Many years ago, and I’m talking decades, I was repeatedly asked by those close and not so close to me, ‘why don’t you have normal friends?’ I was defiant in my answers. Given I was a teenager at the time, psychological theories and the ‘grown-ups’ around me may have put my stance down to being rebellious, to p*** off the parents or, it’s just a phase. Not true. It was the foundation of who I was growing into and discovering what was important to me.

In our society, LGBTQ+ individuals often face not only discrimination based on their sexual orientation and gender identity but also struggle against the intertwined challenges of class inequality. This article delves deeper into the issues of workplace discrimination, healthcare access, and the movements working to address these disparities. It also sheds light on the harrowing struggles and discriminatory experiences shared by LGBTQ+ individuals when seeking healthcare serv