Abstract: Sexual health clinics and the people who visit them commonly face stigma. Sexually transmitted infections have historically been used to divide people into “clean” and “dirty”. A grounded theory study of the work of sixteen nurses in six sexual health services in New Zealand was undertaken to explore the management of sexual health care. The study uncovered the psychological impact of negative social attitudes towards the people who visit sexual health services and to the staff who work there. Sexual health nurses manage the results of stigma daily and reveal in their interactions with clients a process of destigmatisation.
