Homophobia and nursing care.

Homophobia, according to Blumenfield (1992) is both the belief that heterosexuality is or should be the only acceptable sexual orientation and the fear and hatred of those who are sexually attracted to those of the same sex. This definition forms the basis for this article, which explores whether living in a homophobic society affects the mental health of gay people and whether gay people are able to access appropriate services should they suffer from a mental illness. The article also examines whether nurses hold homophobic attitudes and if so, the extent to which these affect their work with mentally ill gay clients.