Celebrating LGBT+ lights at the Pride parade this June

Publication date: 28 May 2024

What do the Pride Parade and the Northern Lights have in common? We are mesmerized by the swirling rivers of greenish-blue and pink Northern Lights, just as much as we are in awe of the shimmering costumes and rainbow flags at the annual June Pride parades. 

And we have much to be proud of. As we move beyond stereotyping, we continue to promote a sense of belonging and accepting your authentic self.

Shining a light on medicine and healthcare leaders in the LGBT+ community

This year, during LGBT+ history month, we are highlighting leading lights in medicine and health care who were once advocates for unrepresented communities. 

Amongst many notable figures, Dr Sophia Jex-Blake stands out as one of the first women to study medicine in the UK. She fought for the rights of women to study medicine and was involved in founding two medical schools in London and Edinburgh, at a time when no other medical schools were accepting women. Her partner Dr Margaret Todd wrote about Sophia’s life after her death in 1912.

An LGBT+ History Month rainbow badge in the shape of a heart with a stethoscope representing medics celebrating the month.

Let us strive towards diminishing health inequalities and creating support networks in the LGBTQ+ community, but also not forget the success of notable LGBTQ+ people and remember it throughout the year, not just at the colourful Pride Parade.

I will end with a quote by writer and civil rights activist James Baldwin: “Love takes off the masks we fear we cannot live without and know we cannot live within.”

RCGP resources

For more information about LGBTQ+ representation in general practice and how you can join the conversation, visit our equality and diversity sexual orientation hub. 

About the writers

Dr Hastie Salih smiles in front of a cream wall wearing a light pink t-shirt.

Dr Hastie Salih

RCGP member and writer

Dr Hastie Salih has been a GP for thirty years and has also worked as a GP trainer. She hopes to refine the medical curricula and teaching about diverse communities including the LGBTQ+ community to reduce stereotyping and improving health inequalities. 
She is grateful to the RCGP for giving diverse communities a platform to promote their vision of Equality, Diversity and Inclusivity, thus enabling dialogue and a space to learn. 
Hastie is also a novelist and writer, a member of Exiled Writers Ink, The Royal Society of Literature, Jericho Writers, the BMA and the RCGP.