GPs told to wear woke pronoun badges to make trans children 'more comfortable'

Pronoun badges
The badges represent a "harmful, anti-science agenda," Sex Matters's director of campaigns said
GETTY
James Saunders

By James Saunders


Published: 04/10/2024

- 10:50

The suggestions have been blasted as 'the last thing vulnerable children and their parents need'

GPs have been told to start wearing "harmful, anti-science" pronoun badges in a show of support to transgender children.

Professionals should also start putting pride flags on display in clinics and changing children's genders on NHS records, family doctors gathered at the Royal College of GPs' annual conference were told.


Campaigners had made the proposals during a session on how GPs could approach consultations with young people questioning their gender.

Another measure doctors could take could be to put up posters promoting transgender care services for teenage patients, it was suggested.

Royal College of GPs annual conference

Last year's Royal College of GPs' annual conference

Royal College of GPs

Jason Wood-Ives, a trans healthcare co-ordinator at the charity Humankind, told GPs in Liverpool: "We've come up with a few ideas of things that would make trans people and trans adolescents more comfortable within the GP surgeries, such as confidentiality statements, posters - just putting the progress flag up somewhere so that they... know that it's a safe space.

"Use of pronouns - this is more for staff. Put them on your name badges," doctors were urged."

Wood-Ives continued: "Showing that you have, and you are, displaying your pronouns, shows people that you understand how important pronouns are.

"New patient registration forms make your website friendly-looking. Again, put the progress flag on there.

MORE TRANS MADNESS:

A Pride flag seen above Twickenham, London

GPs were told to display pride flags in their surgeries

PA

"Think about your campaign - cervical screening, breast screenings, prostate exams - those are all really, really important things that trans people need to know about as well and actively avoid."

He also said patients should simply be able to ask administrative staff to change their gender on their records.

He told the conference: "You don't need to have a GRC (gender recognition certificate) or anything to change your gender identity within the NHS - it's as simple as asking the admin!

"A lot of GP surgeries don’t understand how easy that is to do. So looking that up and seeing the policies on that will make things a lot easier."

Pronoun badges

The badges represent a "harmful, anti-science agenda," Sex Matters's director of campaigns said

GETTY

But gender-critical groups have hit back at the suggestions.

Fiona McAnena, Sex Matters's director of campaigns, said: "The last thing vulnerable children and their parents need when seeking evidence-based treatment is to have badges, posters and flags that represent a harmful, anti-science agenda pushed in their faces.

"The link between trans activist lobbying and the quack medicine of gender affirmation is known, so what will it take for medical bodies to return to their principle of 'first do no harm'?

"Distressed children do need better care. That means following the recommendations of the Cass review and not affirming the false premise that they may be born in the wrong body."

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