1 February 2022

To mark LGBTQ+ History Month this February, we’re sharing some articles that explore some of the issues LGBTQ+ SLTs and service users face.

We hope these articles from the Bulletin archives will inspire readers to celebrate and continue to strive for a profession that is inclusive.

Explore the archives

  • Dr Sean Pert discusses a community initiative to set up trans and non-binary voice and communication groups (PDF) in his article published in the June 2019 issue. Sean emphasises the importance of speech and language therapy in supporting the community as “a voice that does not match one’s gender can contribute to the negative feelings associated with gender dysphoria”.
  • Maja Janicova writes about the need to improve care for people with dementia in underrepresented groups (PDF), including the LGBTQ+ community, to ensure that service users feel empowered on their difficult journeys with the disease. This opinion column is from the May 2019 edition of Bulletin.
  • Elizabeth Scanlan and Rachel Barry share how they developed a quality local service for trans and non-binary clients (PDF), published in the July 2020 edition. This opinion piece raises awareness of the importance of not viewing this area of speech and language therapy as a ‘specialism’ but instead something all SLTs should strive to do their part in.
  • Dilys Skinner shares what life as a retired SLT (PDF) holds, touching upon her experience of supporting her transgender partner. Published in July 2019, Dilys tells the reader “like many transgender women, my partner wanted to improve her female voice, and through Bulletin, I was able to link her needs with an SLT”.
  • Dr Sean Pert writes on why LGBTQ+ people need allies and support (PDF), from the Summer 2021 edition. This ‘focus on diversity’ page also has a useful ‘jargon buster’ to help anyone who is unfamiliar with some common LGBTQ+ terms, such as ‘intersectionality’ and ‘heteronormativity’.
  • This March 2020 news item celebrates the success of Matthew Mills, who excelled in the gender identity field by becoming the first SLT to be elected president (PDF) of the British Association of Gender Identity Specialists (BAGIS).

Visit our diversity, inclusion and anti-racism pages for more resources.