06/01/2026
"Pride Month is a celebration, but it is also a reminder that LGBTQ+ patients, nurses and other health care professionals are part of every emergency care team and every community we serve.
This year, Pride Month feels especially important. Many in the LGBTQ+ community, particularly transgender and gender-diverse individuals, continue to navigate a climate where access to affirming care, safety and expectations of privacy are under intense pressure. People often come to the emergency department when they are scared, vulnerable, hurt or alone, but studies have found a significant number of LGBTQ+ patients avoid or delay necessary care over concerns that they will not be accepted.
That is why it is as important as ever that the emergency department is an environment where patients and professionals alike feel seen and supported. As emergency nurses, our responsibility is to meet every person with clinical excellence, compassion, dignity and humanity while providing evidence-informed care. ENA remains steadfast in its commitment to train and educate emergency nurses on providing such care.
To each LGBTQ+ emergency nurse and ENA member: You belong here. Your voice and leadership matter. Your presence makes emergency nursing stronger."
— ENA President Dustin Bass |
