Between reluctance and resistance: LGBTQ+ healthcare professionals and their experiences in the workplace

BackgroundLiterature shows that stigma against LGBTQ+ people in healthcare affects professionals as well as patients. Research indicates that discrimination is transversal to all healthcare professions; hierarchies and heteronormativity contribute to difficult visibility both with colleagues and with patients.ObjectiveThis study aimed to explore the experiences of LGBTQ+ healthcare professionals in the workplace, analyzing their practices of (in)visibility, their experiences of discrimination and their relationships with patients.MethodsData were collected through semi-structured interviews to 17 healthcare professionals working in the public healthcare sector in Portugal and identifying as LGBTQ+. Data were analyzed through thematic analysis.ResultsHealthcare professionals report challenges in managing visibility in the workplace and the relevance of verbal abuse in interprofessional relationships. They oscillate between reluctance to assume their identity publicly and micro-practices of resistance to discrimination.Limitations and future directionsThe findings of the study stress the importance of micro-practices in the definition of LGBTQ+-friendly healthcare environment and the need for further research on visibility in the healthcare workplace.