonging, and supports pharmacy teams’ health and wellbeing.

SIGN OUR PLEDGE

Already signed our pledge, but don’t know how to put it into action? We can help!