Introducing Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Queer Psychology.

In this presentation we outline the context and scope of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Queer Psychology: An introduction, our textbook published by Cambridge University Press in 2010. This was the first textbook published in the Psychology of Sexualities field, and it tackles issues of social justice, diversity and developing a true ‘psychology of people’ head on. The book contains three sections: ‘history, contexts and debates in LGBTQ psychology’; ‘understanding social marginalisation in LGBTQ lives’; and ‘LGBTQ experiences across the lifespan’ that include topics such as prejudice, health, relationships, parenting and lifespan experiences from youth to old age. Our aim with this book was not only to support the delivery of dedicated sexuality and gender courses, but also to enable diversity issues to be embedded across Psychology curricula. As well as discussing the importance of LGBTQ psychology for the discipline, we outline key areas that warrant continued psychological scrutiny.