BMJ  2004;328:1567-1568 (26 June), doi:10.1136/bmj.328.7455.1567-c

Letter

Sexuality of health practitioners is complex

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

EDITOR—Riordan's qualitative study of how gay and lesbian health professionals manage issues such as physical examinations is interesting and provocative.¹ However, there has long been evidence that sexual orientation occurs, like most human characteristics, on a spectrum.² Although there may be clustering at each end of this spectrum, most people report at least some heterosexual and homosexual responsiveness.

This is seen most clearly in same sex institutions and in soldiers' behaviour in wartime settings. The extent to which people cluster at either end of the spectrum might be determined by factors such as social acceptability, political views, and the legal status of gay and lesbian lifestyles. In countries such as the United Kingdom many health professionals who regard themselves as gay or lesbian will have reflected on these issues. However, what about the much larger number of men and women who may experience arousal to other people of . . . [Full text of this article]

Department of Mental Health Sciences, Royal Free and University College London Medical School, London NW3 2PF m.king@rfc.ucl.ac.uk

Department of Primary Care and Population Sciences, Royal Free and University College London Medical School

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