On 4 July 2026, members and allies of the LGBTQ+ community will march through London for this year’s London Pride Parade. Here at Roar, we want to take the time to highlight the work and life of queer scientists at King’s College London (KCL).
Florence Nightingale
In 1860, Florence Nightingale founded the training school for nurses at St Thomas’ Hospital; the first of its kind and a pioneering institution at a time when nursing was considered a man’s job. Today KCL’s nursing department is named in her honour and Nightingale is known as an inspiration for women everywhere.
However, this ‘lady of the lamp’ is also a light for the LGBTQ+ community. In a letter to Mary Clark Mohl in 1861, Nightingale famously confessed “I have lived and slept in the same bed with English countesses and Prussian farm women… no woman has excited passions among women more than I have”.
Nightingale’s impact on the world of nursing cannot be overstated; she is an inspiration to women and queer people alike.
Gideon Johnson
Dr Gideon Johnson is a Senior Teaching Fellow in Adult Nursing at KCL. He is licensed to practice nursing in three countries and is currently working toward improving recovery after patients have been in the intensive care unit (ICU).
His proposed Critical Illness Survivorship Programme would expand the Critical Illness, Brain Dysfunction and Survivorship Centre with a patient and family centred approach. His work has led to many awards including the United Nations Humanitarian Affairs Peace Ambassador title.
In a 2025 interview about his experiences working in healthcare as a member of the LGBTQ+ community, Johnson stated that “diversity enriches the profession”.
Qazi Rahman
Co-author of ‘Born Gay: The Psychobiology of Sex Orientation’, Dr Qazi Rahman is a Senior Lecturer in KCL’s Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN).
His work centres around the biology and origins of sexual orientation. In a 2024 Inspire The Mind article, Rahman highlighted the poor mental health often experienced by members of the LGBTQ+ community which can lead to an increased risk of substance dependence.
‘Born Gay’, which Rahman co-authored with Dr Glenn Wilson (a former researcher at KCL), works to explain that homosexuality is caused by human biology, not choice or environment. His research challenges the ideas behind conversion therapies which can often be extremely traumatic.
Ronx Ikharia
Dr Ronx Ikharia graduated from King’s College Medical School in 2011, having completely self-funded their degree. They are now an Emergency Medicine Doctor and presenter for CBBC’s ‘Operation Ouch’.
They spend their time volunteering in their local community and have partook in documentaries and podcasts challenging gender and ethnicity bias in medicine. Their work as a doctor, activist and TV presenter breaks down barriers faced by non-binary doctors and doctors of colour.
Dr Ronx hosted this year’s King’s College London Student Union (KCLSU) Awards and, in 2020, they won the Alumni Impact Award.
It is worth noting that many scientists at KCL may have been queer without ever revealing it to the public. The challenges faced by closeted members of the LGBTQ+ community should never be overlooked.
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