02/02/2026
February marks LGBT+ History Month in the UK.
This year’s national theme, Science & Innovation, highlights pioneers and recognises the incredible impact of LGBT+ people across scientific fields.
But this theme also invites us to reflect on how science has not always been used fairly. LGBT+ identities were historically pathologised and medicalised, causing deep harm and exclusion, many communities are still working to undo today.
🔬 Science today paints a very different picture.
Research shows the real effects that stigma, discrimination and minority stress can have on health and wellbeing, including the way some LGBT+ people may use alcohol or drugs to cope. Understanding these factors is essential to treatment services that are safe, person-centred respectful and genuinely effective.
At Kaleidoscope, innovation means putting people first.
~ Evidence based, trauma informed support
~ Inclusive, judgement free spaces
~ Approaches shaped around every individual’s identity and experience
~ Recognising the role of social stressors in drug and alcohol use
~ Championing equitable access to support for LGBT+ people
This month, we celebrate LGBT+ innovators of the past and present, and we reaffirm our commitment to ensuring that modern science and compassionate practice work hand in hand to improve lives, not limit them.
You’re welcome here. Your identity matters.
