This Pride month we see the NHS Blood donation service announce a change in the eligibility criteria for men who have sexual relations with other men.
On Monday, World Blood Donor Day, a landmark change to blood donation eligibility came into force which meant more men who have sex with men can donate blood.
Donors of blood, platelets and plasma will no longer be asked if they are a man who has sex with other men, and instead eligibility will, regardless of gender, depend on if the donor has had the same sexual partner for the last three months.
The change in the rules comes during Pride month, where Trusts across Cheshire and Merseyside have been supporting their LGBTQ+ workforce and patients.
Many Trusts have staff LGBT+ networks, who work hard in driving forward diversity and inclusion within the NHS, for staff and for patients.
One in which many NHS Trusts and Organisations have shown support have been the introduction of NHS Rainbow Badges. These small pin badges which show the NHS logo on top of the Pride flag, and are worn by staff to let patients know the Trust is an open, non-judgemental and inclusive place for people that identify as LGBT+.
Another way in which organisations are showing their support, specifically for the Transgender community, is by putting their pronouns in their email signature. This simple, yet effective, gesture has previously been said to be an important move towards inclusivity.
The additional information allows Trans and non-binary people to let others known their preferred pronouns; but also normalises discussions about gender and removes pronoun barriers.